All That Heaven Allows

All That Heaven Allows follows the story of Cary Scott and her romance with Ron Kirby. Cary is an affluent widow living in New England with two college-age children. Her friend attempts to set her up with a fellow widower, and Cary is on the receiving end of male attention in the Country Club. But none of these men really seem to understand Cary or make her feel anything. On the other hand, Cary has a very clear and distinct attraction to Ron Kirby, the man who manages her trees.

Ron is unlike the other men in Cary's life though. He doesn't care for the materialistic social circle Cary is a part of - his biggest passion is trees and nature. He introduces Cary to like-minded friends and Cary finds herself enjoying their company.

When Ron proposes, Cary accepts. But when she introduces Ron to her social circle, everyone looks down on him. Even her children are angry with Cary's choice. Unable to deal with the social pressure, Cary calls off the engagement. The movie follows their separate lives but with a clear message that both are missing something. When her children move out, her son buys her a television. It is an apology for ruining his mother's chance at happiness. Her daughter also appologizes and urges her mother to take action and make up with Ron. There is still time, she says.

But it takes an accident to reunite Cary and Ron. True to melodramaic form, only a life-threatening accident makes Cary realize what is important in her life. She rushes to Ron's side and when he wakes, tells him that she has finally come home.

The director uses this love story to voice his criticism of society. There's no doubt that Ron's arboreal passion was chosen to contrast with the society that Cary lives in. The constant emphasis on the television is also a potent criticism in Sirk's hand. He asks the viewers, are our relations just empty talking from a soulless box? Or have we chosen relationships with people like Ron, who can further cultivate us and fulfill us? Sirk's movie is melodramatic in the sense that it deals with a relationship and the characters are under societal pressures. But it is also a criticism of our society - one that would not seem out of place even today. What is more important to us? The beautifully maintained but empty home that Cary has, or the somewhat rugged home that Ron loves? In the end, by forcing Cary to bow to social pressures, Sirk seems to be implicitly critiquing those people who make similar decisions. The melodramatic form allows Sirk to transmit these messages without plastering them to our faces. Because the viewer empathizes with Cary, they truly feel and realize that she has made a mistake in letting Ron go. This empathy acts as the conduit between the story and the director's message.