Film Analysis: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The present paper aims to analyse two occupations performed by Evelyn in the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Madden, 2011). According to Townsend and Polatajko (2007), occupation is “an activity or set of activities…given value and meaning by individuals” (p. 19) and occupational performance is defined as the “actual execution of…an occupation” (p. 26). The two concepts are emphasised in the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement (CMOP-E), which was developed to clarify the relevant factors affecting performance of occupations (O’Toole, 2011). The CMOP-E identifies self-care, productivity and leisure as three different areas of occupation and conceptualises occupational performance as “the dynamic interaction of person,
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Instead of living with her son, Evelyn chooses to move from the United Kingdom to India, where she finds a company of friends in her own age group. Two occupations performed by Evelyn are moving to India and socialising with friends, which are classified under the categories of self-care and leisure respectively. As Evelyn has to sell her home to cover her late husband’s debts, moving to India is considered an occupation of self-care that meets her basic need for financial security. Evelyn was reliant on her husband before he died. Thus, moving to India alone is linked to her motivation to be independent, as she states in the film “I’ve never done anything like this in the whole of my life”. Therefore, moving to India is deemed important to Evelyn on a spiritual level as she views it as a challenge that promotes self-growth. However, Evelyn does not obtain social support from her son, who thinks his mother is not able to sustain herself in India. Furthermore, the passing of Evelyn’s husband exposes her to emotional distress which may have a negative effect on her occupational performance. These two aspects of Evelyn’s environment mitigate against her desire to move to India. Nevertheless, Evelyn’s performance is facilitated by her physical, cognitive and affective capabilities. She is physically healthy enough to embark on the journey and able to engage in high-level cognitive functions in planning the travel as well as in searching for information about her destination. She is also open to new experiences, embraces the Indian culture and has great confidence in living in India independently despite her son’s discouragement. Moreover, Evelyn is emotionally capable of coping with the passing of her husband and therefore decides to move to
Instead of living with her son, Evelyn chooses to move from the United Kingdom to India, where she finds a company of friends in her own age group. Two occupations performed by Evelyn are moving to India and socialising with friends, which are classified under the categories of self-care and leisure respectively. As Evelyn has to sell her home to cover her late husband’s debts, moving to India is considered an occupation of self-care that meets her basic need for financial security. Evelyn was reliant on her husband before he died. Thus, moving to India alone is linked to her motivation to be independent, as she states in the film “I’ve never done anything like this in the whole of my life”. Therefore, moving to India is deemed important to Evelyn on a spiritual level as she views it as a challenge that promotes self-growth. However, Evelyn does not obtain social support from her son, who thinks his mother is not able to sustain herself in India. Furthermore, the passing of Evelyn’s husband exposes her to emotional distress which may have a negative effect on her occupational performance. These two aspects of Evelyn’s environment mitigate against her desire to move to India. Nevertheless, Evelyn’s performance is facilitated by her physical, cognitive and affective capabilities. She is physically healthy enough to embark on the journey and able to engage in high-level cognitive functions in planning the travel as well as in searching for information about her destination. She is also open to new experiences, embraces the Indian culture and has great confidence in living in India independently despite her son’s discouragement. Moreover, Evelyn is emotionally capable of coping with the passing of her husband and therefore decides to move to