Not too long ago I rented this movie since I had not seen it yet. It was such a suspenseful and intriguing film that I had to write my review of it and encourage others to watch "Labor Day." I love films, especially stories such as this, and I hope this brings others to see into what the writers were trying to tell.
Emotionally griping from start to finish, this film is full of symbolism created by the writers, but also in part of the storylines style for each of the characters. One that draws me in is how Frank’s facial hair represents the stage of life style and who he is. In the beginning we are introduced to this rough yet gentle man who is running away from the law. When finding shelter with the mom and her son, Henry, he is sporting a full mustache and beard. As time goes on, he comes to the door with Adele (Kate Winslet) and is clean shaven and has styled clothes to the point where I thought another man might have stepped into their lives or perhaps might have been a flashback to fill in the parts of her life that shape who she has become. In the end, when he reaches out to a grown up Henry (Toby McGuire) and thus is reunited with Adele, his style of facial hair is identical to what he had in the beginning, except for the graying, of course, representing the time that has passed.
I find this symbolic because when they first meet he is, in a sense, free because he fled prison. On the day that Adele, Frank and Henry are going to flee to Canada, Frank (Josh Brolin) is clean-shaven and wearing a new shirt. It happens to be the same day that the police catch him because of leads. The man the authorities drive off to prison holds a different appearance than the strong, sweet, guiding man who changed Adele and Henry’s (Gattlin Griffith) lives. His facial hair in the end is back as if he is returning to the strong caring man who existed before he had to become weak and defenseless in prison.
Although he is accused of a very serious crime, the writers sparked my thoughts in how twisted and manipulative the media tends to be. He is a man who represents the other side of the media when he says, “there is more to the story than told.” Media does this at times to strike fear into people, which helps isolate the targeted person of interest. While of course we have to be cautious in a situation of encounter, the story encourages us to look beyond the surface level of people and their stories.
