By:Tyanna Pleasant
In The Space Between , Melissa Leo plays Montie, who comes off as a careless, stubborn flight attendant who also has a big heart. We don’t see the caring-open hearted side of her until we meet Omar, a 10-year old boy that was on her flight whose father died in the 9-11 event. She helps Omar return to NewYork, not knowing what will happen once they get there. Melissa Leo makes me ask think What would I do in a situation like this? Would I help Omar or not? I truely think that "it also gives is the year's best odd couple" says Dick Hinkley from the New York daily news blog. What is so amazing about her character is the two personalities we see in her. We experience the careless, hurt Montie and the open-hearted, sensitive Montie. To be able to tie these two total opposite personalities together is incredible acting.
When we are first introduced to Montie, she is doing her job and is ready to jump down a passengers throat. She comes off very rude and is at risk of losing her job. Melissa Leo plays the role of the not so happy go lucky person in numerous movies such as this one and in The Fighter. I think she posses different acting qualities in both movies, in The Fighter, she was the sassy rundown mother/manager of a boxer and was placed in the ideal low class family setting with lots of kids and a husband who she controls. In The Space Between, we also seen her sassiness but she was placed in a different setting. Her husband was dead, Omar was like a temporary child for her, and you can tell she bettered her self in the end of the movie. She learned to appreciate life, while in The Fighter, she didn’t really learn any lessons in my opinion. I do agree that she was the perfect actor for the lead in The Space Between she gave an unexpected twist to the movie. She kept the audience wanting to know more and weather she was going to give up on Omar or not since we realize she has little patience as a flight attendant. As we learn more about the character, we learn the reason behind her mean spirit.
Melissa Leo does a great transformation between her two personalities. For example the scene in the bathroom when they first meet. Melissa Leo is yelling at Omar for running away from her to the bathroom, then automatically feels sympathy for him when he tells her about his father. His story touched her so much, that she risked her job and has taken full responsibility for Omar. Montie is an unpredictable character, no matter how much she dislike others, she still has a good heart and went through thick and thin for Omar. While watching this movie, I doubted Montie a couple of times. I thought she was going to give up on helping him.
The relationship between Omar and Montie really became stronger as we came close to the end. We can see this in the camera work. It seems as if every time there was a perfect moment between the two it was a close up on them. For example, the scene in the car when they were going to Montie's mother house. Montie tells Omar about her husband's death, she was telling him something personal that really affects the way she acts. The shot was very close up on their faces and it got both of them in the shot.The close ups helps the audience get close and also personal with the characters. They are also the most memorable moments. One quote I absolutely love from Melissa Leo’s character is when she is giving Omar words of encouragement in the end. She says “losing people that you love… it hurts… For a while you are just living in the space between… Between the last time you saw them and the moment you can finally say goodbye.” This quote to me says a lot about what she went through with her husband, and she wants Omar to know that he is not alone.
Citations
When we are first introduced to Montie, she is doing her job and is ready to jump down a passengers throat. She comes off very rude and is at risk of losing her job. Melissa Leo plays the role of the not so happy go lucky person in numerous movies such as this one and in The Fighter. I think she posses different acting qualities in both movies, in The Fighter, she was the sassy rundown mother/manager of a boxer and was placed in the ideal low class family setting with lots of kids and a husband who she controls. In The Space Between, we also seen her sassiness but she was placed in a different setting. Her husband was dead, Omar was like a temporary child for her, and you can tell she bettered her self in the end of the movie. She learned to appreciate life, while in The Fighter, she didn’t really learn any lessons in my opinion. I do agree that she was the perfect actor for the lead in The Space Between she gave an unexpected twist to the movie. She kept the audience wanting to know more and weather she was going to give up on Omar or not since we realize she has little patience as a flight attendant. As we learn more about the character, we learn the reason behind her mean spirit.
Melissa Leo does a great transformation between her two personalities. For example the scene in the bathroom when they first meet. Melissa Leo is yelling at Omar for running away from her to the bathroom, then automatically feels sympathy for him when he tells her about his father. His story touched her so much, that she risked her job and has taken full responsibility for Omar. Montie is an unpredictable character, no matter how much she dislike others, she still has a good heart and went through thick and thin for Omar. While watching this movie, I doubted Montie a couple of times. I thought she was going to give up on helping him.
The relationship between Omar and Montie really became stronger as we came close to the end. We can see this in the camera work. It seems as if every time there was a perfect moment between the two it was a close up on them. For example, the scene in the car when they were going to Montie's mother house. Montie tells Omar about her husband's death, she was telling him something personal that really affects the way she acts. The shot was very close up on their faces and it got both of them in the shot.The close ups helps the audience get close and also personal with the characters. They are also the most memorable moments. One quote I absolutely love from Melissa Leo’s character is when she is giving Omar words of encouragement in the end. She says “losing people that you love… it hurts… For a while you are just living in the space between… Between the last time you saw them and the moment you can finally say goodbye.” This quote to me says a lot about what she went through with her husband, and she wants Omar to know that he is not alone.
Citations
- http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/space-review-middle-aged-airline-flight-attendant-pakistani-child-odd-couple-article-1.954201