Much like Tina Mascara and Guido Santi’s Chris & Don: A Love Story, co-writer/director Alix Blair’s Helen and the Bear is a whimsical, inspiring, and touching story of how a free-spirited young woman found a life partner in a Californian congressional representative 26 years her senior. Pete McCloskey, one of the first people to call for the resignation of Richard Nixon, lost his wife and children when he entered politics. But then, he met Helen Hooper, who is precocious, ostentatious, and indelible. She taught the old man, whom she affectionately refers to as Bear, how to love again.
The story begins with Helen, now in her mid-60s, and Pete, who is failing in health as he’s entering the twilight of his life. Blair’s camera gives an up-close and personal look at a married life far from ordinary or conventional. Pete goes about his daily routine just as Helen goes about hers in this parallel way of living. Yet, when the couple does come together in beautiful moments of intimacy, we are exposed to a dynamic that, on the surface, appears fractured while, at its heart, remains pure and stalwart.
“…a free-spirited young woman found a life partner in a Californian congressional representative 26 years her senior.”
From observing the day-to-day travails of Helen and Pete, one would come away with the impression that she is the only member of the duo who has essentially forgone herself in favor of the demanding work she blankets herself in, doing all the grunt work around the couple’s ranch, as well as the frequent care and attention she proffers to Pete, we learn things are not that black and white. Coming from a conservative and conventional upbringing, Helen was forced to suppress herself and her true feelings in favor of upholding her family’s public image.
Helen and the Bear uses a mixture of still photos with narrations to jump back to show how both these incredible characters navigated the world prior to their collision. Through the use of Helen’s journal entries through the years, we see the intricacy beneath the personal facades of these people. Deepening our understanding of relationships, marriage, and the personal sacrifices made when entering into both. Blair deftly makes these two people not only fascinating but deeply empathetic. With a humanistic touch, the director and co-writer Katrina Taylor wrings emotions out of love and finding one’s true self.
Helen and the Bear depicts a triumph of the heart over expectations. Helen and Pete McCloskey are engrossing characters in their own right, but the chemistry and complexity of the world and life they share are by far the essential elements that make their tale endure in the mind. It’s only via beautiful endurance and heart that such a love story is made possible, and it is a pleasure to be a part of. Marriage is merely a piece of paper that in no way truly defines commitment.
"…a triumph of the heart..."
