Being Lonesome in Your Own Private Idaho

My own private Idaho is a sad film in its entirety. It is not a tearjerker which in my opinion cheapens what makes a reality truly depressing. This movie resonates with the saying that “no man is an island” by juxtaposing to us a character who has been abandoned by the person we believed would never abandon him.

The film starts out with a myriad of saddening realities which for me just felt like an everyday necessity of his life. Being a bum, a gigolo, a drifter, and a narcoleptic who longs for his mother. His lifestyle is tough, but it felt like the protagonist was already used to it and made us believe he thinks this is how everyday life is supposed to be. His narcolepsy, though shows his necessary dependence towards others, looks like something that just happens all the time as his friends know the typical protocol on what to do when it happens. What is interesting about his narcolepsy is that it paved its way to introducing to us Scott. A man who lives a very contrasting life compared to his, but shows sensitivity and openness towards each other which warms the hearts of each audience member as we interestingly find out how the story unravels around them.

They agree to an adventure for looking for the protagonist’s mother. Enjoyed each other’s company throughout the trip. Eventually, it is unraveled clearly to us that the protagonist is in love with Scott. Despite the care that Scott has for him, he turns him down as he states that he only sleeps with men who pay him. We empathize in this scene as a hard blow but we still take light into thinking that Scott portrays affection towards him as a true friend to which we take a consolation of solace thinking so. Scott goes everywhere and helps him throughout each trial. He helps him by providing the motorcycle; he helps in prostituting himself to Hans the rich German; he goes with him to Italy. Their travel to Italy however leads us to where the film encapsulates what makes this whole story depressing.

They went all the way to Italy to realize that the mother went back to the states. They lost all of going to Italy and struggle to make money going back. Then to top off all the tragedies, we see that Scott fell in love with some woman. Such an event caused Scott to alter into a completely different man. Scott left him as we went back to the states with the Italian woman to show that he does not care for him anymore. His father died so he inherited all the riches and started wearing elegant masculine suits instead of his androgynous outfits. Then abandoned his mentor of the streets when he greeted him back home. Scott abandoned the protagonist and the life itself completely. The film started with the image of the protagonist being oddly alone in a highway, to be contrasted with the image of the protagonist being alone again in the highway. The only difference of the two scenes is the realization of his loneliness at the end of the scene. In his pursuit for searching for his loved ones like his mother, we see that he comes home to lose more than what he could hope for. In the end, he encapsulates his title of being an island with a narcoleptic episode without Scott there to take care of him.

Homesick

It’s kind of funny how a story revolving around a man that falls asleep at times of extreme stress is the most calm or sane movie we’ve watched in this class so far. Besides the love story that I always love to find in movies, the story of My Own Private Idaho (1991) did not necessarily stand out to me enough to call it one of my favorites or a must-watch. While I can recognize the importance of queer representation in film as early as 1991, I felt too many disconnects while watching to stay immersed and to possibly be more appreciative of whatever it stood for.

The scene that mimicked a Shakespearean play left me pretty confused. I am aware now that Scott’s character was really meant to embody Henry IV, but my limited knowledge and disinterest in Shakespearean works made me pull away from the film, taking the peripheral route yet again and leaving myself lost in the plot. This is, of course, a matter of personal preference, but I can still see how others loved this movie for its interpretation of the Shakespearean play. It was really just my history with Shakespearean works that didn’t let me see these aspects of the film to be mere aspects in a modern story about a gay hustler jumping from location to location to find his mother.

I can appreciate, however, the plot device of Mike falling asleep at points in the movie where staying awake could have changed his life or could have escalated the emotions in a situation that would have ended badly. This includes his encounter with his dad where the dad was starting to get physical and threw him on the sofa. These episodes aid the viewer in seeing what gets him most emotional and what kind of images trigger him. He experienced episodes when he looked at houses or had a close encounter with an older woman, both reminding him of his own mother. There would be flashes of this one memory that appeared in the form of an amateur home video where his toddler self was playing with his mother on the porch of a house. From this, I got how this moment with his mother was one of his life’s fondest memories. I felt his craving for home—anywhere his mother was.

It was this idea or feeling of home that I believe made him feel extremely lonely in the present. Over the course of the story, it was clear how Mike had this growing dependence on Scott because he seemed to be the closest thing he had to a home. With the nature of their work and their journey of finding Mike’s mother, they never settled down in one place for too long. It was hard to construct a physical home with the lifestyle they had, so Mike had nothing to lean on but Scott, the personified home. Scott was the only thing constant in Mike’s life at that point, and he verbalized that in what I saw to be the best scene in the movie—the campfire scene.

This scene written by River Phoenix included his character saying and showing how he was still capable of loving in spite of them being caught in a job that deals with loveless sex with strangers. I particularly loved Mike’s response to Scott’s “two guys can’t love each other” where he basically explained how it was possible because he loved him. Especially considering the time of the movie’s release, this must have sparked great controversy due to its explicit stand on same-sex relationships. The movie does hold great importance in that aspect, but like all love stories focused on same-sex couples, it still rings true to all other romantic relationships. The raw emotions and expressions let out in this one scene made me fall in love with Mike. River was able to establish a deep connection between the character and the viewer in his delivery of this common experience we generally have with love. He showed vulnerability and sincerity, which made Scott falling in love with someone else hurt tenfold.

Scott seemed to be the one thing that gave Mike’s life a little sense of direction. He was his constant; Scott helped navigate him through different places and points in his life and always stuck around for him whenever he woke up. Losing him made him lose all the little direction he did have, which led him to end up in the same deserted road—back where he started. He will always be in pursuit of home just like the rest of us.

This was a movie I don’t regret watching, but I’d say this is one of those films that need rewatching to better comprehend the connections of the different elements Van Sant explores. As of now, my understanding of it is quite limited to the love story it’s grounded on, but this does not take away my awe for the film as a whole. I still wouldn’t call this Van Sant’s best film, but it is a respectable contender.

alone again, naturally

My Own Private Idaho (1991) is a story about two individuals, Mike and Scott, who experience and cope with loneliness differently. With two plots integrated into a single film, we see how one profession affects both boys in drastic ways.

Mike Waters, a street hustler portrayed by River Phoenix, comes from a low social class. Because of this, he has no choice, but to turn to male prostitution as his sole mean of survival. Scott Favor, on the other hand, is motivated by something more. He only engages in prostitution to both embarrass and catch his father’s attention. Because his father is mayor, he could easily walk away from this lifestyle. He could quit anytime and still be secure in his wealth and worldly connections. Throughout the film, we see how loneliness affects both individuals. However, in the end, one feels lonelier than the other.

It was like the film was made for us to empathize with Mike. At the beginning and end of the film, Mike is alone, on an open road, left to fend for himself and his narcoleptic episodes. He has no one, but himself. Through his narcolepsy, he finds peace in his mother. It is as if his dreams are childhood home movies on a loop. When he sets out to find his mother, he is only met with disappointment. He also constantly tries to reach out to Scott for reciprocity of love and affection, but Scott ends up leaving him for an Italian woman. Although Scott cares for Mike enough to travel with him to Italy to find his mother, he instantly abandons him for a woman he just met. Throughout the film, especially in the campfire scene, when Mike admits to Scott he loves him, we see how Mike is just longing to be loved by someone and how Scott is not willing to reciprocate that love. He tried to find love, from both mother and Scott, but he ended up feeling more alone than ever. At the end of the day, he is just a sweet boy who suffered the consequences of a bad childhood.

Scott, on the other hand, is lonely in a sense that he has to engage in prostitution to get his father’s attention. It is obvious he cares for Mike, but not enough to love him back. As he starts a relationship with Carmella, I cannot help but feel a sense of betrayal in his friendship with Mike. It was cruel of him to give Mike a taste of what it feels like to be cared for, but suddenly leave him hanging. When he came back to the United States, he did not even acknowledge Mike outside the restaurant. It was as if he was just another hustler on the street – not someone he built a friendship with. It was probably better for Scott to start living life in accordance to his rich lifestyle, but how I wish he would have taken Mike with him. Mike would have been able to turn his life around, and maybe even been able to seek professional help for his narcolepsy. In the end, we can see how Scott treated his friendship with Mike as temporary, while Mike saw it as permanent.

This sad film reminded me of Trainspotting (1996). Its cinematography, color grading, and even choice of wardrobe is similar to Danny Boyle’s British comedy. There was also a similarity between Mark Renton and Mike. Both were stuck to deal with their own vices – heroin and male prostitution. However, the difference lies in their endings. Mark was able to find peace and “chose life”, while Mike was left to live life alone.

Personally, My Own Private Idaho is something I would not watch again. The first few scenes bored me. There was too much dialogue and not enough action. However, I do understand why some like it more than others. The film showcased a woeful and isolated side of humanity. It becomes even more humane when you realize some scenes had stories told by real life hustlers. It makes you come to the conclusion that what Mike goes through is something others have to experience in order to survive. It shows you how lonely one can be and what he or she will do to experience love.

Down the road: On My Own Private Idaho (1991)

I admit I had a hard time keeping up with My Own Private Idaho. You don’t have to agree with me on this, but I found the film overall pretty inaccessible and difficult to digest. By all means, this might have been caused by the fact I was unfamiliar with Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays, the jarring flow of the film’s dialogue, and the fact I had to read up a bit more on the movie before I could really process what happened. Despite that, here’s what I was able to get out of the film:

It was only recently when I discovered there was an entire genre on road films, where the main characters go on a road trip that happens to offer them a new perspective on their current situations, and that possibly changes their lives for the better. My Own Private Idaho is a tragic take on the genre entirely, because while the main characters do go on a trip to search for Mike’s mother, they never meet the goals they initially set for themselves. Not only do they never find Mike’s mother, but Mike’s best friend Scott meets Carmella along the way, and while he had initially promised to accompany Mike along the way, Scott ditches Mike altogether once he falls in love.

It’s also interesting to see how the film portrays the stark difference between love and sex, and how it manages to show how the two intertwine. For instance, Scott and Carmella hook up, and fall in love afterwards—which admittedly gave me the impression that their relationship didn’t exactly have that stable of a foundation to begin with. Both Mike and Scott prostitute themselves, and while Mike is shown to be homosexual, Scott clearly states he only sleeps with men for money. This is exactly what makes Mike’s confession of love so heart-wrenching, especially when he states, “I could love someone even if I, you know, wasn’t paid for it. I love you, and you don’t pay me.”

I also thought about Mike’s narcolepsy as a plot device, and started to think about how significant his narcoleptic episodes were in driving the narrative. The film opens just as Mike’s about to get a narcoleptic episode, and we already see bits and pieces of his mother, which foreshadow his desire to look for her. When Mike is about to sleep with a woman, he falls asleep immediately, and it’s explained that his episodes are typically triggered by stress. Most importantly, almost every time we see Mike suffer a narcoleptic episode, it is usually followed by a scene of Scott taking care of Mike until he wakes up. This is exactly what makes the scenes where Scott isn’t there to take care of Mike more heartbreaking and distressing. The first few emotions I felt after this series of scenes was empathy and understanding—it’s hard not to fall in love with someone if he’s always the person you wake up to after you suffer these episodes. It’s hard not to look for that person the next time you have an episode once you’ve grown so used to having him take care of you. When the film closes with Mike getting another episode, he falls asleep in the middle of a road, in the middle of nowhere—and what better way is there to symbolize loneliness, and the bitter reality that what once was is no longer?

My Own Private Idaho was one of those movies that I had to really revisit in order to pinpoint what really stood out to me as a viewer. I’m sure there’s a lot of points I might have missed, and I still need to flesh these out with other people to see which elements they found interesting in the same film. I think there’s still a lot more I have to unpack, maybe later down the road, and I’m looking forward to it.

I-Don’t-Know (I-Da-Ho)

The fifth movie we watched for this semester was entitled “My Own Private Idaho” directed by Gus Van Sant. The first thing I have to say about the movie is that just like most of the movies we watched in the past weeks, I was very confused. I was not surprised that this movie confused me and that I would go as far to say that this is the 2nd most confusing movie this semester. The most confusing being “Schizopolis” of course. The movie started off with a scene in the middle of nowhere and I thought to myself “oh boy here we go again”. I was bracing myself for something crazy and confusing to happen. To my not so surprised reaction, I just got plain confused about the whole plot of the movie. It just felt like as if it was just showing the everyday lives of Mike, Scott, Gary etc. There were scenes where Mike collapsed and I didn’t understand why and how that happened. The scenes such as Mike confessing he loves Scott and the scene where Mike was going to have sex with a woman and then collapses again just made me confused. Honestly, this movie sort of bored me a little bit. “Schizopolis” was weird and confusing but was kind of funny. “Futureless Things” was confusing as well but sort of understandable especially towards the end. “Shin Godzilla” was actually entertaining and not confusing. And lastly, “Trainspotting” was funny and in my opinion the most entertaining movie thus far. “My Own Private Idaho” just made me confused for majority of the movie. There were scenes that was just random in my opinion but I still tried to make sense of what was going on. However, the scene with the guy dancing as a prostitute was just plain funny and the most memorable scene for me. It was just so random and out of nowhere and I really appreciate it since it made me laugh even for a while despite being confused.

Overall, the movie gave me a unique experience in terms of trying to know what is going on in the movie. Most movies I watch are understandable or at least understandable enough. The past four movies have been mostly confusing but like I said, it is still understandable. This movie however, challenged me to try understand the movie’s plot and what was going on. It challenged me to stay attentive and pay attention to the different scenes. Even if I didn’t understand some scenes, I knew I still had to pay attention. The movie had elements of comedy at least for my perspective. When Mike collapsed twice I found that to be really hilarious as well as the guy prostitute dancing with the lamp. It was a mix of comedy and a whole lot of confusion. For me, the movie was not the most entertaining but I have never watched a movie where the whole thing was just boring and bland. I try to watch it from a different perspective depending on the genre and how the movie is structured. For this movie, I just felt that most of the scenes were just talking so maybe that is why I found it a little boring but nonetheless still a good movie.

Temporary Stuff

One of my favorite things about watching a movie with a non-linear plot is asking the question “Why did the director make this stylistic choice?” To be honest, I usually dislike movies with this kind of plot structure, as I believe it needlessly overcomplicates a would-be simple and coherent story, confusing the viewer a bit in exchange for presenting the story in a different, more unique way. However, Futureless Things managed to become an exception to the stigma that I have against non-linear films. It tickled my brain, making me ask questions out of curiosity rather than out of the need to understand the film. I kept on asking myself things like “How do all these stories come together?” or “How does the title come into play?” which I think are what a “weird” film like this one should be making its audience ask. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the film because it kept my interest with its uniqueness whilst not overcomplicating itself to the point where I’d be too confused to follow the events.

I think what made the film’s non-linear plot structure work for me is that it didn’t really have a “main” protagonist. Instead, upon viewing the film, I was treated with seemingly normal, yet unique characters who had their own stories. Where most films of this type I believe fall flat is when they force a perspective on a single character, which just ends up becoming off-putting due in large part by being hard to follow. Cutting the events of the movie into slices following certain characters let me focus on what was happening then and there instead of trying to piece the events of the film as I was watching it.

Speaking of the characters, I found them to be quite unique and memorable. None of the part-timers, except maybe the lazy old worker, fell into pitfall that is predictability. The stories that I enjoyed watching the most were those of the aspiring actor, the refugee, and the aspiring English-speaker not only because I found them to be funny but also because of how relatable the characters felt to me. The problems of being judged by your nationality, how well you speak a certain language, or even just being kept from a place where you want to be due to an unforeseen circumstance are all ones that I relate to. I think what also helped make these characters relatable is that they were nothing more than convenience store workers. They’re not government officials trying to stop a rampaging lizard, nor are they Scottish drug addicts on a heroin trip, but they’re just everyday people trying to deal with everyday problems. Though they might seem “boring”, this aspect of their character allows them to replicate real life.

What I really want to talk about is how the theme of being “temporary” comes in. First of all, we’re following convenience store workers. People work at convenience stores for a number of reasons: to help contribute to their household funds, to earn some extra cash on the side, or because they feel like they don’t have anything else to do, all of which can be boiled down to the idea of working there because they feel they have to. Second, that same idea also goes for convenience store customers. Most people don’t go to a convenience store because they want to go on a date, but because they need something like food or supplies. Third, all of the stories had a certain aspect to them that made them “futureless”. The aspiring actor couldn’t get to his audition on time, putting brakes on his career. The refugee didn’t pursue a future with the man who harassed her. The english-speaker didn’t have much of a future in the language until he put more effort into it. These are only some examples of the futureless aspect of these characters. However, there is one more stylistic choice made by the director that really felt like he was putting a timer on each character: showing the clock at the beginning of each story. After catching on, I realized each character was given about 10-15 minutes to make an impression with their story, after which they would be replaced by the next one. This stylistic choice really helped in making the characters feel futureless because although they’re interesting, you really cannot get attached because they’re moving onto the next one.

Upon first viewing, I found the film to be very confusing. However, after thinking about each individual story, and then discussing the film with my peers, I found Futureless Things to be quite the enjoyable viewing experience, which I would watch again just to see if there’s anything I missed, which there probably is.

What Desperation Can Do

I came in expecting Trainspotting (1996) to take a similar approach as Requiem for a Dream (2000) in depicting addiction and the sensations drug users feel upon taking it. While it did explore those aspects by using explicit metaphors in illustrating feelings of euphoria and intense withdrawal, I preferred the treatment Trainspotting did on this story of addiction and loss—it was able to mix elements of comedy and tragedy beautifully. Trainspotting was able to inject lighthearted themes and scenes into a movie that talked about a drug user’s lowest points and the continuous struggles that come after it.

The movie played around with defecation a lot, and seeing as I’ve got that kind of shallow humor, I found it super entertaining. In the first 10 minutes of the film, it already showed the main character, Mark Renton, dive into the dirtiest toilet in Scotland to retrieve the drugs he just took. This scene was able to show through a humorous, wildly disgusting act how users like Renton would go to great lengths to have another few moments of absolute bliss while under the influence of that drug. Taking from Sick Boy’s “unifying theory of life” that says “at one point you’ve got it, then you lose it, then it’s gone forever,” we are shown what happens on the other side; this was the stage of desperate retrieval for drugs that they once had because it being gone forever was not going to be an option. From another perspective, the “it” could be the life or the freedom they had with it because prior to taking drugs, they did have what seemed to be average lives. We weren’t shown much of their lives before drugs but a lot of it can be assumed to be average had there been no drugs involved. The baby would have never been abandoned, Renton could have had his dream life of having what he saw to be “normal”, Tommy would probably not have died of Toxoplasmosis, and they would not have turned to a life of robbery and “fucking people over” to keep up with their addiction.

The soundtrack seemed to be a whole other character in the movie as well. It helped keep intense scenes light but also heightened emotions for other scenes. I could see how, in the absence of music, the movie would have a completely different vibe. I would say it would have been even more similar to Requiem for a Dream (2000) as it values the power of silence and helps the viewer direct all its attention towards the emotion being drawn out of each character. The music that played during this one robbery montage gave me this impression that they were just hooligans having fun, but in reevaluating what was really happening in those scenes, I saw how they were ridden with so many problems and that they did these crimes out of pure necessity instead of fun. Another important scene to mention is when Renton was rushed to the hospital. The song fooled me into thinking that maybe this was going to be Renton’s ending and the friends he surrounded himself with would probably learn from the mistakes he made and turn their life around. Obviously, this kind of prediction was drawn from other movies’ treatment of similar music; this movie didn’t have the same approach but rather, played with the common approach to their advantage and fooled viewers like me into feeling a certain type of emotion for an “incompatible” scene. Perfect Day by Lou Reed set it up to seem like the start of his redemption story, which I think would be similar to what drug users initially feel when they either first start to think of quitting or when they come too close to death. The techno/gameshow music that played while he was getting cold sweats and hallucinations in his parents’ home would be an example of songs heightening emotions, particularly feelings of stress. Its fast-paced beat and attached association to parties made the conversation with his parents seem very trivial, none of their points were getting across as he desperately wanted one more hit. This type of music playing over all his genuine struggles showed how it was all a game to everyone else but him. Reflecting on this scene made me realize that this does mirror reality in some way as the people who have never taken drugs have this tendency to judge those that have and trivialize their struggles because it’s “their fault” for having this kind of problem in the first place.

I wasn’t sure if I liked this movie but the ending monologue was the one that really got me onboard. It was a great summation of all his thoughts and emotions that arose from the very start of the movie until the end. Obviously, I was still extremely upset over the fact that Renton, a character I was really rooting for, abandoned and fucked over all his friends as a solution to his problems, but it does emphasize the desperation he’s had this whole time. At the start of the movie, he mentioned that he chose not to choose life because heroin was there. Drugs filled the void that he had in his life—a void caused by his inability to live an average to above average lifestyle. Living a life of crime to please his drug addiction led him to see the existing shortcuts that surrounded him. When faced with struggles, his first instinct was to take a hit; when he needed the money, he’d scam a few people or steal a whole fridge of medication; when he lost the opportunity to live a normal life, he abandoned his friends and ran with the money. Heroin made the life he idealized harder to attain, but it made that kind of life all the more desirable. The path he took with drug addiction proved to him how he can do anything out of pure desperation and desire, and there will be no stopping him from pursuing anything greater than that.

The Godzilla Genre

Not having watched any other Godzilla movie prior to this, I came in expecting a cliché Sci-Fi movie littered with stereotypes and a too-familiar plot structure that lets this movie blend in with all the other Hollywood sci-fi/action movies released in the past century. Although, with the fact that this was handpicked as a movie to be discussed in this class, I knew there had to be a catch somewhere that proved this movie or franchise was worth talking about. I can say now that it definitely did not disappoint.

At the very start of the movie was a brief sequence showing the unidentified monster’s immediate impact on the city. It then led to a group of men that appeared to work for the Japanese government or their disaster control team reacting to the damages done by the monster. This arrangement of showing a montage of amateur videos and seeing the reaction of guys in suits led me to believe that this rhythm would continue for a greater chunk of the movie—showing the damage left by the monster around the city and what the officials are doing about it—but after a few cycles of alternating these two perspectives, I was surprised to see the extensive screen-time there was for the conferences and boardroom meetings. Not only were they long scenes, but they were humorous as well. As I was unfamiliar with the franchise, I was expecting these types of movies to be packed with action sequences where the humans actively retaliate against the attacks done by the villain or monster, but this movie showed a rather odd angle where they displayed [arguably] too much of what was happening behind the scenes.

I’m more familiar with the format set by other disaster/sci-fi films where the wreckage and chaos present plays a huge role in the story. Movies like 2012 (2009) and King Kong followed this idea and filled its three hours with scenes of vulnerable humans facing greater problems in the form of catastrophic natural calamities or a super-sized ape respectively. While we did see the same meetings and discussions about what the people’s next move should be, Shin Godzilla (2016) was severely lacking in character development, an aspect of stories I always keep an eye out for. 2012 was focused on the survival story of one particular family while King Kong was able to show the intimate bond formed between the ape and the actress Ann Darow. Through this type of micro approach done on the large scale dilemmas the members of community were facing, the movies were able to appeal to human emotion. We were able to see both what was human in these tragedies and what being human meant in terms of how we decide to deal with these tragedies. In Shin Godzilla (2016), the most emotion the movie could get out of us was awe from when the monster metamorphosed and a bit of delight from all the jokes that were thrown around and the ironic events that took place. In that aspect, Shin Godzilla (2016) was inferior to the other movies that share the same genre.

Shin Godzilla (2016) was peculiar in its unconventional way of going against the common “less talk, more action” ideal for movies of this nature, but with the confines of a movie genre aside, I still see it to be an enjoyable film. I can acknowledge that with the film’s active choice of pulling away from the action and centering on the meetings and dialogues, the audience was forced to pay attention to what was being uttered by the men and women in suits. In other movies that are heavier on action, the dialogues are usually packed with scientific jargon. This would usually be enough for the audience to understand that the issue is being looked into by the smartest of professionals. They don’t have to pay too close attention to their every word because the jargon is meant to throw the audience through the peripheral route where they simply acknowledge the complexity of the problem without delving too deep into the said complexities.

Through this emphasis, we are able to see the different departments pass the burden of responsibility for what should be done to Gojira, their lack of urgency for action, the heavy reliance of the whole government body on the prime minister, their raising of job promotion concerns during a calamity of this scale, the indifference expressed by some in power for the damages done outside Tokyo, and the interference of the United States in local matters. These can be taken as political commentary relatable to multiple countries including the Philippines. The self-seeking trait of those in power and their lack of concern for the welfare of the masses can be seen in the recent extrajudicial killings among other pressing issues. It’s interesting to identify the plot’s parallelisms to reality and the creative choices done on these Godzilla movies as they constantly adapt to fit the current condition of Japan and the world at the time of its release—it’s one of the very few aspects of Godzilla movies that change with every new addition.

The Godzilla franchise’ unconventional approach in illustrating what a disastrous attack done by a mutated dinosaur looks like has shown both some negatives and positives. Dedicating most of the movie to the meetings and conferences that went on during the attacks, though very humorous, seemed a little dragging to me. This impression was drawn from my personal experience of watching movies under the same genre, but with genre aside, I saw the movie to double as political commentary as well. The nature of the jokes and the movie’s satirical treatment with various events in the storyline demonstrated how those in power can be extremely irresponsible or, rather, slow in making choices and executing their plans. Though this movie missed out on several opportunities to develop different characters’ storylines, these little nods to reality helped the story feel less fictional than it actually is.

Trainspotting: Not Just Another Stoner Film

Trainspotting was far from “shite” and exuded just enough elements to make it one of the most memorable films that I have ever seen. I keep the soundtrack on repeat since my second time seeing it. I think the firs time that I saw Trainspotting, I was watching it for the pure fun experience of knowing what it felt like to be on an actual psychedelic trip. I’d always been fascinated with the drug culture that happened during the 60’s to 70’s in Britain cause I was a big fun of musical acts such as Velvet Underground, the Beatles, David Bowie, and the Beatles and I’d always hear about their usage of drugs. I think watching Trainspotting could be one of the films that may have lead me close to experiencing what drugs could feel like and perhaps, even what drug addiction really is.

Aside from this addiction, I think this film speaks up a lot about social classes and how this could be the result of what people in the lower social classes tend to end up doing and its normal for them. We don’t really see a lot of history behind each character but bits and pieces of who they are show up. The film was generally all in the perspective of Brenton and how he saw things. Even the soundtrack was in view of what was happening in Brenton’s head. One scene that showcased this perspective was during Brenton’s return to using heroine. This “final hits” which were different from his “final final hits” wherein after getting sentenced to rehab instead of going to jail, he came back for this final hit. It was this melancholic reunion with heroine after being apart from his good friend for so long. As he collapsed to the floor and couldn’t get up, possibly on the verge of death, Lou Reed’s Perfect Day plays in the background. The lyrics “it’s such a perfect day / I’m glad I spent it with you”. A song perhaps for a lover but in this case, used for the old friend – heroine.

I think the beauty of this film is how its able to create such a chaotic and messy world while still being able to create such an impact message about addiction. It’s never really that easy to just leave a vice. If it makes you happy, why leave it? In Brenton’s case, heroine was not just some happy pill but an escape, an orgasm like no other. It took almost going to jail, a near death experience, and a death of a friend to convince him to stop. Stopping himself from heroine didn’t also make him any better as a person because he left his friends nothing (except Spud) for him to start a new life but we soon realize that Brenton now given the opportunity to have new beginnings is choosing to be a regular person just like us – the viewers.

The job, the family, the education, the taxes, the 9-5 job, dishwashing machine, dog, clothes, nice car, starbucks, who knows….. In the end, Brenton chooses life, the one thing he’s been trying to avoid facing with his usage of heroine. Did he go about it in a moralistic way? Probably not, but now he’s living a life that we all just take for granted having.

Thank you, next.

If there’s one thing I first thought of when we were first watching this film is that “oh praise the Lord it’s a lighthearted flick this time” and for the most part it was the case and a nice change of pace from the usual tones our class is used to but then weird shit started happening once again and then I thought to myself, “oh, right here we go.”

Subverted expectations, pleasant surprises and inconsistency, these are what the entirety of Futureless Things’ narrative plays into. What it does is that it takes everyday elements we see in our lives such as convenience stores, food products, customers, cashiers, etc. and adds a slight little tweak to them to completely flip each character’s arc into something completely different.

Futureless Things contains multiple storylines that are completely different from one another with only vague elements that stitch them together such as repeating faces but other than that, each arc stands on its own. The only constant element the film allows us to get attached with is the setting itself, the convenience store. And what a character this store is.

For something that does not speak at all and is not even alive to begin with, the convenience store gives us so much from the get go. Realistically speaking, we only go to convenience stores in real life because of something we need. We go in, purchase whatever that may be and go out. This is why it’s rare to find stores with a proper area for chairs and tables and for the ones who have, are only in the very small corners of the place. But the film keeps us inside this place throughout the entire runtime and that’s our first sign that something isn’t necessarily right. The fact that we’re spending such an extended amount of time within this space should tell us something about it already. There is no moving out or moving forward from it.

Then we have the customers. No customer stays that long in a convenience store. No one. This is why in some films, usually when that happens, it’s a sign that a crime is about to happen. Thankfully that doesn’t happen in the movie for the most part but nonetheless, it’s an effective storytelling factor used. When a character enters into this store we have come so accustomed with, we can almost smell something is up because it’s an entirely new person every time with a completely different personality or quirk. We almost feel protective of the space and whoever cashier is on screen. The customers and whatever dynamic they bring on screen gives a welcome unpredictability to the narrative. We may repeat the same imageries and shots throughout the rest of the runtime but the colorful personalities of the ensemble keeps things fresh.

And then we finally go to the cashiers. The film doesn’t necessarily have any main characters and instead has a number of people it focuses on depending on which part of the runtime. They each have their own stories and arcs to go through and one is completely different from the other. What the film does extremely well is that it takes a very simple scenario for each cashier and tries to build up a story already with the given element.

Take the employee who eats the products of the store whenever no one is around. At first, this is seen as a comedic quirk and as the scene progresses it even shows his good dynamic with a buyer when he mentions how an item is on a buy two take one promo. We are now attached to this guy. He’s funny and he has a good personality towards customers. This is actually one of the few cashiers wherein we see a repeat customer be happy with coming back. All is fine and well till we see the consequences of his actions. Some of which we didn’t even know at the time it was being presented to us was bad in the first place. This also presents an element foreshadowing a storyline that will be very relevant during the conclusion.

The title of the movie has a clever twist to it as well. The three factors discussed earlier will play a big part into understanding why the film is called that way. Each of them is a futureless element. One does not move forward from the other. Like I mentioned before, the narrative is not a straightforward moving story. It starts and it ends and then it starts again. We do get somewhat of a complete arc for each character but their story is only until there till we move on to the next person to spend time with within the store.

First we have the setting. We are just in one place never seeing any other area. We see a constant focus on a clock that only goes on for a 24 hour loop. All the shots are within the four walls of the establishment but it never feels claustrophobic or restricted. In fact, the shots of just the store itself is what gives comfort more than the shots with actual people in it sometimes. We never move forward from the given setting from the very first shot all the way to the last. There are a few certain exemptions such as one very earie wide of the outside world at nighttime. It makes us feel betrayed and unsafe making us want to go back inside.

Then we have the people. The employees may be different in personality but for the most part, they all share the same predicament. They all need financial stability. Unfortunately, as much as it is a noble job, being a convenience store cashier isn’t really one of the top picks for people looking for a job due to its minimum wage nature. We do see this as there are certain dialogues and moments dedicated to informing us the audience that despite having this job at the store, they are all barely making it by each day. It’s a dead end job. It’s almost impossible to move forward from that career unless you actively search for an even better job while you’re at it which is what some of the characters actually do in the film with mixed results.

It is weird and it is all over the place but it is definitely a delightful watch generally speaking. There are major turns the film takes and it expects you to simply accept it. “Just let it happen” keeps repeating in my head as I go through the enjoyable runtime which doesn’t have a dragging pace to it. For a story that has multiple perspectives to it, not a single one feels uninteresting or mundane at all. It is unavoidable that some will be favored more than others but there is nothing of the “oh that part was just bad” syndrome here.

One thing worth noting as well is that it is a very accessible watch. Usually foreign films would have a culture barrier but the film keeps it fun and simple. Futureless Things is a fun ride with its bright colors and eccentric personalities. It is a film that is not afraid to stand on its own two feet and it expects you to accompany it and when you do, the adventure will be an unexpected pleasure. It keeps the audience engaged and gives them a view worth smiling for but that doesn’t mean it lacks layers to it. Stick with it till the end and it just might give you a shock or two.