There is positivity in putting yourself, your health, your peace, and your mental state of mind first. People don’t usually see the efforts you put especially when you do too much just to see that you do all you can to make them happy and comfortable not minding the tool it takes from you and the stress you go through everyday just to achieve that, it sometimes come down to make us believe that people appreciate little you do for them rather than when you stress yourself out just to give them more.
"The year I started Masturbating" (Aret Jag borjade Onanera) is a Swedish comedy-drama, released in the year 2022, directed by Erika Wasserman, starring Katia Winter as Hanna, a career-driven 39-year-old woman with a son and a partner who has given more time to work than to her son and relationship.
Just as she resigns from work, her partner decides to dump her, which leads to even more stress as she faces a serious midlife crisis. It explores a search for the meaning of life that goes beyond success in career and relationship.
The story focuses on Hanna, an ambitious woman who gave her all to her career and had achieved great heights in her job; she will turn down a promotion and resign from work because she decides to listen to her partner for her to have more time for him and their son, little did she know that the solution to their misunderstanding lies beyond just having more time for her partner.
After losing her job, relationship and friend, Hanna meets a friend who teaches her to be free from shame, act more suited to herself and be open and focused more on her sexual desires.
The movie highlights the importance of self-love and care, and the power that pleasure and self-gratification bring to oneself.
Another lesson that can be drawn from the movie is the importance of friends and family, and the need to know the people around you and who will stand by you when you are down. Hanna’s friend forgot so quickly the years they had spent together and the numerous times Hanna had supported her when Hanna needed her the most. If not for an old friend, a stranger, and Hanna’s parents, who had come to her rescue at the time she needed help, Hanna would not have been saved.
The movie shows how ungrateful humans can be and how what you do to show people you love them does not matter, so long as they don’t have you in mind in the first place.
It also explores the dynamics of work relationships, the value your employer holds towards you as well as your subordinates in a work environment and how quickly and easily it goes away when they find a replacement for you.
The movie centres on work-life balance, the lasting consequences of negligence towards personal relationships, the rewards of friendship, and humour.
Katia Winter delivered a beautiful performance, playing her cast role and living in character perfectly well; her performance is what made the film strong. The movie is very relatable to the everyday lives of many, connecting them with the struggles of balancing work and personal life.
The movie is funny, engaging, and speaks well about rediscovering of joy. It is a movie that is worth your time, and I recommend it.
All Images are from IMDb
Rating: 95/100
