(In)convenience store

Futureless Things is somewhat a confusing film. Every storyline seems to have a structure in it, but when they’re put together there doesn’t seem to be much coherence in it. Themes also seem to vary from skit to skit, from romance moving onto comedy onto political commentary onto comedy again, and so on. This technique has worked in some films I’ve watched, but this doesn’t seem to make a full impact for me.

The lone common theme I could think of when it comes to these storylines would be the commentary it has on consumerism and ones who are affected by it. With the setting primarily being a convenience store, we are introduced into the inner workings of it and how the different players included would interact with each other. Clerks would have interaction with each other, with customers and with their boss, Mr. Chun. It was refreshing to see a film made particularly in this setting, as I was able to catch a glimpse into what these people behind the counter might actually be going through. Clerks might be balancing this with a bigger dream such as acting, they might just be getting by in an unfamiliar place such as the North Korean was, or they could be looking for something to help them survive.

Their storylines aren’t given proper conclusions though, as they seem to abruptly end just as they start getting interesting (apart from the two couples at the beginning). Mr. Chun would seem to be the only mainstay character as we see him in multiple skits throughout the film. His storyline would also be the one given a proper conclusion as we see in the last scene. Perhaps this would be a commentary on the fates of store owners such as him, who do have to put up with multiple personalities and people with different motivations such as his part-time workers, while at the same time, trying to feed his family. It’s a difficult task, to say the least, but it’s what business owners have to put up with.

He would let this get the best of him, as consumerism and making ends meet would prove to be too much. As he is berated by the head branch and by his unpaid workers, he thinks of suicide as the only escape out of it. The last few scenes would prove to be the most impactful for me, as corporate greed is given a spotlight. With the permits put on different parts of the looted convenience store, and even on the hanging corpse of Mr. Chun, a lot can be interpreted. It left me with a lot of questions about what really goes in behind the counter, especially in a place which a lot of people, including me, take for granted.

With the different faces I saw behind the counter of the AK24 convenience store, it reminds me as well to see the faces of the 7-Elevens and the Ministops that I would visit. These people aren’t things which I take advantage of, they’re people as well who are living just like me, just finding ways to thrive and survive.

“Heroin’s got great fucking personality”

Watching this movie for the second time, it was refreshing to go through the different events and scenes yet again. Seeing as my first time watching this was when I was around 13 or 14, there were definitely a lot of things I missed.

The theme of drug usage definitely would be prominent all throughout the duration of the film. Going through the characters’ stories, it was clear that there is a diversity of personalities occurring within the group. There’s the easily-irritated Begbie, the witty and tricky Sick Boy, the well-intentioned Tommy, the clueless but lovable Spud and the ever-loyal Renton. However, I did notice that as heroin was used by any of the characters, their unique personality would be stripped completely. They would be dumbed down into a somewhat lifeless body lying on the floor, while he’s tripping on the drug. The extremity of this would be seen especially with the gruesome fate of Tommy. Drugs therefore serves as another character for me, both halting and progressing the plot forward for each character.

Another piece of commentary on drugs was also noticeable for me with the contrast between its usage and the rehabilitation from it. With the two effects-heavy scenes with Renton, this was exemplified. As he would relapse from his court-mandated rehabilitation and give in to heroin yet again, he would “sink” into a nicely carpeted hole as he trips out. He would then feel the comfort of this carpeted hole all the way from the drug house to the emergency ward of the hospital. This would definitely be in contrast with the rehab montage, which was more erratic and crazy, with his mistakes and fears coming back to haunt him as he sweats the heroin out. These cinematic devices used definitely do drive home the ironic nature of these two things. Comfort can be felt in something that can destroy you while the opposite can be felt in something that can save you from that destruction.

The third act would also touch on the truth of relapse as Renton would move to London as he lives a life away from heroin. Despite his success in his job and his motivation to stay clean, his “demons”, or in this case, his friends from back home, would come back to haunt him. Begbie and Sick Boy, his new roommates, would begin to destroy his life yet again, as they would intrude into his daily routine and would even sell some of his stuff. He would even give into the temptation to do heroin yet again, as the stress of taking care of his friends would be too much.

Loyalty would go hand-in-hand with the drug theme, as the ever-loyal Renton would be challenged when it comes to both his friends and heroin. Would he betray his friends that he’s stayed so loyal and take the money? Would he ditch heroin, the thing which gave him so much comfort, once and for all and live a drug-free life? Eventually, we would see these questions answered by the end of the film, which definitely gave me the conclusion that I wanted. Renton would be a survivor of his own demons and his own addiction.

Overall, I truly did enjoy the film the second time, especially as I gained these new insights. This perspective into drug addiction and its victims would definitely give me something to remember as I move into the world of health care after I graduate. Just like Renton, the loyalty of these people are tested on a regular basis and their struggles shouldn’t be ignored.

“It’s Just Friend or Foe. It’s Simple.”

This movie surprised me in a lot of ways. Being a fan of Godzilla from my childhood, I was familiar with what the famous monster is: a creature that defends the inhabitants of Earth and maintains its balance. This was very much touched upon by the most recent American interpretation (2014) of Godzilla, as it battled against multiple creatures who were threatening human existence. Of course, with the success of this film, the formula would be repeated again in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), as it battles even more of its brethren for the sake of the planet.

However, with this film, things were a lot different from what we’re usually accustomed to. Firstly, humans were put mano a mano with the creature, avoiding this party to be a spectator between a big monster battle. I was expecting to see other figures pop up or for the first form introduced to actually be another creature that Godzilla would face against, but that didn’t happen. Instead, the Japanese government would be the main protagonist and Godzilla would be its foe. It usually isn’t something we see in action films including characters such as Godzilla. The government in these movies would usually play second-fiddle to the Dwayne Johnsons or Tom Cruises.

This approach by the filmmakers would lead into a far more interesting dynamic, as bureaucracy would be the point of conflict within the camp of the protagonists. Again and again, this would get in the way of Godzilla being finished off early into the story, as the prime minister would call off attacks on the monster due to fear of killing bystanders. The press conferences, group meetings and brainstorming sessions between government officials would even outnumber the action set pieces pitting military against the creature. This is, again, very much in contrast with the action-centered mindset of most American filmmakers. This would take some getting used to on my part as I was watching, but it was very refreshing to see this take.

A scene from one of the many brainstorming sessions

A direct relationship between the level of bureaucracy and the amount of tension would definitely be seen. I honestly began to get even more and more annoyed as the number of players would increase on the part of the humans, with the Japanese press, the US and the UN throwing their hat in the ring. The conflicts arising within this side would only reflect the conflict arising as well between all of them and Godzilla, as its destructive potential would constantly increase.

As Godzilla is finally defeated through a last resort effort by the Japanese government, things are able to settle. A new government led by the Yaguchi, the main character, is hinted at, which yet again drives home this fact: this film isn’t a monster movie, it’s a political drama with a monster in it. Godzilla would effectively serve as the catalyst that drives the plot of this political drama forward towards its conclusion.

Shin Godzilla, as this genre-bending movie, would lead us to asking this question: “If a monster such as this would appear in your country, how would your government react?” Of course, as this film is created by Japan, it would show what the Japanese government might have done in this situation, with its culture and context in mind. In the Philippine context, and with the Philippine government, would similar events occur within our borders? Perhaps. Bureaucracy is something that would constantly encompass each structure of government, and perhaps this would come up as well in our country. However, it would be up to our people if we let that fact defeat us or if we would “rise from the ashes” such as Yaguchi and his colleagues did.

Schizopolis: Making Sense out of Chaos

I’ve seen a lot of weird and crazy stuff in media: most particularly on the internet. I’ve watched people eating cakes made of their own puke on YouTube, read unbelievable stories of different people on Twitter, and saw hundreds of “memes” on Facebook which make no sense for the sake of making no sense. Weirdly enough, watching Schizopolis, it reminded me of these types of content. As I went through each scene, the film became stranger and stranger for me, leaving me more and more confused. However, looking back into it: is that really the case?

I would see that it is not. With the director, Steven Soderbergh, now with several successful blockbusters and an Academy Award under his belt, there is no way he would make this film with no intention behind it. As my classmates have mentioned, three acts could be seen, reflected by the three short scenes showing a “1”, “2” and “3”.

The first act would seem to be the easiest to decipher and break apart. The instructions given by the Right Hand Man to Munson near the start of the film may set the precedent for the film itself, showing a clash between the organized and disorganized:

“It should be lengthy enough to seem substantial, yet concise enough to feel breezy. It should be serious but with a slight wink. It should lay out a new course of action, but one that can change direction at any moment. If you must mention facts and figures, don’t do so directly. The general thrust should remain embedded in one’s mind forever, but specific words should be forgotten the moment they are heard. It should contain nothing that can be confirmed nor denied.”

The stories of Fletcher Munson and Elmo Oxygen would also be introduced. Munson would have an office job, with no clear indication of what the company does in the first place, perhaps a commentary on the boring and common nature of the office. Elmo would carry the work of an exterminator, but carrying a different motive as well: sleeping with the housewives who calls him. At the end of this act, we would see that a conflict would occur within these two stories, as the presence of a mole/spy would arise in the office of Munson and as Elmo is offered a new job.

These conflicts only rise in act two, with even more characters popping up. The appearance of both Munson’s and Mrs. Munson’s doppelgangers would make things even more crazy and confusing, as they end up being the love interests of their counterparts and each other. This would maybe represent how we really do have “types” in a relationship, as we go from person to person who share almost similar characteristics and features. Korchek however, would represent a laid-back version of his doppelganger, as he seems more grounded and focused on his job (except for that one sexual harassment subplot), contrast to the funny-face making, constantly jacking-off Munson.

Stories would also overlap in this act, as Dr. Korchek would interact would Mr. Tribby, the counterpart of Right Hand Man in the rival company and the wife of Nameless Numberhead Man, who even refers to her husband as she sits in his dental chair.

This overlapping would come to a head in act three, as the storylines represented in act one and two would be reiterated and ran through again, but with a new twist. As Mrs. Munson is put in the spotlight, as she interacts with the two doppelgangers, and we could see her perspective as well. Eventually, we would see the worlds of Elmo and Fletcher eventually meet, as the former exterminator attempts to assassinate the man that the office worker is under. Contrast would again be seen as we see a life full of mundaneness and regularity clash with a life full of spontaneity and craziness. Their internal conflicts would eventually come to a close as well, with Elmo finishing the job as the aforementioned mole of Fletcher’s company

All of this would be my own attempt to make sense of what I just encountered, and is somewhat what we, as human beings constantly try to do with every film, video, picture or piece of writing that we come across. My attempt may be successful in the eyes of Soderbergh, but it may be a big failure as well. What matters I think with this film, though, is that we made the attempt in the first place. Despite the confusing nature of each scene, with it becoming more confusing as they add up, we still tried to get out of that confusion. We, as was said before the start of the film, may even make the effort to “see the picture again and again” until we understand everything. And perhaps, this phenomena of making sense out of chaos is what we try to do on the internet and social media as well.