Web of Loneliness
  • Home
  • Gain Insights
    • Blogs >
      • Psychology Today Blog
      • The Lonely Blog
      • Loneliness Reviews Blog
    • Information on Loneliness >
      • What is Loneliness?
      • Loneliness Definitions
      • Causes of Loneliness
      • Types of Loneliness
      • Feelings of Loneliness
      • Coping with Loneliness?
      • Dealing with Loneliness
    • Publications
  • View Artwork
    • Loneliness Poems
    • Pictures of Loneliness
    • Music of Loneliness
    • Submit your Artwork
  • Build Connections
    • Join our Facebook Support Group
    • Join Us On Social Media
    • Sign and View Current Guestbook >
      • Guestbook 2001
      • Guestbook 2002
      • Guestbook 2003
      • Guestbook 2004
      • Guestbook 2005
      • Guestbook 2006
      • Guestbook 2007
      • Guestbook 2008
      • Guestbook 2009
      • Guestbook 2010
      • Guestbook 2011

Loneliness Review Blog

Film Review: One Week by WOL member Thomasz

3/10/2013

9 Comments

 
Picture
What Would You Do if You Had One Week Left to Live?

 Benjamin Tyler, closing in on his 30th birthday, is living a banal, but financially comfortable life working as an English teacher at a Toronto elementary school. Though a bit shy, Ben is handsome, well educated, and has excellent social skills. He comes from a loving family and, after years of putting it off, he has finally gotten engaged to his beautiful fiancée, Samantha.  From all outward appearances, Ben seems to be doing just fine. However, below this veneer of accomplishment, Ben is keenly aware that he has become increasingly disengaged from his own life which lacks any real passion, purpose, or direction. Aside from Samantha and his family, Ben has no genuine friends and he is a lonely traveler on his own life’s journey. Instead of being driven by his own desires and choices, Ben’s life seems to be set on auto-pilot and is propelled forward more by inertia and his own indifference.

Ben, a writer at heart, has already written his first great novel. Unfortunately, he felt so wounded by the constant rejection he received while trying to get his book published that he has chosen to simply give up on that dream completely. Now, his days are spent teaching English Literature and trying to inspire his young students to "seize the day" and acquire the wisdom he is offering them. Regrettably, even Ben’s best efforts appear to be wasted on children who are far more focused on texting their tween friends than listening to any teacher dispensing advice.

During a routine checkup, Ben suddenly discovers that he has Stage Four cancer which has already spread throughout his body. He has only a ten percent chance of survival even with the most aggressive forms of treatment. Ben feels fine now, but he knows that his cancer treatments will likely leave him feeling far more dead than alive. He decides that before he starts treatment, he must have at least one great adventure in his lifetime. Against Samantha’s wishes, he buys a motorcycle and decides to drive across Canada from Toronto to Vancouver. Along the way, Ben has a quirky fondness for stopping at every roadside attraction that claims to be the world's biggest tee pee or the world's largest hockey stick. Ben's fascination with these oddities seems to parallel his own inner search for meaning and a life of greater significance.  

On his trip west, Ben encounters a wide range of ­­­people from whom he solicits advice on matters of love and the meaning of life. He seems to be hoping that someone may have the magic answer that will erase his self-doubt and set him on the path of self-actualization.  Unbeknownst to Ben, he seems to be a carrier of positive Karma and good luck for everyone he interacts with along his journey. The film employs a very clever omniscient narrator who lets us realize the powerful and lasting impact that Ben’s acts of kindness have on the lives of all those he encounters even though he thinks these moments hold no special significance.

Ben’s journey has a direction, but no destination. And what happens when, sooner or later, he simply runs out of west? Ultimately, Ben recognizes that he must face his ambivalent feelings about his life and the people in it before time runs out for him.  For the audience, Ben's attempts at coming to grips with his past and impending demise become a Rorschach card upon which we can project our own feelings of isolation and meaninglessness.  

But is any one single transcendent adventure ever really going to be enough to make up for an entire life lived far below its potential? Ben’s one week journey across Canada’s vast frontier has rekindled a new sense of purpose and drive to complete one last meaningful act before he departs from this world. Ben finally discovers how he can leave a legacy behind him which makes him feel authentically happy and proud for the first time he can remember. 

If you are looking for a movie that challenges you to looks at life’s larger questions, then One Week might just be a trip worth taking. The movie was filmed entirely in Canada and offers many spectacular sites and scenic vistas that are likely to be unfamiliar to most viewers.  One Week, filmed in 2008, runs for 1:34 minutes and is currently available on Netflix streaming service.  One Week asks far more questions than it answers, but I found it to be a film that resonated with me long after it is was over.  The official One Week film trailer is below:

9 Comments
Thomasz
3/25/2013 05:27:29 am

Well, I am going to leave myself a comment. I worked hard on that and felt like it was a good review.

Reply
Sean
3/25/2013 04:29:45 pm

Of course it was an awesome review. Not to worry, comments trickle in slowly, but they trickle in. Thanks for writing an excellent review.

Reply
Cherie
4/6/2013 05:23:03 pm

Thomasz, you write so well! I absolutely admire (and also envy) people who can write like you. I'm keen on having a look at this, a little apprehensive as to what kind of questions the movie will pose on my own life haha
I look forward to reading more of your reviews!

Reply
Thomasz
4/9/2013 08:10:13 am

Thanks so much for your kind comments. I am not a natural writer and I don't like to write. So your comments are especially welcome. Thanks so much for leaving a comment!

Reply
OwlJulie
4/7/2013 02:51:41 am

Thanks thomasz. I will have to see this movie. This looks like the kind of movie that will make me think.

Reply
Thomasz
4/9/2013 08:11:55 am

Dear OwlJulie
Thanks so much for leaving a comment. I admire your willingness to jump in on conversations. I just ordered "Daring to Trust" based on your recommendation. Thanks

Reply
McHale
9/16/2013 10:21:13 pm

Wow. Just stumbled across this by accident and I'm so glad. You completely sold me on this movie. Your review was equal parts smart and genuine. Perfectly articulated in my opinion. Thank you!!

Reply
zanelle
11/4/2013 12:52:11 pm

Thank you so much for this review. I love that actor too. If I only had a week to live I would hang with my daughters who are in their 30's now with a little granddaughter 3 and my mom is 95. I'm glad I don't have to live with them full time but if I had a week......that is where I'd be.

Reply
Norman Solar Panels link
8/15/2022 05:43:32 pm

Great post thanks

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Reviewers

    Interested in becoming a reviewer? Email me at sean@webofloneliness.com

    Archives

    September 2016
    August 2013
    June 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    Categories

    All
    Book Review
    Film Review

    RSS Feed


gAIN iNSIGHT

Blogs
Information on Loneliness
Resources
  • Psychology Today Blog
  • The Lonely Blog
  • Loneliness Review Blog
  • What is Loneliness?
  • Loneliness Definitions
  • Causes of Loneliness
  • Types of Loneliness
  • Feelings of Loneliness
  • Coping with Loneliness
  • Dealing with Loneliness
  • Publications​

vIEW aRTWORK

Loneliness Poems
Pictures of Loneliness
Music of Loneliness
Submit Your Artwork

bUILD cONNECTIONS

Join Our Online Support Group
View Our Guestbook

Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Thanks to QuestionPro's generosity, we now have survey software that powers our data intelligence.

Copyright 2020. No part of The Web of Loneliness website maybe reproduced without approval of its creator and/or contributors.