The Notebook

SPOILER:
YOU WILL CRY AT THE FILM. 

"They didn't agree on much. In fact, they didn't agree on anything. They fought all the time and challenged each other every day. But despite their differences, they had one important thing in common. They were crazy about each other".

I have never finished a movie being filled with such melancholy. It made me feel like love is really a test on the ability to never forget how you felt when you first fell in love. When people say 'love' people think: they get along with each other, they never argue. Ah, they are so wrong (according to the film).
 Love is about challenging each other and having that strong passion to never let go. 

At first, you think this man is just telling a story to a lady. A story about two people, Noah and Allie.

From the first time Noah saw Allie he knew. He knew that she had to be his (in a non dominating way, don't worry you feminists). He tries his hardest to just get that one date. He even goes to the extremes of climbing a ferris wheel and nearly risking his life just for the possibility of Allie agreeing to this date. 

Even after the insane ferris wheel incident, Allie still dismisses the date. Fin, Noah's best friend sets up a cinema date with his girlfriend and Allie. After their screening, Allie implies for them both to leave Fin and his date and walk. On their unexpected walk, Noah and Allie lay in the middle of the road. 

Allie says "What if a car comes?" 

And Noah replies bluntly, "We die". 

A car does come, and sends Allie a bit crazy as she has never experienced such a rush. She goes on to explain how she loves painting and doesn't have freedom, but claims it's her choice not her parents. I mean haven't we all heard that before. 

After that, Noah and Allie become inseparable. Their relationship spirals and Noah went to one of Allie's family gatherings. Only for Noah to find out some truths about where Allie is attending for college and that everyone thinks Noah is poor, something far from what Allie should be interested in. Still they spend all their days and nights together. 

It keeps going back to these two elders, and this man reading the story to the lady. It is revealed that they are Noah and Allie.
Allie is suffering from dementia in her old age, and in the book that Noah is constantly reading to Allie it says in the front 'To my love Noah, read this to me and I'll come back".  

One night Noah takes Allie to The Windsor Plantation and explains to Allie that one day he would buy it and fix it up. Allie continues and says "I want a white house with blue shutters, a great big porch around the house and a room overlooking the water so I can paint".

Noah lights some candles and just as they are going to make love, Fin bursts in and explains that Allie's parents are going crazy and thinks she's missing as they have called the police. They both rush to Allie's to confirm she is safe. Allie's parents take her into the study and go on to say that Noah is poor and he influences her badly. Noah leaves overhearing this, whilst Allie goes after him and explains that he needs to just ignore her parents. Saying that, Allie breaks up with Noah. But it's not over, Noah writes 365 letters to Allie, for the year she left town with her parents. Allie didn't receive them as her mother hid them for her 'own wellbeing'. 

Years later, Allie gets engaged to Lon, a rich army man. Even though besotted with Lon, Allie goes to see Noah as Noah appears in the local newspaper for sticking to his promise of buying The Windsor Plantation. As Allie arrives she notices that it's exactly how she said she wanted it, even with the room so she can paint. Noah and Allie spend the day together, ending with some home truths. 

Allie: Why didn't you write me? Why? It wasn't over for me, I waited for you for seven years.

But now it's too late.

Noah: I wrote you 365 letters. I wrote you everyday for a year. It wasn't over, it still isn't over.

Through out the movie, old Allie doesn't know who the story is about, regardless, old Noah repeats the story endlessly hoping she will remember. Old Noah arranges a dinner, old Allie asks who she chose out of Lon and Noah in the book. Old Noah goes on to explain who she chose. As he announces Allie chose Noah, she remembers that the story is about herself and the man sat in front of her is Noah. They dance, but suddenly she forgets who she is dancing with, leaving old Noah distraught that it hasn't worked again. 

Ending the film, Noah with his last resort attempts to go and see Allie in her room in the old people's home. He succeeds and gets in the bed with her, finally she remembers who he is. She remembers everything. Allie said in the movie that when she died she was going to become a bird and insisted that Noah should too. They died together, still in love, becoming birds. 

xo