Movie Review: Run

credit: Run

Movies such as Run are a testament to the sickness of humanity when they’re done right, and while some folks might find it necessary to be overly critical about this movie, the truth is that the story is told well enough that it manages to create an emotional response from several people who watch it. The simple truth of the movie is that Diane, portrayed by Sarah Paulson, is revealed as a woman who gives birth to a child who is not only premature but has a list of health problems that are indicated as they’re displayed on the screen during the opening moments, that might not have allowed her to live a long and healthy life.

As the movie opens on Chloe, a teenager who is wheelchair-bound, heavily medicated, and carries an inhaler for her asthma, it would appear that the child struggled hard enough to survive and continues to struggle into her teenage years. What might be truly confusing to some, however, is that Diane is seen in a support group for parents who are dealing with the issue of letting their children go off to college and can’t deal with the implications of it.

Diane is actually happy to realize that Chloe is going to be heading off to college soon, and she has no worries that her daughter will be okay, since if life hasn’t beaten her down, then nothing will. That’s kind of a positive outlook that many people wouldn’t bother to question. 

credit: Run

It’s very easy to be impressed by Chloe. 

Watching this young woman from the moment she wakes up to the moment she gets to work on something, she’s a very intelligent and capable person that is hampered by physical ailments but at the same time, she’s able to function at a high level and is looking forward to going to college. Chloe comes off as a young woman who doesn’t want the world to feel sorry for her since she’s alive, she’s breathing, and she has the ability to think and make her own way in the world that she knows.

She doesn’t appear to be euphoric, but she’s also not depressed all the time and bemoaning her place in the world. The fact that some folks deal with various handicaps makes it appear as though they might be worth pity and could use the type of help that some are willing to give without reservation or thought of compensation. But this isn’t the character that Chloe appears to be since she comes off as an individual that knows how to take care of herself and is willing to take her life as it is, not as she would have it. 

The cracks in Diane’s facade don’t really appear until Chloe finds the pills in a bag of groceries. 

Diane does come off as a little bit controlling and does appear to be the type of mother that cares for her daughter but isn’t entirely ready to let go as she says she is at the beginning of the movie. One could be expected to see her as excited as Chloe when the mail came since the idea was that Chloe was waiting for a letter from her desired college, the University of Washington, which appeared to be a big expectation for both of them. And yet, whenever Chloe felt the need to say something about it, Diane would dismiss this and change the subject.

That was a big red flag since it made Diane appear as someone who had to control everything and gave her daughter the illusion that she had some sort of control over her own life. When things start to go south, though, it becomes easy to see that Diane is not a stable person and is out to keep her daughter close to her for as long as she could. 

credit: Run

Amazingly, there would be people who advocate for a character like Diane. 

Despite the diabolical nature of what Diane has done, there are people out there who would feel sorry for her and state that her actions were not her fault, as she was suffering PTSD from losing her own daughter. This would explain why she stole someone else’s daughter and named her after her own child, who passed away not long after she was born.

When Chloe finds this out after searching through her mother’s files, it’s an understandable surprise, but the reaction that Diane gives is nothing short of insane as she claims to have saved Chloe from her biological parents and is about to inject Chloe with paint thinner when Chloe locks herself in a nearby closet. To make a long story short, Chloe nearly kills herself by consuming the contents of a bottle that sends her to the hospital, Diane attempts to take her home and is, in turn, shot by police when she steals a gun and tries to confront them. 

The ending was satisfying in a very big way. 

 One can only imagine how so many years of gaslighting would affect a person and how much would need to be undone. But seven years later, Chloe is seen visiting someone in a prison infirmary and is also seen walking with the aid of a cane for a short distance.

When it’s revealed that she’s visiting Diane and says she still loves her, one might feel like screaming in frustration. But when she asks Diane to open wide as she presents the same pills she was given as a teenager. The ending becomes worth it as a feeling of vindication can be felt.