Lily Mars All That Heaven Allows

All That Heaven Allows, directed by Douglas Sirk in 1995, is a melodramatic film which, in many ways, proves to subvert from the typical melodramatic formula, as many of Sirk’s films do. The film tells the story of an upper-class widow, Cary Scott, who falls in love with a much younger, and far less wealthy man who brings her both happiness and sadness, as their relationship results in the abandonment of her children and criticism from her country club peers. In pursuing a romantic relationship with her gardener, Ron Kirby, Cary is disregarding the conventional behavior that is expected from her, facing social ostracism leading to a state of depression. I found that the way Cary’s friends tell her to deal with her emotions is perhaps the single most interesting aspect of this film. When dealing with her internal conflict of whether or not to pursue the relationship that makes brings her so much happiness, or disregard it, maintaining her social acceptance, Cary is told to turn on her TV. Her friends tell her this as if it might be a solution to her real-life problems, when really, watching TV is only a temporary escape from reality. 

The symbolism and allegories in this film are hard to go unnoticed. All That Heaven Allows exposes us to both a middle-class life of contentment with the simple things in life, such as nature, as well as a life of luxury, in which the bourgeois consumerists seem to secretly hate each other— and maybe even themselves. It appears that Cary’s interest in Ron may, in part, be a virtue of her desire to escape her capitalistic reality. This divergence in social class creates a Romeo and Juliete-esk quality to their relationship. Cary is so deeply involved in a society that values material things, like televisions, that she seeks to break free from the shallowness surrounding her. By making a social critique of a society which conditions us to abide by social norms, Douglas Sirk is encouraging people to think differently, and evolve from the the socially learned ways of the world.