Growing up, I could never get past the opening scenes of “Up.” At six years old, my parents had to carry me out of the movie theater sobbing. The sped-up life of Ellie and Carl touched my ever-nostalgic heart. I would occasionally give the movie another try, but would be done for around the 15-minute mark.
And so, when my friend Gabriella Chinnici, FCRH ’27, suggested we go to the Manhattan School of Music’s recent performance of the “Up” soundtrack, I was a little hesitant. The jumpy notes of the background music always remind me of scenes of Ellie and Carl decorating their home, or running up the hill to read under the tree together. Nevertheless, I gave in and bought tickets the day of. Yet, I failed to realize that while the orchestra was playing the soundtrack, the movie would be cast simultaneously onto a giant projector above the concert. And so, I would need to face my fears of intense sentimentality overtaking me.
The lights dimmed in the auditorium as people of all ages around us hushed their voices. Ellie and Carl meet in the treehouse to the intense delight of the elementary-aged kids sitting in front of me. Ellie’s joy and spunkiness is profound mixed with Carl’s quiet nature. Flash forward, they are getting married, and the famous scenes of their lives together begin. They lie on a picnic blanket watching the clouds overhead and they read together on their comfy chairs in front of the bay windows. My tears really begin flowing as the scenes displaying their pregnancy and eventual miscarriage are shown on the big screen.
But even with this suffering, the joy they have remains. They are still determined to reach Paradise Falls, the mythical location which brought them together in the first place. However, each time they have saved up enough money to go, they urgently need it to fix some calamity. A flat tire, a broken leg, a tree falling down on their house. However, they are not depicted as sad due to these sudden alterations of plans. Ellie still seems delighted to put on Carl’s tie each morning as they grow old together.
This juxtaposition between the life they imagined and the life they lived really struck me. How often do I set a vision that I cannot control nor that comes true? But instead, the beauties of life are found so deeply in the ordinary. Ellie and Carl laugh together as they drive around their red car. They waltz together in their candle-lit living room. They wipe the windows of their home, smiling at each other. What a beautiful picture of life we need in an age that constantly expects us to influence the whole world.
Ellie recognized this joy as she displayed their lives in their shared “My Adventure Book.” While Carl is back in the home following the craziness of their escape from Muntz, he sits on his chair one final time to look through the book. He is dismayed knowing that the “Stuff I’m Going To Do” section is empty. But, as he is closing the book, a page slips and he sees that Ellie had placed photos for this section. Black-and-white photos depict them sitting outside or celebrating birthdays together. The point was that their life was one, even if so different from what they had imagined. Their smiles sitting on the couch together holding hands are worth more than any grand adventure to a far-off place. Ellie simply signs the bottom of the final page as “Thanks for the adventure – now go have a new one!” Man, oh man.
Rightfully so, Carl treasured this house that contains all his precious memories with his love. Especially once Ellie passes in the film, he guards the house with everything. As real estate developers build skyscrapers around his home, Carl remains firm and does not accept any sum to hand it over. The house is a symbol of the adventure of life he had with Ellie. During his and Russell’s adventure to Paradise Falls, Carl fights for the house to remain with them, holding onto it through everything. His goal is driven by the image that he and Ellie created — a home on top of Paradise Falls.
However, while Carl is fighting with the infamous explorer Charles Muntz on top of his blimp, The Spirit of Adventure, Muntz cuts the hose, and the house plummets to the ground. While Carl may be sad, he simply says, “It’s just a house.” His material possessions mean little now, as what truly matters is the life he lived with love.
The weekend of this performance, my home friend, Clare Waldron, was at Fordham visiting. Waldron’s aunt has a unique story. She is a former NCAA champion and high point holder at Villanova University who left fame and fortune behind to become a cloistered nun of the Poor Clares. This epitomizes to me the holy indifference in letting go of control. This is what the movie “Up” is all about. While most of us will perhaps not choose quite as radical a path, these stories together exemplify that our life really is all about sacrifice, and only in self-gift will we find true joy.
As I think of my impending graduation, my mind naturally turns to all the grand things I could do. While all of this is exciting and great, there is so much beauty in a simple cup of coffee with my mom on our back porch together or a walk around Eddies with my best friends. Life is so meaningful, and often this meaning is found in the most hidden of places. The spirit of adventure is discovered in much more than a resume or Instagram. Instead, true joy is found in the love we share and receive in our lives.
