The Lost Weekend

Billy Wilder’s film, The Lost weekend, is not only a film that I could and will watch again but a film that hit close to home. Don Birnam character, took me back in time when an immediate member of my family suffered from alcoholism. As I watched I could only think how lucky Don is to have the love and backing of family and friends. Don battled being an alcoholic for several years. The scene when Don’s in the bar having a flashback to the night he met Helen, his Love, I couldn’t help but realize how heartbreaking addiction can be as it is most hurtful on ones self than on others that surround you. In the film, when he hid his alcoholism from Helen, I could see Don wanting to change but he was weak and let it get the best of him. From personal experience it may take some time but with support and patience, it may turn out to be the best cure.
Don’s character that’s battling writers block turns to booze. One turns to an addictive substance to fight the pain. Honestly I’m not quite sure as how this can happen mainly because I like to always be in control of myself. When Don stated drinking was a vicious circle, he couldn’t have been more accurate. Don went from bad to worse. The film explained in sequence how he rummaged to find funds, went to a nearby bar, and drank to the point of guilt as he hid from Helen and his brother. It seems to me that in the beginning Don was lost but in the end he found himself one again.