Peter Ots

CARPE DIEM • SEIZE THE DAY How easy it is to give others advice we should take ourselves but refuse to. I went to see A Man Called Otto, starring veteran actor Tom Hanks and nova Mariana Treviño. Although I recommend this to anybody, I do so in particular to those who have lost a spouse and keenly feel his or her absence. Otto sees that his world is changing all around him, and that because he sorely misses his beloved Sonya, he attempts suicide (and thankfully fails miserably) four separate times! The arc of this story is that most people in his changing world attempt to engage him, but the very thing he tells others to do, he himself avoids doing. Finally, others get through to him that he is cherished and that there are important things for him to do before he dies. Although this movie isn’t particularly religious in nature, it is profoundly spiritual. There were several moments I cried aloud, particularly at Otto’s foolishness and desperate actions (fortunately there were only two others in the otherwise empty theater). If you loved Driving Miss Daisy, you will probably enjoy A Man Called Otto.

Great fun! Grizzly murders, heinous crimes, psychopaths, sociopaths, beautiful homes, cool offices, clever plot twists, and good looking, charming actors make for worthwhile binge watching. The series has two “eras”—the first is set in California, the second in Texas. But the series maintains its engaging appeal throughout, and it is easy to care what happens to them.