A Pulitzer prize winning novel titled Olive Kitteridge and an unrelated documentary movie Phyllis and Harold both show two marriages mainly from the point of view of the mostly unfulfilled wives. The novel tells of the only son who as an adult is distant emotionally and has chosen to live far from his parents. The film is made by a daughter who is trying to understand her parent’s dysfunctional marriage and it appears that she was relegated to a nanny during her early childhood. Both pieces are reviewed by the author of this blog and the question is raised to whether the viewer and reader who is a therapist has to understand the the psychodynamics in order to benefit from experiencing these creative endeavors.