The Time Traveler's Wife.

I read The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger a number of years ago.  It was an intriguing book with a relationship in it that passionate and commited and wonderful and at the same time tragic and heartbreaking.  After I finished reading it, the character's stayed with me for a while and the feelings of the story were hard to shake.

That all has happened again after seeing the movie, The Time Traveler's Wife, last night.  The adaptation to the screen was very good as far as the story went and I think the portrayal of the way Henry travels through time was excellent.

Of course, the director and editors had to leave out some things and I didn't think we got as much of a feel for Henry's experiences when traveling and how often he travelled as I would have liked to have seen.  Also, Claire is completely commited to him in the book and doesn't wish her life were different.  She's in it for the long haul and loves Henry and knew what she was getting into when she married him.  That's the part that's beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.  As much as she loves him they still miss moments together and she still remains passionately in love with him.

When he dies, when he talks to his daughter about when he dies, shen you start to realize that this time traveling thing has some serious downsides to it...when Henry slowly starts to put together the pieces of when he will die.  There are some heartbreaking moments that may have been a bit over the top with sentimentality. I don't mind a sappy movie occassionally, though...

Overall, I really loved the movie.  It made me want to go back and get out my dusty copy of the book and read it again.

movie. LIFE.