- What did you find most interesting or surprising about the cinematic adaptation of Lee Israel’s Can you ever forgive me?
The movie “Can you ever forgive me?” was very interesting in a way of how it was based in New York in the mindset of an author struggling with payments such as rent and her cat. It was nice with the characters and the storyline with what to expect throughout the movie. I thought that the movie would be better if it had more details on the characters, but it wasn’t necessary because their personalities spoke for themselves to show their true colors.
2. In both the memoir and the movie, Lee Israel indicates she did some of her best writing in her forgeries. How does that related to “writing in your own voice” and what did that mean for Lee’s Israel’s writing career?
The reason for Lee Israel to say that her best writing was forgeries was because of the concept she adapted when borrowing the letters. It gave the perspective of how writing in your own words can impact somebody. Though most of the letters were touched up, it showed her strong ability of writing which led her becoming a writer from the beginning. Though her writing career wasn’t the best from the books she’s published, it consisted the idea of how real life can be difficult based on how much work you put into your products that doesn’t matter to others.
3. Did you catch where the title of the memoir and movie came from? The title came from a forged Dorothy Parker line that Lee Israel wrote. Share your thoughts on possible implicit meanings from that.
The title being “Can you ever forgive me?” was a nice touch to how it was from her character Dorothy Parker when sending a letter to not believe she could be forgiven for what she has done. It was symmetrical in a way of representing emotions in letters to be what the movie is about. Lee Israel’s character in the movie seemed that she wanted to be understood for what she did with the letters and wants to be forgiven from her friend Jack, the people who received her letters, and the world.
4. Lee Israel goes to great lengths and finds very clever ways to create her forgeries. Yet, the reason she is in this predicament is that she was unable to focus that energy on her own writing. Using specific examples, what are some ways she could have used those strategies in her own writing?
I think with how Lee Israel wrote the letters was a nice touch with how each person has their own unique personality. The use of Lee Israel’s personality that went into the letters can be shown little by little with the more letters she focused on. Energy being a main part of Lee Israel’s writing is something that focuses on the growth in wanting to be heard or read. With how relatable the movie was when it came to focusing in the real world, it was a moment of realization that it’s best to put yourself first with whatever you write in a better manner for respect.
5. What lessons did you learn from watching this movie? What questions did it leave you with?
A lesson that I learned from the movie is that it’s best to keep your work yours and not steal credit from other people. Especially when making up nonsense. Also, it’s best to limit yourself with what should be presented to the world because history is fragile no matter the product like paper or a piece of clothing. However, the main question I have is why didn’t she make up fantasy letters? I think that would’ve made the movie better if she used the letters as inspiration instead of using them as easy access for money.
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