Anchor and Hope Explores The Decision Between Raising A Child and Bohemia
In a film landscape where the loud and the intense abounds, sometimes it's nice to encounter a film that celebrates the quiet moments. Although big actions, big drama, and big humor can be exciting, it's not always the most effective way to get the complexity of human emotions across. Anchor and Hope is a film that succeeds in getting its message across using not only dialogue but silence.
Using the relationship between two women, Eva (Oona Chaplin) and Kat (Natalia Tena), and their potential sperm donor Roger (David Verdaguer), Anchor and Hope tackles an issue that isn't often presented in queer media: the decision to have a child. What do you do if you're not on the same page about raising a child? Where does the compromise begin, and how far do you go before deciding whether or not the relationship will continue to work at all? Is freedom more important?
Instead of focusing on issues more typically talked about when it comes to creating a family (unfair laws, adoption struggles, homophobia), Anchor and Hope focuses on the decision itself, a decision that has to be made by all couples, regardless of sexuality. It’s a serious issue, and it’s not one that’s made lighter through unrealistic humor. On the other hand, overblown drama doesn’t occur, swamping the film in the mire of melodrama. Everyone’s reactions to the film’s events are realistic, sometimes awkwardly so. The situation itself is awkward, so it fits.
The film aptly displays moments of uncertainty, upset, joy, and love through honest dialogue - and honest silences. There are, in fact, times in the film where silences between the characters are more poignant than anything they could have said. It's during these moments that you can truly feel the tension created by the decision that needs to be made. Both disappointment and joy become tangible through the changing looks in the characters’ faces, in their body language. You can understand through these moments how big the decision to have a child is. It's not an option that all queer people want, just as not all queer people want to get married. Anchor and Hope presents the nuance of the issue in a way that pushes you to contemplate, as opposed to simply react.
Regardless of your opinion on the matter, Anchor and Hope is worth the watch. It's as quiet as it is active, beautiful in its cinematography, and rich in its complexity. Be sure to grab a blanket, settle in, and get ready to be immersed.
Rent or buy Anchor and Hope on Amazon, or watch the film on Netflix.