Thirteen Conversations About One Thing

Director: Jill Sprecher
Producer: Mario Cecchi Gori, Vittorio Cecchi Gori, Gaetano Daniele
Screenwriter: Jill Sprecher and Karen Sprecher
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Alan Arkin, John Turturro, Clea DuVall, Amy Irving, Barbara Sukowa, Tia Texada
MPAA Rating: R
Year of Release: 2001
Running time: 102 minutes

Assistant District Attorney Troy is on a roll. He has just won a big case, and during the celebration, he spots a very sad insurance manager at the bar, Gene. Troy wants Gene to be happy — he wants everyone to be happy. Troy buys Gene drinks and gets drunk in the process. Gene, on the other hand, thinks the world is unfair and wants retaliation, so he has decided to fire the happiest guy in his department. Troy’s happiness, however, is short-lived, as driving home drunk he hits a woman and, thinking he has killed her, flees the scene. His guilt consumes him, causing him to continually re-injure himself where he cut his forehead. In such fashion, the movie traces the lives of several characters in 13 vignettes, each of which illustrates how absurd life can be. Bad things happen to good people; good things happen to bad ones.

Viewing Suggestion:

Watch how Troy struggles for a long time to achieve redemption for his crime and eventually succeeds.

Ask Yourself:

- Do you believe that you will never be able to redeem yourself from a major mistake you have made?
- If you can feel compassion for Troy’s inner struggle, do you consider that you might be able to direct your compassion toward yourself too?
- Keep watching the movie with you in the role of the one who tries to redeem him/herself of a mistake in the past and fill in what you are going to do in order to succeed.