Movie #26: The Best Years of our Lives. Or really, coming home after war is hard to do.

 

Title: The Best Years of our Lives

Starring: Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Cathy O'Donnel, Harold Russell 

Directed by: William Wyler

Number on the AFI List: 37

Year: 1946

Milly: What do you think of the children?

Al: Children? I don't recognize 'em. They've grown so old. 

Milly: I tried to stop them, to keep them just as they were when you left, but they got away from me. 

It's rough coming home after war. The lives you saw lost, the limbs you're now without, the disappointments and hardships leading to PTSD and other ailments, all make for a stressful return to a home where your loved ones kept living and growing. The Best Years of our Lives follows the return home of three WWII veterans, Al Stephenson (Fredric March), Fred Derry (Dana Andrews), and Homer Parrish (Harold Russell). Each have their own struggles to overcome: Al with this alcoholism and his now grown children, Fred with his wife who only loves him for his money that he no longer has, and Homer, who lost both of his hands during the war. Alongside them are their detached relatives who don't exactly know how to handle their return after being away from so long, nor how to love these men who have drastically changed while facing the evils of the world. Not only that, the job market has changed and years of war don't mean anything to employers who want you to have experience in order to work. 

This movie beautifully encapsulates the internal and relational war that must be won after fighting the physical war overseas. It draws you in from the very first scene to the last, and thoroughly pays off at the end. It is also a reminder to love and have patience with the veterans in your own life. Thank them, respect them, and know that they've suffered more than you realize. 

The Best Years of our Lives won Best Picture, among other awards, at the 19th annual Academy Awards. Well deserved. 

Favorite scene of the movie: probably the first scene with the three men together in the airplane flying home. 

Will I watch it again: Yes!