“Georgia” struck me as a story primarily about one not being able to let go of their dreams/addiction, no matter how low the chances are of success. I think that’s perhaps why the film was called “Georgia”; although it’s obviously primarily about Sadie, it’s really about Sadie’s drive to imitate her sister’s success, albeit in her own punk rock type of way. Because of this she is constantly living in her sister’s shadow while simultaneously becoming the center of attention in the family for the wrong reasons- her drug problem is noticeable to even Georgia’s young daughter.
Most films would paint Sadie as simply the bad girl and Georgia as the angel, but this plot was more complex than that. It is revealed that Georgia and her husband, Jake, experienced marital problems when Jake worked for her on the road. Thus, we learn that it is likely that Sadie is not all to blame for the troubles/jealousy between Sadie and Georgia and that perhaps Georgia is not perfect but rather a controlling person who only does things her way.
By the end of the film it almost feels like the director is asking us which style we prefer with the juxtaposition in the last scene; Georgia’s calm, melodic, pitch-perfect singing, or Sadie’s brash, passionate screeching. There is no doubt Georgia was gifted with all the talent in the family, but she seems to be lacking the one thing that Sadie is full of- her heart and soul which she pours into her music with all her might. But for many, like Georgia, Sadie’s singing is simply over the top and even cringeworthy to the point of embarrassment.
I don’t know if we are able to identify a hero in this film, but perhaps Sadie can be seen as a tragic hero. She has a good heart and good intentions, but has seemingly made a judgement error believing she can be a beloved star like her sister. Because of this strong belief in her future success, she inevitably falls back in to the same pattern of addiction and ultimately self destruction when it is apparent her career is going nowhere. She has all the courage and determination in the world to make a name for herself, but simply does not possess the talent her less ambitious sister has to be able to make it a reality.
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