Poetic Justice - Reaching for the Moon
- Meryl
- Apr 2, 2020
- 9 min read
Hi all! I am here in the Lagoon for a little visit, to bring to your attention a less talked about romantic drama, Reaching for the Moon (2013) (Portuguese: Flores Raras) starring Miranda Otto and Glória Pires. Directed by Bruno Barreto. Let’s hop on the U-Haul to Brazil together...
Reaching for the Moon is a biographical drama set in the 1950s that depicts the passionate, sad, beautiful, a-little-bit-nuts, über romantic relationship of the American poet Elizabeth Bishop and the Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares. The film mostly happens in the breathtaking town of Petrópolis near Rio de Janeiro... which is actually a great point to start with and take us to the visuals. The views in this film are absolutely stunning. Both Petrópolis and New York City are beautifully portrayed with many lovely shots that actually made me pause and stare. As someone always romanticising New York, this film perfectly captures the city with snaps of Central Park and the buildings...
As I write about this film, let’s remember that it is biographical and largely based on true events. I am not familiar enough with Elizabeth Bishop, Lota de Macedo Soares or the other people in it like Robert Lowell, that I could really comment on the historical accuracy of the storyline. I will mostly comment on what I can see and what is portrayed in the film.
Also, as you would expect, there are many spoilers ahead! All the spoilers, in fact...
The film begins with Bishop sitting on a bench by the boathouse in Central Park with a man, Robert Lowell, who was a fellow poet and friend in real life too. She is reciting a new poem of hers that he quickly turns down saying he doesn’t think is quite ready. She tells him she needs a change of scenery and is going to Brazil. This is a nice, simple scene to start the film with, however there is a little element of weirdness to it with Lowell trying to flirt with Bishop. He grabs her leg while quipping about “never getting her” which in my opinion isn’t really a necessary point to make when it comes to the storyline. During the whole film this is never returned to (other than Lota’s slight jealousy over Lowell) and it just comes across as not needed to me. Throughout the rest of the film their friendship is purely platonic with Lowell being very respectful and supportive of her. Was this scene there for the sole purpose of some mandatory heterosexuality? There could be truth to Lowell having harboured feelings towards Bishop in real life, as even with a quick googling I can find he was a big fan of hers, but I don’t know that for sure and there isn’t much context to this scene. Personally I found it a bit confusing.
We very quickly move from New York City to Brazil. Quickly is the key word to this film anyway. We’ve all heard of U-Haul lesbians, right? Well I think Elizabeth and Lota might have invented the concept. More on that later... I mean quickly! Elizabeth’s journey overseas is shown as something rather peaceful and beautiful, as she wistfully looks over into the sea, captivated by the beauty of the shore once she arrives...
Elizabeth travels to Brazil to visit an old friend of hers from college, from Vassar, called Mary. Elizabeth and Mary seem very close and even flirty! I was confused (yes, I have already been confused twice but that could say more about me and not the film) because the film had been advertised to me as Elizabeth falling for a hot Brazilian architect called Lota! Well, turns out Lota is Mary’s partner who she lives with.
In classic dramatic fashion Elizabeth and Lota don’t first like each other. Mary is trying to make the two get along over dinners and chats. Lota scoffs at shy little Elizabeth running after a stray cat (more lesbian stereotypes, running after pus... I mean cats) and even calls her out for being rude in front of their friends over dinner.
As I’ve mentioned, Elizabeth comes across as a shy woman. She doesn’t even want to read her poetry out loud. This upsets the fiery, assertive Lota who confronts Elizabeth in her room that same night. This is their first proper one on one conversation and to me it seems like Lota falls for Elizabeth instantly.
Also, how flawless is Miranda Otto’s skin?! Concentrating on the important stuff here guys...
The next morning Lota plants some cashew fruits on the breakfast table to (very dangerously!) trick Elizabeth into eating them as she had mentioned she is allergic to nuts. This was Lota’s plan of making her stay longer as she was planning on leaving after a couple of days. Elizabeth ends up in the hospital and after that has to stay in the house with Lota and Mary until she is well again. Also, conveniently for Lota, there aren’t any transportation leaving where they are for ages...
Also, just a side note, this film is very into women sensually washing each other’s hair. Gay much. The image repeats in the film a few times which I loved.
Then, somehow, within what seems like a couple of days but isn’t actually explained, Lota and Elizabeth are at it! They find themselves making out in a car on top of a hill because... of course they do.
And boom! Lota leaves Mary. Dramatic fight and crying in the rain happens. Lota offers to adopt (buy) Mary a baby?! So she would stay and not move back to North America. I’m not going to lie, this scene confused (yep) the hell out of me. But whatever floats your boat (or makes you stay with your partner of several years who just left you for your friend she hung out for a couple of days with) ...
And boom x 2! BEAUTIFUL making out and lovemaking (and weirdly, thumb sucking) in the rain! Against a glass! This is possibly the hottest, most beautiful scene in this film. Absolute insanity!
Elizabeth confides in Lota briefly during kissing how she is very shy... but within 10 seconds smashes her against a window! Go Liz! This was the first sign of how she started gaining confidence.
Throughout the film we see Elizabeth grow in confidence and in herself - she is later even depicted reading her poetry out loud at a party - but sadly this could be due to liquid courage as well. Her story includes alcoholism on a difficult level. She suffered from this addiction quite badly, and it is included in many scenes of the film. This also played a big part in the ending of Bishop and de Macedo Soares’ relationship.
Lota’s support for Elizabeth and her issue is portrayed beautifully and in a respectful way. It’s sad, it’s heartbreaking but the way Lota is there for her is amazing. Elizabeth isn’t vilified and Lota isn’t made some sort of hero, angel... they are just two people struggling and trying to be there for each other. It is all very human.
Did someone say U-Haul lesbians? Oh, I just did. Yep. Elizabeth very quickly moves in. Lota starts to build her a studio. Oh yeah, and blows up a mountain to give her a better view. What even?! And if this isn’t enough romance, here is Elizabeth spying on Mary’s return after the big break-up fight...
...then we have some more sensual hair washing.
...and the baby moving in and Elizabeth getting her binoculars out again...
Wouldn't you look at the new happy family!
The three women make peace with their situation, agreeing to live and raise a child together. Mary wants to be called “mother” whereas Elizabeth chooses “auntie” - Lota for some reason opts for “grandmother”... Elizabeth continues to struggle with having a baby in the house, though this bit is sort of skimmed over after it was momentarily made a big deal. We do jump into some flashbacks of her past, her traumatic childhood that includes her mother being taken to a mental institution which could explain her reaction to a child around. Elizabeth is struggling to find her footing around a child but also being alone as Lota, who is working on a big park project, is away so much. We end up with a drunken dance party on Elizabeth’s birthday (some of us can relate to this scene I’m sure) and some more very gay hair washing.
Elizabeth starts to get restless. She is offered a two month teaching stint in New York City and she wishes to take it. Lota and her end up in a massive fight, but Elizabeth does eventually leave. Lota and the whole film quickly end up in a downward spiral with Lota being taken into a mental hospital over a breakdown. She is there cutting her hair with hidden nail scissors (doesn’t do a bad job, to be fair) while Mary takes care of her - and sabotages what is left of Lota and Elizabeth’s relationship by ripping into bits and throwing away any letters Lota attempts to send to her love in NYC. This is where we all despise Mary and go “I hope Elizabeth finds out she tried to send her letters!” which, don’t worry, she does a little bit later.
Meanwhile Elizabeth is in New York teaching poetry... and exchanging love poems and, though only heavily insinuated and not really shown, making love to her students. Well, a student as far as we know.
While I personally, in theory, am excited about this new, exciting and forbidden teacher/student affair in New York (hello Loving Annabelle (2006)) it is of course absolutely gut wrenching seeing Elizabeth answer the phone when Lota can finally call her, when there’s a young piece next to her in the bed!
Elizabeth has tried to visit Lota in Brazil, even goes all the way there, but Mary sends her back. She thinks it would be too heavy for Lota to have Elizabeth there when she’s already left once... and turns out it was. Hang on, we’re almost there!
This is where I get confused again. They said Elizabeth was going to go away for two months, yet in the end it looks more like years have passed when they finally meet. Lota travels to New York City, very tired but wanting to see Elizabeth. They both look slightly older, though it could be just the lighting, and it does seem like they have grown distant. I don’t like it! The film gets an odd vibe with things clearly not like they used to be. Communicate, please!
Lota is only there for a day or so until she finds the book of poetry Elizabeth was given by her student lover. It has a message on it, on the first page, which Lota sees while awake alone. This right after Elizabeth turns down her advances as she is asleep. C’mon Liz...
In the morning Elizabeth finds Lota on the couch, not breathing with an empty bottle of pills next to her. She desperately tries to wake her but obviously in vain. What follows is a heartbreaking scene of Elizabeth holding her lover’s lifeless body while there are sirens wailing outside, the sound coming closer and closer. What just happened?! Where do we go from here?!
For the end scene, we are back at the boathouse in Central Park, where we started. It is a full circle. This also mirrors Lota having mentioned how she used to go there as a child with her now estranged father (who she, thanks to Elizabeth’s encouragement, did reconnect while at the mental hospital). Elizabeth starts reading her poem One Art to Lowell which talks about “the art of losing” ... this of course clearly about Lota. It is the poem she had started writing at the beginning of the story, that she has now finished. What was supposed to be a couple of days in Brazil, turned into 15 or so years (real story) and one of the most beautiful, complicated, tumultuous relationships.
Where I think the film slightly falls short is... how short it is! Though a gorgeous, gut wrenchingly beautiful scene, the death and the end in my opinion needed more. There are parts that feel rushed. The film is only just under two hours long and could’ve used even just a half an hour more.
For me there was some, a few, scenes that caused confusion. Again, the rushing was partly at fault here but also this could have maybe been corrected at the script-writing phase. Lesbians move fast but this was a record for sure! Though maybe all of it is just historically accurate and I am being ignorant...
Miranda Otto’s Elizabeth Bishop, for me, was sublime. Her character does remind me of her more recent role of Zelda Spellman in Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018) but a lot of that is probably the 50’s wardrobe. Which was, by the way, beautiful. Her development from a shy Elizabeth Bishop arriving in Brazil to a confident, successful Pulitzer Prize winner, to one that is at a loss and heartbroken was stunning! Not to undermine Pires’ work as the gorgeous architect, going through so many stages of life too. Absolutely amazing casting!
You can absolutely tell that Reaching for the Moon was a project of passion and admiration for both Elizabeth Bishop and Lota de Macedo Soares, both amazing and influential figures, as well as Brazil; its beauty and history. Despite its flaws, this film will always have a place in my heart as something gorgeous, sensual and incredibly touching that I will keep coming back to again and again.
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