My Girl '91

My Girl is a coming of age story with death being a main theme. It is about young romance, innocence, tragedy and growth. Death is a constant reality in Vada;s home. Maculay Culkin’s role supports that of Anna Chlumsky’s. Chulmsky plays Vada Sultenfuss, a little girl obsessed with death and disease partly because her mother died giving birth to her, her father is a funeral home director—the embalming takes place in her basement, and her grandmother suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

Vada has a lot to worry about and is certain her death is impending. By the end of the film, after Thomas dies, Vada manages to deal with her grief and overcome some of her issues.

There were tears in my eyes watching these two cute kids. Vada is a bright child who lives in an emotional shell with hypochondriac tendencies. Her and her father live with their burdens, as a result, her father is slightly withdrawn. She visited the doctor on different occasions in fear that she had prostate cancer or a chicken bone stuck in her throat.

There’s something unsettling about the movie—an already conflicted child must confront a tragedy that is so deeply personal to her persona. All in good time, Vada makes her accommodation with loss. This film ‘works’ because the director did a good job depicting an easygoing rhythm. There is an underlying feeling of melancholy that is lightened by comedic and natural tension between first loves.

Even though this is an endearing film that tells a story of burdens and cope, I’m not sure what/how the director envisioned this movie to be like. It seems like it wasn’t decided what kind of sophistication to stick to—My Girl may be too dark for a very young audience. Even though I expected a cute-Maculay-Home Alone-type move, my heart hurt for the burdens of the charismatic Vada and Thomas. The film may be too ‘young’ for an older audience, but anyone can feel an aura of resilience in My Girl.