* A number of reviewers mentioned that they fast-forwarded through parts of the movie. I don't think there is a problem with not liking a movie, but I think there is a big problem with somebody that would take the time to comment on a work of art without taking the time to fully engage in it.
* Would you really pontificate about the meaning of life if you were lost in the desert, like one would in any work of fiction? Or would you just shut up and walk? Gerry does an excellent job of choosing the more life-like, un-cinematic, scenario.
* The acting in the film was amazing. It is never over-acted, even in a situation that would normally call for histrionics. The understated tenseness reaches a boiling point during the manic makeshift-map-in-the-desert-scene without ever boiling over. Incredible. This tension is actually resolved in one of the final scenes in a way that can only be described as perfect.
* I was completely ready to enjoy an existential movie, with absolutely no motive or cohesive, underlying meaning. As somebody interested in existentialism, I am surprised to find myself not only thinking, but enjoying the opposite side of that coin. Scott Tobias' review on The Onion AV Club points out that when we are introduced to the characters, the act of the casual hike seemed particularly joyless. What can be dismissed as a scene of 'establishing' nature is, I think, one of the most important in the film. The two characters simply have nothing to say to each other, and seem to be going through the motions on their hike, as well as, presumably, their life. At his most personal, all the Damon-Gerry can say is 'don't cry' which seems so empty he seems more like an alien than a human. In a completely non-pretentious way, I think that Jerry is very moralistic, obvious, and thematic: if you wander through life without any kind of aims or feelings, you will be lost in a desert. And its not going to get any better. When I saw Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Minor Threat, Dischord Records) at a speaking engagement he said: If you go through life without thinking about what you're doing, you are simply awaiting instructions.
On the surface, I thought my conclusions violated tenants of existentialism.
If grand schemes are ultimately meaningless, how can I applaud Gerry for having a theme? I've decided that it is one thing to live life without meaning, and another thing to come to the conclusion that life is without meaning. They are, in fact, two very, very, different things.
* SPOILERS. Two elements of the end of the movie have stayed with me. The ending made me realize that this was not a Van Zant Damon Affleck mindf***, but a serious work. (Although I can't believe people describe it as such when the cinematography was done with such great care.)
First off, the Damon-Gerry has a premonition of being rescued. I did not at first realize that this was the meaning of the dream. The way this was handled was nothing short of brilliant.
Secondly, the final embrace, the awkward comfort that they can give each other is a scene that will stay with more for a long time. These are humans that seem to lack the skills necessary to be a human. Yes it takes a long time to get this point, but without the other 90 minutes of the movie this scene would not have had the necessary weight.
* I'll be buying a compass before I go home tonight.
* Would you really pontificate about the meaning of life if you were lost in the desert, like one would in any work of fiction? Or would you just shut up and walk? Gerry does an excellent job of choosing the more life-like, un-cinematic, scenario.
* The acting in the film was amazing. It is never over-acted, even in a situation that would normally call for histrionics. The understated tenseness reaches a boiling point during the manic makeshift-map-in-the-desert-scene without ever boiling over. Incredible. This tension is actually resolved in one of the final scenes in a way that can only be described as perfect.
* I was completely ready to enjoy an existential movie, with absolutely no motive or cohesive, underlying meaning. As somebody interested in existentialism, I am surprised to find myself not only thinking, but enjoying the opposite side of that coin. Scott Tobias' review on The Onion AV Club points out that when we are introduced to the characters, the act of the casual hike seemed particularly joyless. What can be dismissed as a scene of 'establishing' nature is, I think, one of the most important in the film. The two characters simply have nothing to say to each other, and seem to be going through the motions on their hike, as well as, presumably, their life. At his most personal, all the Damon-Gerry can say is 'don't cry' which seems so empty he seems more like an alien than a human. In a completely non-pretentious way, I think that Jerry is very moralistic, obvious, and thematic: if you wander through life without any kind of aims or feelings, you will be lost in a desert. And its not going to get any better. When I saw Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Minor Threat, Dischord Records) at a speaking engagement he said: If you go through life without thinking about what you're doing, you are simply awaiting instructions.
On the surface, I thought my conclusions violated tenants of existentialism.
If grand schemes are ultimately meaningless, how can I applaud Gerry for having a theme? I've decided that it is one thing to live life without meaning, and another thing to come to the conclusion that life is without meaning. They are, in fact, two very, very, different things.
* SPOILERS. Two elements of the end of the movie have stayed with me. The ending made me realize that this was not a Van Zant Damon Affleck mindf***, but a serious work. (Although I can't believe people describe it as such when the cinematography was done with such great care.)
First off, the Damon-Gerry has a premonition of being rescued. I did not at first realize that this was the meaning of the dream. The way this was handled was nothing short of brilliant.
Secondly, the final embrace, the awkward comfort that they can give each other is a scene that will stay with more for a long time. These are humans that seem to lack the skills necessary to be a human. Yes it takes a long time to get this point, but without the other 90 minutes of the movie this scene would not have had the necessary weight.
* I'll be buying a compass before I go home tonight.
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