I have been following Kathryn Hahn’s career ever since I was a terrified 11-year-old girl watching “The Visit” in her best friend’s pitch-black basement. I’ve grown up since then and so has she, going from supporting character roles to starring roles in a wealth of movies and television shows. Her newest role is one that I am the most excited for.
Hahn stars as a woman in a struggling marriage, her relationship with her teenage daughter is on thin ice and her former writing career is now nonexistent. In other words, a typical suburban mom in a TV drama.
However, one fact will set Hahn’s portrayal apart from the rest. Her friend wants her to take over an advice column called “Dear Sugar,” and when she reluctantly does, it causes her to take a long, hard and unflinchingly honest look at her past 22-year-old self.
Memories of her past unfold within the present, allowing Claire (Hahn’s character) to come to terms with old wounds, excavating both the beauty and struggle within them, ultimately forming a path to healing. Hulu says that its original miniseries will “show us that we are not beyond rescue, that our stories can ultimately save us, and perhaps, bring us back home.”
This series is one that will bring hope to many individuals who are struggling with finding their place in the world. It has a very clear message that rescue and healing are possible. Healing is a long and sometimes messy journey, but in the end, it is always worth it.
By reflecting back on her 20s, the character of Claire will resonate with many college students who are currently at this age and unsure of how to juggle all the stressors in their lives.
Let Hahn’s portrayal of a woman struggling to connect with her past and how it healed her future, resonate with you. Let it be the guidance you need to keep going and to realize that life is not perfect, and neither are you. Each person is precious, but everyone’s lives are messy in the best way.
Messy lives create beautiful people who are willing to look through their pasts with a gentle eye, loving yourself despite your mistakes and realizing that you are capable of healing your past wounds in the present.
“Tiny Beautiful Things” drops on Hulu on April 7 and includes all eight episodes of the mini-series. The series is based on Cheryl Strayed’s book of the same name. Strayed was the advice columnist for “Dear Sugar” in The Rumpus, an online literary magazine.
I recommend her book to anyone who wants to do some pre-series reading before the premiere of the streaming series. It includes essays compiled from Strayed’s “Dear Sugar” column over the years and gives some poignant and honest advice on life, love, and everything tiny and beautiful in between.
I invite everyone to watch this series and reflect on their own lives as Hahn’s character is reflecting on hers. Perhaps you too will find that your lives are full of tiny, beautiful things.