YESTERDAY’S CHILDREN

US, 2000, 93 minutes, Colour.
Jane Seymour, Clancy Brown, Kyle Howard, Claire Bloom, Hume Cronyn.
Directed by Marcus Cole.

Yesterday’s Children is a film about reincarnation. It is based on a book by Jenny Cockle who claims to have experienced what the central character, Jenny Cole, experiences in this film. For those who do not believe in reincarnation like Father Kelly in the film, he suggests that there can be linking of souls, an aspect of the communion of saints, whereby people in another world, another dimension, influence people in this world. In this case, it was a mother who suffered in Ireland in the 1930s, had four children, one dying stillborn, who wanted her family to be brought together before they died.

Jane Seymour brings great presence and dignity to the central role with good support from Clancy Brown as her initially sceptical husband and Kyle Howard as her initially spoilt teenage son. Claire Bloom appears as her mother. Hume Cronyn appears as the eldest boy in his old age (one of Hume Cronyn’s final roles, making the film when he was about eighty-eight).

1. A human interest film? Emotional? Family? America and Ireland? The American settings, the ordinary town? Allentown, Pennsylvania? The contrast with Malahide, Ireland? The town, the coast? The musical score and the choir music as background?

2. The plausibility of reincarnation? The plausibility of the communion of saints, the meeting of souls? From a Buddhist perspective? Christian perspective? Secular perspective?

3. The title and the focus on Sonny and Jenny’s memories of Mary and the children? Her anguish at their experiences, especially Sonny’s harsh treatment from his father? Their grief for their mother’s death? The promise that they would stay together and Sonny look after them? The reference to the older children, Jenny meeting Sonny, his initial reluctance, his feeling ashamed that he had not protected the children and kept them together? Elizabeth and her arriving, friendliness? The others arriving, the reunion and the joy of the family getting together? Mary Sutton’s mission accomplished?

4. The character of Jenny Cole, middle age, the teenage son, her relationship with her husband, the building up of the firm? His dependence on her? The news that she was pregnant?

5. The importance of her dreams, their being visualised, her identifying with Mary Sutton, having her experiences, with the brutality of her husband, with Sonny and his work and giving her the coin, the other children, her pregnancy? The cumulative effect of these dreams? Their becoming clearer? More frequent? Her beginning to live Mary’s last days?

6. The decision to go to Ireland, the support of her mother, her mother buying the ticket? Her mother being sympathetic, remembering her childhood, showing her the sketches of the church? Her husband not wanting her to go? Kevin going with her? Her previous phone calls to the parish priest, the lack of records? The arrival, the town as she imagined it? Going to the priest, the discussion about communion of souls? Looking in the files? The collage of Kevin and Jenny asking the people? Her gradually finding more information, the different name? Going to the cemetery? The flowers? Seeing Sonny, speaking to him, his resistance?

7. Doug and his love for his wife, desperate about the firm, the specifications for the jobs? Getting exasperated? Not wanting to go to Ireland? Kevin persuading him to come, his support? The presence at the reunion?

8. The older persons, not having seen each other, the reunion, especially with Sonny? The achievement of Jenny and Mary working through her?

9. The finale with the letter from Sonny, his happiness at what had happened? Jenny, the birth of the baby? The happy family life? Kevin and his previous self-absorption and tantrums, especially about the buying of the truck, and his decision to stay home for the first year and support the family?

10. A pleasing family story? How intriguing issues of other dimensions, reincarnation, communion of souls?