*Warning: Spoiler Alert*
The Last Five Years is an off broadway musical that was turned into a movie with Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan. The story is about the young couple of Cathy Hiatt (Anna Kendrick) and Jamie Wellerstein (Jeremy Jordan) and their journey through the five years of their relationship. Right from the start the audience knows that the relationship is doomed because Cathy sings the opening song Still Hurting which shows that the relationship has ended and Jamie has left; then, it goes to Jamie's song of Shiksa Goddess which tells of their relationship from the beginning and Jamie actually sings the line of "I think I could be in love with someone like you."
What's so interesting and unique about this movie is that it follows two stories: one being Cathy's story which tells of their relationship from the end to the beginning and the other being Jamie's perspective from the beginning to the end. As they move through the story the two stories soon meet in the middle with the song the Next Ten Minutes. It's such a sad device to tell because in a way it's also a parallel of their relationship where they had first been apart but then they had met in the middle but soon drifted apart again. But it's such an amazing way to tell the story because it gives the audience the story from both parties.
The thing I love about this story is the fact that it's such a true story. Everyday couples get divorced and it's a sad truth that can happen to any couple that used to be so in love with each other but then grew apart and have to leave. I think what really got me though was that they both didn't want to leave each other but the dynamic they had together wasn't going to work because Jamie was succeeding in his life but Cathy was stuck and was left behind. It happens everyday and I think that the movie and musical both tell the story so well. During the song Moving Too Fast there is a line that Jamie says and it's "some people just can't find success with their art and some people just can't find the love in their heart" which looking back on it makes me realize that that's the major flaw with Jamie and Cathy. Cathy is this person who like so many other people today really wants to succeed with what she loves, she wants to be an actress but like so many others it isn't working out. Jamie on the other hand can't find the empathy and sympathy in his heart for Cathy's predicament he's succeeded with his life and he can't figure out why Cathy can't be happy for him.
The way they tell the story through the music is heartbreaking because all of the music is parallel to one another. At one point Cathy starts getting angry at Jamie for being so self absorbed and so focused on his career and not her. But later on when it gets to her telling the early parts of the relationship the audience finds out that his self confidence and drive is what she fell in love with. It's so sad to see that what she had loved about and found endearing soon turned into what she had hated and drove them apart. They were both so busy trying to pursue their careers but when Cathy wasn't getting anywhere with hers and Jamie was living his dream it had grown so much resentment between them. When Jamie cheats on Cathy and says to that woman the same lines in Shiksa Goddess of "I think I could be in love with someone like you" in the song Nobody Needs To Know.
With the finale Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You it makes my heart hurt listening to it because of the contrast within the song. Cathy, through out the musical, was this angry, hurt, and lonely person is now this optimistic, full of life, and loving young woman who is looking forward to being in love with this guy she had just met and can't wait to see him again; as opposed to Jamie who also flipped from this energetic and naive boy to this dispirited and cynical man who can no longer muster the energy to continue on with the relationship with the woman he used to love. The duet they have at the end is what really breaks my heart, their goodbyes are so different: Cathy's being happy and more of an "I'll see you soon" and Jamie's being an actual "goodbye forever." He's saying goodbye to his past, his love, the person who represented everything he used to believe in. At the end of the song Cathy is walking back to her now empty apartment and has to say hello to her lonely future which bring the musical full circle.
The story was so perfect in the way that it had true elements that can relate to the human condition and humanity in general. It shows that relationships are hard and gritty. It shows that sometimes passion isn't enough and that love can burn out. It shows that it takes more than one person to make a relationship. It shows that falling in love can hurt and burn in the end. I think that's why I love this musical so much is because it tells the actual truth to an relationship.
"Lastfiveyearsmovie." The Last Five Years Movie. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.
"Last Five Years." Easy Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.