Sylvia
By Cassie Fauss
Commentary

“Dying is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well.”

These lines, from her poem “Lady Lazarus” perfectly encapsulate Sylvia Plath’s tragic suicide in 1963.

Unable to cope with a cheating husband, her three young children and a seemingly dead-end career, the dejected poet gassed herself to death in her own kitchen at the age of 30.

The film “Sylvia” is the story of Plath’s relationship with fellow poet Ted Hughes, played by Daniel Craig, and the events that led her to take her life. “Sylvia” brings to life the heartbreaking tale of an intelligent woman who was too sensitive and unstable to deal with the harsh realities of life. The film is sympathetic towards Plath and assumes that her husband was the sole reason behind her depression and suicide, even though history proves otherwise. Plath’s history of depression and suicidal tendencies began years before she came into contact with Hughes, but many believe he pushed her over the edge in 1963.

Sylvia Plath was a complex woman, and Gwyneth Paltrow brilliantly brings to life every facet of emotion experienced by the young struggling artist. Paltrow’s portrayal of Plath was impressively convincing and her best on-screen performance ever.

Overall, the execution of the film was excellent. Its foreboding reality left me miserable, depressed and sympathetic, which proved to me the film’s success.

Sylvia Plath’s life was no fairy tale, and this brief biography has no happy ending. For those of you who looking for entertainment and spectacle, steer clear of this film.

However, for anyone who is curious of the powerful emotions that lead people to suicide, this film acutely reveals the desperation and empty feelings suicide victims encompass.