Friendship ◆ An Old Story That Helps Heal a Troubled Heart
Chunichi Shimbun, Morning Edition, February 9, 2007
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991, USA)
With the number of divorces among older couples on the rise, I would like to recommend Fried Green Tomatoes to middle-aged women.
Evelyn (Kathy Bates) is a housewife who, despite going to the gym, keeps gaining weight because she eats too much. Her marriage has grown stale, and she is struggling with menopause. During a visit to a nursing home, she meets Ninny (Jessica Tandy), whose stories about the past gradually draw her in.
The story takes place in Alabama more than half a century ago. As a young girl, Idgie loses her beloved brother in an accident and shuts herself off emotionally. But Ruth, who had been her brother’s sweetheart, encourages her, and the two women gradually develop a close friendship.
Ruth marries Frank, who turns out to be a violently abusive man. Idgie rescues the pregnant Ruth from him, and together they open a small café. At a time when racial discrimination was rampant, their café welcomed Black customers. Its signature dish was fried green tomatoes—green tomatoes coated with honey, covered in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried.
Thanks to Idgie’s spirited, cheerful nature and Ruth’s gentle personality, the café becomes a success. But trouble looms when Frank turns up demanding to see his child. Then, on the night of a local festival, Frank disappears, and suspicion falls on Ruth. The case is never solved. The café’s close-knit community rallies together to protect the person responsible for his disappearance.
Later, Ruth becomes seriously ill and dies peacefully, surrounded by Idgie and their friends. Idgie goes on to raise Ruth’s son and carries on with her life. This is the story Ninny has been telling.
As Evelyn listens, she begins to rediscover the meaning of her own life and even manages to rekindle her relationship with her husband. When she eventually invites Ninny to live with her, Ninny mischievously reveals that she herself was Idgie all along.
Even without marital infidelity or other dramatic events, middle age can bring emotional crises for women. This film leaves us with the feeling that the way through such a crisis may sometimes be found in an unassuming story from the past.
