Hey Guys! Sorry about the late blog post! Due to my lateness I will attempt to shock and awe you with my astounding assessment of the movie Closer and why it is super relevant in pertaining to a main focal point of the class thus far, of borders and boundaries. This isn't a tangible border like we've discussed in class, this is the boundaries we feel in relationships with the people we cross in our lives.
This movie was made in 2004 and directed by Mike Nichols. It's basically a very in depth character analysis of four people who end up, by coincidence crossing paths, and altering each others lives. Since it gets complicated here is a brief summary from IMDB.
"The plot revolves around the infatuation of the couples for one another. If they could only treat these dalliances with the silence they deserve, there would be no story here. Instead, they are brutally "honest" about their faithlessness, sometimes inventing boinks that never occurred to "test the love" of their significant other. Ultimately, each ends up with the partner for whom they are best suited; but has their desire to "win" at the game of love diminished their capacity to love and to enjoy its fruits?"
I chose that excerpt because I think it brings to life the point I am hoping to make about the boundaries we have and don't have when it comes to human interaction. This foursome and highly complicated love story exists solely because these characters ignored the basic boundaries of human normalcy in a relationship. I recommend you watch it and give feedback as to whether you think they are better off in doing so or not. And if you have seen it, do you see how Nichols exhibits perfectly the boundaries each couple is presented with and how they react to them? A huge part of life is wanting to connect with other people and having that feeling of connectedness with the people around you. If we had no boundaries with one another how do you think our interactions would change? Do you think we make these boundaries ourselves?
Since I don't want this to be lengthy, I'll settle with this movie exhibits the elusive boundaries we conjure ourselves and how we feel the need to test them with each other. Not the borders we've been talking about but they are borders nonetheless. Which ones are worth stepping over that line and which ones are there for a reason?
I thought that the points you bring up here regarding the borders of human interaction were particularly interesting, as we haven't really delved into types of metaphysical boundaries in class. Though I have not seen "Closer," I did actually watch a similar movie this weekend with my roommates- "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." Just like your film, " The Perks of Being a Wallflower" also explores the boundaries of human interaction, and moreover, the complexities associated with it. For those of you that haven't seen the film, it revolves around an initially socially awkward high school freshman, Charlie. While he does not exactly fit in with the rest of the students in his grade, Charlie befriends a group of seniors, one of whom, Sam, he falls in love with before she leaves for college. Aside from their unique taste in music, viewers begin to see how alike Charlie and Sam truly are. We soon discover that both were molested when they were young children. However, while Sam has grown to better cope with this experience, Charlie deals with it quite differently. He's constructed his own boundary from human affection, as he still remains severely traumatized. The question here is where is the middle ground? Despite being in love, does Sam move on, avoiding the boundary altogether, or does Charlie cross his own border? As the story unfolds, we see that it is the latter that actually happens. To summarize, I think that this shows us that sometimes borders are meant to be crossed; as Rushdie said, we are defined by borders, however, the definition of some may hold us back. Therefore, though a border may be constructed, there's nothing preventing it from being knocked down, either.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen either of these movies that are mentioned. They both sound interesting, and after hearing about them, I would like to see them. Although I have not seen them, this type of border is interesting. We do not really talk about these borders in class, but this is somewhat of a border that we all cross is everyday lives. Crossing the line to some people may not seem as bad to others, so it is important to be cautious how we act, especially around people that we do not know well. As Dennis said, some borders are meant to be crossed and it is better that way. But, there are times when borders should be inspected first because no one wants to take the risk of crossing a border that may be offensive to someone else.
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