This week, for class, I watched the biographical film, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, which is based on Lee Israel’s memoir where she confesses to forging around 400 letters, possibly even more. Melissa McCarthy’s impressive portrayal of Israel allows viewers to recognize the emotions Israel exhibits throughout the events that take place. Israel’s struggle to form and maintain relationships with others becomes more and more apparent as the film progresses. We see this in Israel’s relationship with her manager, Marjorie, the owner of the bookstore, Anna, her friend, Jack Hock, and even her former girlfriend, Elaine. All of these relationships are severed due to Israel putting up walls and isolating herself from others.
While Israel struggles to relate to others, her love and care for her cat, Jersey, is clearly expressed.
“I’m a 51-year-old who likes cats better than people.”
Lee Israel
When Jersey refuses to eat a piece of shrimp–her favorite treat–Israel brings Jersey to the vet. Unfortunately, Jersey is refused treatment since Israel owes the vet money from a previous visit. Aware that her cat is old and will likely die without medicine, Israel becomes fed up with her situation and turns to forging letters and selling them as a way to make money. Of course, this is not the only thing that led to her forging letters. However, it is arguable that her cat getting sick was Israel’s last straw. After a couple years of forging letters, Israel was caught by the FBI and she was sentenced to six months house arrest and five years probation.
In court, Israel says,
“I have been living in a state of enormous guilt and anxiety for the past year. Not because I felt like I was doing something wrong, but because I was always afraid of being found out. I can’t specifically say that I regret my actions. I don’t. I thoroughly enjoyed writing these letters, living in the world of Dorothy Parker and Noel Coward, pretending I was something I am not. In many ways, this has been the best time of my life. It’s the only time recently I can remember being proud of the work I was doing. But it wasn’t my work, was it? I was hiding behind these people, their names. Because if I’d actually put myself out there, done my own work, then I would be opening myself up to criticism. And I’m too much of a coward for all of that. I’ve lost my cat, the only soul that truly loved me, maybe ever. And I lost my friend, who might have been an idiot, but tolerated me, and was nice to have around. And I’ve realized that I’m not a real writer. In the end, it was not worth it.”
Lee Israel
I found this scene in the film to be the most fascinating because I did not expect Israel to open up in the way she did, especially right before her sentencing in court.
