Ep 23: True Story - I,Tonya & Room

<p>In this episode of Parallel Fiction, Heather and Jeff flip the script and talk about True Stories.  They specify that in this episode, the “fiction” they are presented are based off of real life events, and that the common theme of these sensationalized events show us a lot about ourselves.</p><p> </p><p>Heather begins the show by presenting <i>Room</i> by Emma Donoghue, loosely based off of the real life Fritzl case from Austria.  Heather issues several trigger warnings for this summary, as it deals with issues such as rape, suicide, kidnapping, incest, and child abuse.  While the novel <i>Room</i> is down scaled from the truly unbelievable real story it takes inspiration from, the journey and ending both have positive messages of survival and renewal.  Heather couldn’t put this book down and read it in 1 sitting, and praised the writers ability to grip the reader.</p><p> </p><p>Did you know?  <i>Actor Brie Larson won the Academy Award for best actress as her role of Ma in the film screen adaptation of Room</i></p><p> </p><p>Jeff takes us back through the second summary segment, highlighting the 2017 film <i>I, Tonya</i> based off of former US Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding, who is infamous in her own right.  Jeff takes us through the biopic, which makes Tonya more relatable as a victim of emotional and mental abuse from both her mother and husband.  The film gives the viewer an ambiguous retelling of the actual events leading up to the infamous attack on fellow figure skater and rival Nancy Kerrigan.  Jeff praises the film’s ability to re-tell events but also not absolve sympathetic characters of all wrong doing.</p><p> </p><p><i>Fun Fact! Margot Robbie, who plays Tonya, had no idea this was a real story until after she read the script!   Some times life is stranger than fiction.</i></p><p><br /> </p><p>Following these reviews, Heather and Jeff dive into commonalities between the two works such as morbid curiosity, story accuracy, when real life hits too close to home, and inspiration through hardships.