Remember the great TV series Big Love? It was one of my favorites! The multi-year show was so unusual because it gave us a sympathetic portrait of Mormonism. The 19th Wife does the opposite: It skewers Mormons' treatment of women. Wow. What a scathing view!
Before lauding the LMN movie, which I intend to do (sans spoiler, of course!), we must be fair in our use of the word Mormon. Every religion has its extremes. The far right of Judaism and Christianity must not be confused with mainstream folks. So, a priori, let's agree that the Big Love style of Mormonism is a very observant, highly regulated, rule-orieted sect that is a small segment of the Mormon population.
The 19th Wife portrays Mormons who live in a commune with a dogmatic leader (The Prophet) who dictates when 15 year old girls will become brides to much older men. In this world, girls become slaves and young men are often kicked out of the family like young male lions expelled by the resident male.
Chyler Leigh, pictured above, plays a young woman happily married to a cop, who is a pariah because she and her husband have chosen not to be part of the multiple-wife culture. Chyler's character is quite the rebel: her best friend is a guy, she does what she wants rather than what her husband sys, and she is a liberal shining light in an otherwise dark and gloomy culture.
All is well in Mormonland until there's a murder! Who committed the crime? Why? Someone who did not do the deed is sitting in prison awaiting trial. She is innocent! But she will take the rap for a man in order not to sully the Mormon world.
Sound interesting?
LMN is fantastic at mysteries. I personally stay clear of the usual themes of cheating, abusive men and unhappily married women. But when LMN does a whodunnit, it really does the theme well. In my mind, not one channel matches the top LMN mysteries.
Chyler Leigh got her start in a corny parody movie called Not Another Teen Movie. She was great in the flick that satirized the very popular She's All That with Freddie Prinze. Chyler now stars in Grey's Anatomy. She's a talented actress.
One last word: The 19th Wife is a true story, based on a book written by one of Brigham Young's unhappy wives back in the 1800s. She's pictured above. Eliza Ann Young blasted the condition of Mormon women. I will order the classic from Amazon.
A very gripping, well-done film.
Grade of A+
Boy, you do find the obscure ones. So, what's LMN? Was this a tv movie? I still miss Big Love. I believe polygamy is much more rampant than we know; they've just learned how to live under the radar. P. Baack was convinced her neighbor was one - lots of clues.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the phenomenon of multiple wives may be more widespread than reported. LMN is LIfetime Movie Network. It's well worth subscribing if you don't have it. LMN is a network aimed at women, offering stories that revolve around misdirected kids, worthless husbands, female friends, and more. As I said, I go for the mysteries.
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