Last night I went to the movie, Mr. Holmes, now playing at our local theatre. It stars Ian McKellar as an aged Sherlock Holmes. He is magnificent. His young counter-point, a clever boy named Roger, makes a wonderful foil for the old man. Holmes is loosing his memory, while Roger is inquisitively trying to gain knowledge from the shrewd detective.
There is a moment in the film that I found quite stirring. Roger is very clever. His mother (played by one of my favourite actors – Laura Linney) is a hard-working housekeeper who, as Roger announces to Holmes, in an outburst of anger, “can hardly even read”. She is stunned and hurt by her son’s shouted statement. Holmes is shocked that the boy would speak so cruelly. She leaves the room and Holmes tells Roger that he “must apologize or he will regret it all of his life”. Roger replies, “They always say that.” Holmes responds, with passion, “Because it is true.”
The movie could have been called “Regret”. Holmes is living a life of regret and it is through the unravelling of the story that we see what a powerful force regret has become in his life and how he needs to be freed of it.
I have been thinking of regret this week as the story of the many migrants fleeing Syria fill our news media. The powerful photo of the little boy who died a tragic death, drowning in the sea, as his family tried to escape, has mobilized people in a way no speech could. People are quick to blame and want to be able to point fingers to find the guilty party, but, the truth is, we will all live with the regret of doing too little too late.
The people of Syria are caught in a war that has been going on for about five years. The world is finally taking notice of the tragedy that abounds. How we respond is something we will have to live with.
