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Comments (0)“This Beautiful Life” is a tragic tale of a teen’s impulsive action, a simple touch of a key in today’s technological world, can have major implications for a family.
The Bergamots have recently moved to the Upper West Side of Manhattan from upstate New York when husband Richard lands a job at a prestigious university. They enter an exclusive upper-class world; Coco, 6, and Jake, 15, are enrolled in an elite private school. Wife Liz is planning to take Coco to a birthday part at the Plaza Hotel. That same evening, Jake expects to attend a party in Riverdale.
When the initial party falls through, Jake and his friends find themselves at the home of 13-year-old Daisy Cavanaugh. There is plenty of booze, no supervision, and Jake “hooks-up” with Daisy. The following morning, Jake discovers a sexually explicit video Daisy made of herself sent to his email. Not knowing how to deal with it, he instinctively forwards it to a friend; soon the video goes viral.
The consequences of this seemingly small indiscretion are monumental and tragic. Jake, who could be anyone’s teenage son, suddenly faces disciplinary action by his school. Richard, moving up in his career and on the cusp of a major coup at the university, is deemed a public relations liability. The Bergamot marriage begins to fall apart.
Capturing each character’s motivations and feelings in a sensitive manner, the story touches a nerve in anyone who has teenage children — children who often don’t realize the consequences of their actions. It’s also a cautionary tale on how technology has transformed the outcome of these actions.