This review contains spoilers so if you haven't watched the film or read the novel, you wouldn't want to read my review. But if you want to read it for the sake of inspiration or evaluating my writing or even leisure reading, feel free to do so and feedbacks and corrections are much appreciated.

Jane Austen's novel-based film, sense and sensibility paints the picture of the Dashwood family and the facets of life each character goes through. Following the death of Mr. Dashwood, the separate father of the Dashwood family, Mrs. Dashwood becomes widowed and their blissful life in the estate of Norland comes to an end. It's peculiar to me that according to the law around the 19th century, houses go from fathers to sons, not fathers to daughters. That being the case, the Dashwood family received merely £500 from their inheritance and their property ends up in the hands of John, the son of Mr. Dashwood from a previous marriage. That is when their life turns upside down and they find themselves penniless bit by bit. Chances are that If you were to become poor overnight in the Victorian Britain era, you would eventually be marginalized and avoided like a plague by the rich. Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters are now in the same boat. Now that the poverty and grief start weighing over them day after day, night after night, the duty of keeping the family stick lands on the shoulders of two elder sisters, Elinor and Marianne.

What else is better than seeing the tunnel light when you assume that you have reached a dead-end? Thanks to the welcoming invitation of Mrs. Dashwood's cousin, Sir John Middleton, The Dashwood are offered a small cozy cottage on his estate in Devonshire overlooking the green hills. They all settle in there in hopes that a change of scenery would erase their painful memories at Norland Park. It is a new life so no wonder, they meet new people. I believe in the earlier centuries, people internalize the concept of being a woman is to be married to a man especially, the one who has a high social status and comes from a well-off background. In doing so, it puts young women and their families on easy street. Mrs. Dashwood and Mrs. Jennings, the mother-in-law of Sir John are no exception to that idea as well. They have their fingers crossed for Elinor and Marianne to hit it off with gentlemen. Elinor bonds with amiable Edward Ferrars, who comes to the Dashwood estate back in Norland for a brief visit but due to the hindrance of his snobby sister, they are separated for a while. The nature of Elinor's character is discreet, contemplative, and sensible as the eldest sister. She has been bottling up her emotions for Edward despite the fact that everyone notices it including Mrs. Jennings who always teases her with mysterious Mr. F. Elinor is perceived by her sister Marianne as the one who always communicates nothing but dwells upon prudence and resignation in love. As opposed to Elinor, Marianne conceals nothing.

Both of their perceptions of love are on the opposite end of the spectrum.

In the scene where Elinor and Edward meet for the first time, their chemistry doesn't lie; the human connection which enables people to click without having to express a single word or signs of emotions. For what it's worth when people are getting to know each other, their eye contact is the secret language that bridges the gap between empathy and honesty. Their eyes prove that there is a longing for closure and proximity. The burning desire flares up between them. I can't think of anything worse than that flame of desire being blown by the wind of distraction. The moment Elinor finds out that Edward is engaged to a woman named Lucy Steele for five years already, her dream of blossoming a relationship with Edward is completely shattered. The life that she meant to cultivate together with that person already belongs to someone else. Due to her genuinely kind-hearted nature, it comes as no surprise that she meets up with Edward to send her best wishes and even, appreciates the way he honors his promises. Throughout the movie, I feel deep sadness for Elinor and wish that I could hug her for being so humble and putting others' feelings first let alone hers. Character-wise, I would say Emma Thompson did a fabulous job of portraying that modest and genuine Elinor Dashwood. She maintains a calm demeanor and soft-spoken voice which I find attractive in women.

As much as these two sisters get along, Marianne's beliefs about love are not on the same page as Elinor's. Marianne is a middle child in the Dashwood family and a romantic at heart. She seems to me like a daydreamer who thinks the world is one hell of an adventure packed with unexpected love encounters. She is a fictional character so I can't blame her though. Unlike other members of the Dashwood family, she is taken by the poems to the extent that she imitates and recites them as if they were mantras to give someone a sense of security. On an ordinary day at their cottage, when she is delivering her very first piano performance to Sir John, Mrs. Jennings, and the rest of the Dashwood family, her singing mesmerizes the eligible bachelor, Colonel Brandon who drops by to meet the Dashwood family. He has grappled with the death of his lover since long ago and found something identical to her in Marianne. He instantly falls for her but sadly, realizes that his true feelings are not reciprocated. Col. Brandon is not someone Marianne has been picturing in her head—he is quite older than her. Plus, he is a man of few words who remains silent most of the time partly because he has been undergoing some emotional trauma from the past. This time, he tries to win Marianne's heart but she doesn't take a liking to him even though the entire family feels really positive about him. There is something in-depth about his character that provides mystery to me since the movie doesn't offer much background to his life. Marianne reaches a turning point in her real-life romance when she is rescued by Prince Charming when she trips over and sprains her ankle in the rain. Right on the spot, she thought he was the one—the man of her life. The dashing John Willoughby is believed to be the soon-to-be husband of Marianne by the family members since the two immediately bond over William Shakespeare and spend time alone together. He is handsome and all but I wasn't prepared for the way he covers his malicious intentions with his charms. After months of being together with Marianna, John abandons her in an attempt to become wealthy by cheating his way to get close to rich women. The irony of all of it is Marianne's hopes have been built up bit by bit thinking that John would finally propose to her and live happily ever after. In reality, Marianne is not Cinderalla just like in your childhood fairytale. The scene in which she wanders off Mr. Palmer's house to look for John's house in the storm and mumbles "Willoughby" broke me. Then, she becomes deeply pained by the heartbreak fever but as a result of special treatment by the savior Brandon and Elinor, she is on the mend after all. Hats off to Brandon who saved Marianne all the way through her deadly illness—the light dawned on Marianne that he is the one whom she would love to spend the rest of her life with.

After putting the movie into perspective, Willoughby might have developed a strong passion and love for Marianne ever since their first encounter. The reason behind their breakup is he might be in desperate need of fortune and she becomes a burden for him. On top of the money issues, Willoughby might be under the impression that she doesn't deserve to be taken seriously in comparison to other graceful young ladies out there because she is still so young, immature, and naive enough to be tricked. The final scene of the movie in which John is mounted on a horse gazing into Marianne and Col. Brandon's wedding hints that he still has regret and feelings for her at the same time. From Col. Brandon's perspective, his character is in alignment with Elinor's when it comes to love. Their perceptions of love come with sensibility that is contrary to Marianne who is emotional and madly in love. They don't resent their love interests even if they are not drawn to them. They would still be happy for them. The one thing I resonate with especially Elinor is she does examine characteristics in a person whether he or she might be the perfect fit for her by not taking the looks and glamor at face value. Marianne's heart is young and innocent. When Elinor asks Marianne if Willoughby has ever confessed his feelings to her, the poor girl doesn't seem to have the right answer for it because apparently, he has been playing with her heart. She is willing to risk it all when it comes to love but I am glad she finds out soon enough that Willoughby is a complete gold-digger. However, there are certain things in life that we cannot control despite how madly or relentlessly we try to stay on top of them. It's not going to be rainbows and sunshine all along. What would happen if we flip the script and find out that Elinor doesn't end up with Edward and Col. Brandon never shows up in Marianne's life? For a reason that sense and sensibility is a romance film adapted from a classic novel that highlights the importance of marriage and love since people used to consider them the be-all-and-end-all for young women back in the day, it is wrapped up pretty nicely with the ending we all anticipate. If I'm being honest, there is no such thing as how love is modern today or old-fashioned in earlier times. To define love, we all are entitled to our own definitions. If you love someone for the sake of it, there are no prices, limits, negotiations, and comparisons—it is unconditional. Of course, we need to learn to set boundaries and take stock of our own life. To this day, the one thing that doesn't change is to what extent money, power, and fame still play a part in most relationships and marriages. Another thing is that first love can be the deepest cut yet the most exciting part of our love life which helps us evaluate ourselves and what to look out for in a long-lasting partner. "Is love a fancy or feeling?" as the line goes from Sonnet VII by Hartley Coleridge. It is a sensation but we need to tame it with sensibility.