Before knowing what Tully (2018) is about there are already many reasons why you need to see this film: It has Oscar winning Queen Charlize Theron (Young Adult, Mad Max: Fury Road, Snow White and the Huntsman) Directed by Oscar nominated Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air, Young Adult) and Oscar winning screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno). It also features Mackenzie Davis which is exciting because I saw her in a film called Breathe In (2013) which is a small film which not many people know about (I was excited to find that’s how Reitman knew about her) but since then she’s worked on incredible films like The Martian (2015) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017) so it’s exciting seeing her in a prominent role alongside the icon that is Theron.
By now you should be pre-ordering your tickets to see the film but now we have the facts out of the way I can tell you that the main theme of Tully centres on motherhood. Charlize Theron gives a committed performance of a mother who is about to welcome her third child and her brother offers to pay for a Night Nurse to look after her newborn during the evening.
I’ll explain towards the end of the article why this film moved me in a powerful way (don’t worry, I’ll warn you when the spoilers appear) but it basically confirms that no matter what the central theme is there is still something that everyone can relate to and that for me is when film can be at its most powerful.
It’s funny because I know that I have an eclectic film taste and have written many blog posts stating my favourite films and my love for foreign language films yet people still think I only watch Disney and U Rated films. So just to clear up those misconceptions I love watching films that tell stories from different walks of life so it can allow me to have a broader sense of life and step outside of the bubble of my own life and understand humanity just a little bit more. Obviously I’m not a mother, I’m not even a parent but I loved watching Tully just to have an insight to see what women really have to deal with when looking after children and understanding the pressures that society can put on them but also the beauty that comes with creating life. I have a sister who is a mother, obviously I’m not with her all the time but I have an inkling of what she has to go through and the strength that is found in motherhood.
Charlize Theron in Young Adult (2011)
Also I loved what Reitman/Cody/Theron did on Young Adult so I knew Tully would be a great watch; they didn’t try too hard to push an idea but it’s very organic and natural and yet so deeply profound. When I was watching Tully I was thinking about how society can be so hard on us but also how hard we can be on ourselves trying to live up to a certain standard. There’s a scene where Marlo (Theron) orders a decaf and another customer calls her out by saying there’s still traces of caffeine in the mugs, to which Marlo ignores (much to the customers disgust) or when Marlo screams outside of the car after a frustrating meeting with her sons teacher. Marlo loves her children and her husband but we see her at a point in her life where it’s getting too much for her and the film also deals with our identity, who was Marlo before she had children and is she still the same person and if not is that ok?
This is when Tully (Mackenzie Davis) comes in. A Vibrant, youthful and forthright woman who is like a saviour for Marlo coming into her life and taking some of the load off her so that she can have a good night sleep and have some energy back. It’s a beautiful friendship that unfolds on the screen and not only does Tully inject some of that joy back into Marlo’s life but also Marlo cautions Tully of what time can do to a person. Both Davis and Theron work brilliantly together and their performances are so authentic which felt refreshing.
Now here we come to the SPOILERS (Spoilers will be in ITALICS)
I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of how the film would play out but I was not ready for what was to come. So Tully takes Marlo out for some drinks and as they’re driving home they end up in an accident. Marlo wakes up in hospital and the doctor asks her husband if Marlo has suffered from mental illness in the past and then the twist that I was NOT EXPECTING happened: the doctor explained that Marlo was severely sleep deprived and as the audience we realise that Tully was not real…but a figment of Marlo’s imagination (her younger self coming back to help Marlo as Marlo’s maiden name was Tully) and I nearly cried. I wasn’t ready or expecting how emotionally impacted I would be by this Fight Club (1999) style of ending and I’ve reflected since to find out why because I’m only 24 and not a parent that has lived life but I remember just feeling true empathy for Marlo that all this time she was truly alone and basically was trying to figure out who she was and who she has become and what time can do to us. Tully comes back in the hospital room saying she has to go and Marlo agrees and the look on Mackenzie’s face in knowing she has to go is heartbreaking I could have cried again. It was very emotional but also in a good way because at the end Marlo is looking happier, with more energy and as Tully says before has gotten Marlo through the danger zone of looking after a newborn baby. Marlo is happy with who she has become and that’s a beautiful thing to see on screen. If I’m not making sense it’s because I’m still emotional thinking about it all.
SPOILERS END:
The meaning of the ending and how that helps you see the film in a different light is probably for another blog post as I thought it was incredible and totally different to what I was expecting, but basically what I loved about this film was how accessible it actually was. Everyone should give this film a chance, not just because of the incredible talent in front and behind the screen (though that is a main factor) but it can create conversation about our progress in life, who we were and who we have become and it’s always welcome to see an original film come to our screens.
RATING: 5 STARS
