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The film really does speak for
itself. I will admit that I actually cried MORE upon the second
viewing because I understood the full impact of what was going on.
Alright, alright- you say it
was about a guy struggling with his last moment on earth, and making
up a story about it- attempting to use up every possible scenario in
his mind to deal with his 1. Shock 2. Guilt 3. Grief 4.
Unresolved Desires
I also heard one complaint
from a friend; "He killed himself - and you can't get out by dying".
(sigh)
So let us review. I am going
to keep this brief.
First of all. (Damn it). It
must be obvious that Henry represented the Christ, quite literally.
Causing the blind to see . . . AND having it be his father at
the same time- pretty obvious, right? The words "forgive me"
written millions of times across the wllpaper of Henry's apartment.
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This film is about my own final moment,
struggling with those words "forgive me" which
are sketched endlessly across the walls of my own heart.
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This final moment is all there is, and the
entire film took place within that single moment.
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This film was not about the
specific events. It was actually extremely absolute. Every action in
the film had a purpose, every symbol was well placed. More
importantly- unlike other films in its genre- it was actually
incredibly responsible to its theme. It dealt directly with the
issue of unresolved guilt, and resolved that guilt
effectively in 5 (yes five) emotional dimensions. Absolutely
brilliant.
I have no intention of
describing each of the five dimensions, because I will give myself a
headache. Go watch the movie. There is the past-tense, the future
tense, the "Sam-tense", the "Henry in the dream-tense", the Henry in
reality-tense" etc, etc.
The suicide on the Brooklyn
Bridge was about the daily suicide of every human being, in every
instant.
"This is too painful" was
spoken by Henry before he shot himself because he was referring to
his guilt. But remember, it was a mechanism of mind playing itself
out in an instant- creating time- creating scenario upon scenario
with figures he had assigned- in an attempt to avoid his last (and
only) instant.
Sound familiar?
Sam said "Look around you, if
this is a dream- then the whole world is wrapped inside it".
Ummmm. Spoken like a true humanist.Yeah. Ok. And that means . . . ?
Which death was real?
There were three (yes three)
simultaneous dimensional "deaths" in this film. But there was only
one thing going on. The entire movie took place within a single
instant.
The first two are the suicide death on the bridge versus the car
accident death on the bridge. Remember, this quantum point of
death has two continuum. One is the gossamer threaded quantum string
"suicide" bridge in the "dying dream" and the other was the
apparently "real" bridge where the terrible car accident had taken
place- and where Henry was living out his last moment.
But more important was the
third and underlying idea of "death" throughout the entire film.
This film was about leaving. It was about the final moment or the
ascension of everyman. This film is
about my own inner struggle with those words "forgive me", sketched
endlessly across the walls of my own heart. This final moment
is all there is, and the entire film took place within that single
moment. This was indicated throughout the film.
For example. Remember the street scene where the entire world stops
whatever they are doing, turns and looks at him in the moment before
death? Throughout the film the figures in his dream were WAITING for
him to wake up. This indicated throughout the film.
There are too many amazing things in this film, and I cannot cover
them all. But the important one for me was the DNA staircase.
As time began to wind down to
the zero point, and he gets closer to the final moment, he starts to
repeat things. In one scene he is speaking to his lover (as the
psychiatrist) in order to find out who he is. (hilarious!). She is
reading Hamlet when he meets her.
When she offers to "show him
who he is" she leads him downstairs on a massive DNA-shaped spiral
staircase and he cannot keep up with her, he SLIPS and knocks
himself out. (Ain't it the truth).
But even more hilarious, when
he wakes up, and runs back up the DNA staircase to find her again,
the original scene begins to repeat itself as if he had JUST met her
for the first time. She starts the same line from Hamlet, yet
again. He is caught in a quantum loop!
But more important to my heart
is the responsibility that this film invokes.
In Henry's final moment, in MY
final moment. It can be anybody who can save me. It doesn't matter
WHO says yes.
In fact, the utter stark, and naked truth, is it IS "anybody" who
saved me. And everybody. Because as this film so
eloquently portrayed, I literally AM everybody.
It doesn't matter WHO says yes. For Henry, it didn't matter at all.
She simply saved him.
He doesn't have to struggle on the stairs any more.
Will you marry me?
Love, Russell
http://www.endeavoracademy.us/
What if one person's
nightmare became another persons reality?
From the Director of Finding Neverland and
Monsters Ball
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