mildred pierce and the slap heard 'round the nursing home

Yesterday at the nursing home we joined mom for an afternoon popcorn movie. The film had already started when we arrived. It was Hollywood classic Mildred Pierce.

Chosen as much for its recognizable star, Joan Crawford, as for its over-the-top mother-daughter relationship, for most of the film there was a pretty low level of engagement from the audience. Some napped, some were lost in their own little worlds, some, like my mom, just quietly watched. Until this scene:


Many of the residents gasped, woke up, or laughed when devil spawn Veda slapped her long-suffering mother Mildred.

Afternoon movies are just part of the program that they use to try to keep the residents engaged. Old Hollywood as therapy. I love it.

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