All Things Faith 신의 : Jodie Foster Acceptance Speech VS Faith

by guadi

Okay, this may sound super cheesy, but...

I watched Jodie Foster's speech at the Golden Globe yesterday, and I bawled my eyes out. It was so honest and heartfelt...

And there's something about this part of her speech that makes me think of Eun-soo's time-travel journey to find Choi Young -

But first, a little background on Jodie Foster, so you'll get a better understanding of her speech. Jodie is 50 years old. She's been in show business since the Age of 3. In all these years in acting, she's won two Academy Awards (Oscars), and she also a graduate of Yale University. She's an extremely private person, and those familiar with Hollywood and Jodie know that she's a lesbian. But she values privacy dearly so she never came out to the public until last Sunday when she was honored, by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, with a lifetime achievement award (probably the second most important lifetime award for Hollywood artists. The most important would be to get honored at the Oscars). Anyways, in her speech, she discusses a myriad of things and thanking her loved ones. The last person she thanked (shown in the first quote) was her mom who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. So without further ado, read the speech and I'll tell you how I think this connects with Eun-soo

"This brings me to the greatest influence of my life - my amazing mother, Evelyn. Mom, I know you’re inside those blue eyes somewhere and

that there are so many things that you won’t understand tonight.

But this is the only important one to take in: I love you, I love you, I love you.

And I hope that if I say this three times,

it will magically and perfectly enter into your soul,

fill you with grace and the joy of knowing that you did good in this life.

You’re a great mom. Please take that with you when you’re finally OK to go...." -- Jodie Foster's Speech at the 2013 Golden Globe Award

I think we might take for granted Eun-soo's decision to stay with Young. She abandons the family she knows in Modern South Korea in order to be with her soul-mate. The final few scenes probably give viewers the most direct connection and understanding of her sacrifices and the burden she bears with the decision to go back in time. Something about Jodie's speech to her mom really moves me, and strangely I could picture Eun-soo saying those words in this scene below as she watches and cries over what would be her parents' last message to their beloved and only child. I'd like to imagine Eun-soo telling her mom and dad how much she loves and misses them; how they have raised her well; how this child is grateful for their unconditional support. And most importantly, I could picture Eun-soo echoing these exact words, "I love you, I love you, I love you. And I hope that if I say this three times, it will magically and perfectly enter into your soul, fill you with grace and the joy of knowing that you did good in this life. You’re great [parents]. Please take that with you when you’re finally OK to go" Such a bittersweet and lonely journey. Her parents' last message is so simple and universal; telling her to eat well, sleep well and take care of herself. And the saddest part is that Eun-soo can only respond to their message in silence. Knowing her character, I wonder if Eun-soo regrets not bidding farewell to her parents?

This is another excerpt from Jodie's speech-

...This feels like the end of one era and the beginning of

something else. Scary and exciting and now what?

Well, I may never be up on this stage again, on any stage for that

matter. Change, you gotta love it. I will continue to tell stories, to

move people by being moved, the greatest job in the world. It’s just

that from now on, I may be holding a different talking stick. And maybe it won’t be as sparkly, maybe it won’t open on 3,000 screens, maybe it will be so quiet and delicate that only dogs can hear it whistle. But it
will be my writing on the wall. Jodie Foster was here, I still am, and I
want to be seen, to be understood deeply and to be not so very lonely.
Thank you, all of you, for the company. Here’s to the next 50 years.”

Spoiler:

This quote: "But it would be writing on the wall. [Yoo Eun-soo] was here, I still am, and I want to be seen, to be understood deeply and to be not so very lonely." Somehow these simple words encapsulate Eun-soo's time-travel experience. She was there with Choi Young meeting all these people. At first, I would imagine Goryeo to be a hallow and lonely place. Though she may not know it, she's been on a search for something meaningful in her life, and through these surreal encounters, she discovers something about herself and about love. Of course, happiness does not last forever. There's this quote from the Chaser, "In life, you cry as much as you laugh," With just a fleeting moment of happiness, she was taken away, to live in an unfamiliar time once again. Crossing that portal to find a vast and empty field, I could picture her saying these words: This feels like the end of one era and the beginning of something else. Scary and exciting and now what?..." but unlike the first time-travel, she carries with her "hope" As she narrates in Episode 24, "I believe everyday that on that day, that person didn't die. I believe." And that belief gives her strength to stay there, live in that lonely existence and try again, until she finds him. She sacrifices for him just as much as he does for her. We may not know her every thought or recognize when she starts to fall in love with him. But we know for certain, her love for him is as equally great as his love for her.