Their Eyes Were Watching God Romanticism

Romantic dramas are a genre of movie loved by some and hated by others. To make a satisfying romantic drama the movie must have a good balance of romanticism and realism. Why this genre is so disliked by some is because directors often overload on drama, making the story cliché and unbelievable. Their Eyes Were Watching God directed by Darnell Martin, rises slightly above the usual romantic drama. Though this movie does hold a line of realism through the movie, the amount and intensity of the issues the main character faces can sometimes be overwhelming.

Their Eyes Were Watching God, based on the book of the same title by Zora Neale Hurston, is about the life of Janie Crawford, an African-American woman and the struggles she goes through

Truly life was hard for many people in the early 20th century but the amount of tragedies that happened to Janie and some of her decisions were a bit outlandish. Janie is depicted as an extreme free spirit in a time where women empowerment was not on the rise, Janie made many independent choices without any repercussions like leaving her first husband. Janie left her first husband for Joe Starks abruptly and almost without any warning or punishment, her husband seemed to be okay with her decision and the grandmother that forced Janie into the marriage in the first place is nowhere to be seen. Another aspect of the story that was slightly unbelievable was Tea Cakes death. Tea Cake dies after getting bit by a rabid dog in the middle of a raging hurricane just seconds after the house that he and Janie share is overcome by waves. It seems as if too many things of epic proportions happened at nearly the same time. The question here is how was the dog even able to survive when Tea Cake and Janie were almost drowned by the storm? This question is never answered.

Their Were Watching God in comparison to other movies of the romantic drama genre is one of the better movies of its type. Though it has its flaws the story is quite interesting and does manage to intrigue the audience. The viewers can feel Janie’s pain as Joe dies and can connect to her joy when she finally finds love with