Behind the Ivy - Spring 2018

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Movies about Tonya Harding and Molly Bloom. Photo Karan Wu

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two characters was their lack of awareness and reflection regarding their pasts until the very end, letting negative influences just go on and on. These spiralling and unconscious effects may seem scary, and I walked out of those movies thinking about how my decisions and experiences could unconsciously lead to a chain of negative and profound effects. Ultimately, I think reflecting on such influences and experiences could at least help us in being more aware of their possible effects.

ourselves with, have profound, unpredictable, and spiralling effects on our lives. In both movies, if it weren’t for their outside influences, Tonya’s and Molly’s decision-making wouldn’t have spiralled into their eventual downfall. yourself with, as they can have powerful effects that you may not be aware of until later on. However, it’s also important to be conscious of your decision- making and your influences, such as your past experiences. At the same time, you should be aware of how you’re treating and possibly influencing those around you, as that can also have a profound effect. The commonality between the It’s important to be aware of the people you surround

an excuse for her misbehaviour and her trouble with the law, hence her recurring line in the movie – “It’s not my fault.”

For Molly’s Game , it was her father’s demanding

expectations regarding her athletic training in skiing and her schoolwork, as well as his cheating on her mother that led to her contempt of him. Her childhood experience with her father led to her desire to control powerful men, and Molly managed to do so by running exclusive poker games for powerful and even shady men every week, which got her into serious legal trouble. After thinking about their similarities, it struck me that our past experiences, as well as the people we surround

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