Eat Pray Love (2010)

The movie Eat Pray Love based on the book of the same title by Elizabeth Gilbert is the story of the writer (Gilbert herself) who after the chaos of a divorce and the abruptness of a next romance traveled to three countries around the world to "find her balance."

Her first destination was the beautiful Italy where she stayed in Rome for the most part, learned the language, savored Italian food and wine everyday, and made wonderful new friends. She left the country feeling refreshed and revitalized, thinking that she's ready to face life head on.

Her second destination was India, where she went to find the guru that was introduced to her by her yogi boyfriend back in New York. She didn't actually meet her in NY and when she set out to India, she was told that she couldn't meet her either because, well, the guru is in NY! However, she lived in India with the other devotees of the guru where she learned to chant, scrub floors, and meditate regularly amidst the harshest of conditions. Eventually, she found peace by letting go of people and things she clung to in the past, and learned to forgive herself for the things she thought she did wrong.

Last stop is Bali in Indonesia where she had been before at the beginning of the movie. There she came back to meet a toothless medicine man that goes by the name of "Ketut." (He is adorbs!)  A year before that, he foretold her future and said that she would find her way back to Bali and teach him English. He then promised that if she did that, he would tell her everything he knew.

I will not tell the rest of the story so as  not to spoil it for those who still plan to watch it or maybe read the book. What I liked about the movie most is its ability to take you to these places. Watching it, I felt the warmth and color of India; I smelled the breeze of Bali beach at sundown; and when they went to Naples-- oh boy, I could almost smell and taste that pizza!

While the story of a woman "trying to find herself" is probably as-old-as-cliche as say, unrequited love, I ask the question, how does one, man or woman, lose one's self? And if you lost it here, would you find it by going somewhere else --like halfway across the globe? Shouldn't you be looking where you've lost it?

This reminds me of an old Filipino joke. "Why are you looking for your earrings here? I thought you lost it in your room? The girl answers, "because the light is brighter here!" :)  To this I say, you can eat, pray, and definitely love, right where you are!