Reign Over Me Intense and Powerful

The more Charlie and Alan reintegrate themselves into each other's life in "Reign Over Me," the more clear it becomes that both are living with deeply hidden wounds that block their desire for happiness. In Alan's case, it's his seeming dissatisfaction with a marriage in which he has begun to feel stifled and his frustration with the bossy partners in a small but successful dental clinic that he established. On the other hand, Charlie's primary issue appears to be a case of burned-out stoner until we learn that he lost his wife and children on 9/11. Years after the event, the blow is still such a devastating one that he can barely function outside of riding his scooter, sitting in as a drummer on late-night club jam sessions, and playing electronic games. Millions of dollars collected in insurance money don't help much either. The loss of his family has left him so detached from any sense of connection and ordinary emotions that he is completely devoid of compassion when Alan's father dies. Upon hearing the news, instead of nodding with understanding when Alan declines his invitation to hang out and eat Chinese food, Charlie tells him, "Come on, don't be such a p_ssy."

As heavy as "Reign Over Me" can get at times, it also contains a lot of feel-good moments as well, such as when Saffron Burrows, as Alan's patient Donna Remar, innocently declares she would have sex with him if he wished just so she can get the urge to do so out of her system. It's also genuinely moving to see the support that Charlie and Alan try to provide each other as they confront their individual demons/dilemmas. In addition, Jada Pinkett Smith as Alan's wife, Liv Tyler as Charlie's therapist, and Donald Sutherland as a judge round out a powerful supporting cast.

What we witness at the end of "Reign Over Me," with the sound of Pearl Jam wailing soul-ripping angst in the background, is a man with a brutally broken heart struggling to find enough faith and strength to help him believe that his life can somehow become good and worth living again. It's not hard to identify with Charlie because the pain he continues to feel, even as he takes steps toward healing himself, makes a perfect symbol for the pain people all over the world continue to feel and live following September 11, 2001, seven whole years ago as of this writing.

By Author-Poet Aberjhani
author of ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love
and The American Poet Who Went Home Again