Delicate State – Can Optimism Triumph over Despair?

Jan 24, 2022 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Sue Weston and Susie Rosenbluth – Two Sues on the Aisle

In Delicate State, writer and director Paula Rhodes co-stars with her real-life husband Charlie Bodin to film a video diary for their future child. The informality is so genuine, we had to double-check what we were watching. It begins with Bodin speaking in complete darkness, having forgotten to remove the lens cap. It captures their unrestrained joy of getting pregnant after years of trying, only to face the sobering reality of potential complications from placenta placement in utero. Little do they know what lies ahead of them.

Rhodes is a children’s book author married to Bodin, a numismatist, and coin-shop owner. They see life as bountiful, with Rhodes’ upcoming book reading, Bodin’s coin collectors’ convention, and a baby on the way. Oblivious to the world, they dismiss Rhode’s sister’s passionate appeal for them to flee, to join her living off the grid, calling it conspiracy theory foolishness. 

Videography of a New Life

In a warm and endearing way, the couple focuses only on themselves, making a video that shares their hopes, dreams, and aspirations, speaking directly to their future child. In installments, they document the road closures due to riots, which prevents them from reaching the hospital for a consultation with a specialist. They blame the healthcare system but miss the larger situation. Internal unrest continues escalating, police helicopters fly by, air raid sirens blare, bombings shake the neighborhood.  Finally, it hits so close to home, they are forced to flee.

Rhodes began filming in 2015, envisioning a hypothetical civil war that would rip the foundation that supports society, and crush the American Dream. Everything seems to unfold too quickly as chronicled by Rhodes’ expanding girth and pending due date. Delicate State questions the fragility of existence, as the country crumbles into chaos.

As privileged Americans, we equate civil unrest with the right to free speech, and we rely on the justice system to maintain peace and tranquility. But what if it falls apart? 

It Could Never Happen Here

Rhodes and Bodin alternate filming and narration,  creating a video record of their struggle to survive as the country devolves. The film combines fact with fantasy by showing footage of riots, wrapped around the imagined destruction of society. It stretches reality into a sad fantasy, a future filled with violence and roaming bands of desperate vigilantes, showing a post-apocalyptic landscape. And yet, they leave us with hope: the birth of their child, shown against a backdrop of black clouds as war rages unchecked.

Whose State is Delicate?

Delicate State can be a reference to pregnancy or the loss of community within the United States, both of which unfold together in 90 minutes, cleverly juxtaposed. Rhodes expertly connects with the audience by infusing video clips of her pregnancy, creating an immediate intimate connection with an expectant mother caught up in the tailwinds of change. Then, by incorporating clips ripped from the headlines, she triggers relatability with current events.  Fact versus fantasy form a compelling storyline.

The film ends with a series of quotes denouncing war, misplaced amid the credits, which shows the lack of reverence with which we treat these words of wisdom.  Could we have abided by the advice offered by Eleanor Roosevelt and Mother Teresa, or is humanity destined to fall apart?

Delicate State gives us an appreciation for how the Israelis have adjusted, bringing children into a world of disruption and uncertainly. There is undeniable hope that the next generation will have the wisdom to correct the problems in the world we now face.  

The film captivates and engages the viewer to wonder just how far you would go to protect your family.

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Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs (1-5) it pays to buy (rather than make) in order to see the play, show, film, or exhibit being reviewed. 

Delicate State received a 3 challah rating