#133
Post
by therewillbeblus » Wed Jul 26, 2023 11:38 pm
I loved this movie, which just explodes with every bit of genre and tonal idea Gerwig and Baumbach can concoct with their collaborative, vast imaginations. It's a candy-coated kids-movie-for-adults. It's a sprawling adventure between fantasy and reality that seeks to merge them, holding a mirror up to see how one informs the other, in a relationship rather than separatist islands. It's an existential piece of rhetoric that posits satisfaction as both a mirage and a possible self-constructed living-dream, which is where its best (and admirably least-defined) theme comes into play: the ambiguous value of fantasizing. The merits of escaping into illusion (whether to locate real potential to take back into crafting identity -individualized or of corporeal institutional DNA- or just to embrace a mindful space of peace) weigh against the risks of myopic isolation - funnily enough, reminding me of Oppenheimer's most interesting thematic paradox of his wary engagement with causes.
Gerwig and Baumbach touch on the allure of complacency, validating the drive for us all to veer towards an extremist polar approach to achieve impermanent simplicity to cope with all the gray chaos intruding upon our consciousness. They take a fun, long road to gently express the universal sensitivity of humans, which exacerbates sociopolitical issues due to the pain of a perceived lack of reciprocity as we bear our vulnerabilities. That of course comes from our limited perspectives and mistrust of others, as we're locked into a dual relationship of socialization where we judge ourselves and our roles by that engagement, but also need that process to occur to do the hard work to self-actualize with and against. The raw humanism of Baumbach is apparent, but the film's ethos most reminded me of Altman's cynical humanism; its satire is one of compassion, validating all experiences and providing a sense of community that "we're all in this together," along with the distinct deviations offered as vital talking points as well. Both can be true, and everything in between. So this is also a musical, and a slapstick comedy, with satire both broad and pointed. It's kinda... everything, but apparently not enough for some?
It seems like the haters want the impossible- for Gerwig to make a movie from every possible angle that she cannot possibly conceive of to appease everyone (at this point it's just a tired symptoms of Progressive handwringing these days - it amazes me that one of the most progressive films I've ever seen is getting so much flack from its own audience). It's absurd to ask for more of a movie with this much in it, and Gerwig is making her vision the only authentic way she can: from her limited but peripherally humanistic and curious vantage point. It would be problematic for her to try to do it any other way, and if she has any blind spots or fails to incorporate sociopolitical issues from a skewed place, well, duh..? This isn't a very humble movie on its surface -it's loud and expansive and goes for broke- but it does carry a humility ingrained in its worldview. There is some anger here -most obviously in the cathartic, frustrated, yet right-on and poignant feminist speech - but its overarching vibe is not angry. There's as much of anything else in it, including a gesture at unknown, abstract modes of meaning, to embody humility as a philosophy when it rests ifs focus on humanity as a whole rather than men vs women... and I think the film is primarily existing there in spirit, despite the iconography and plot machinations leading us to believe otherwise. They're vehicles to unveil that Altmanesque universality, and the artist's sympathies that lie with Gosling are crucial to help us zoom out from the zone one may otherwise misperceive this film is statically inhabiting. As arguably the more complex character, Gerwig perversely chooses to split her attention towards a counter-programmatic exploration of the burdens of modern-age men (currently very topical in therapeutic settings) for being societally-conditioned away from outlets for self-expression and validation, burying emotional sensitivities they have on par with other genders. Empathizing with this as mutually exclusive from her patriarchal roasting without apology is just another respectable feather in the cap, and not an easy feat to pull off this well, in such full-measures.
This is an incredibly surreal movie, uneven by design in how it eclectically blends alternative and mainstream and classical influences, labile mood key changes, etc. without flinching - and will hopefully go down in history as one of the weirdest and most inspired blockbusters ever. I can't believe this thing actually exists, let alone that it's such a crowdpleaser. Well, I can believe that like 60% of it is accessing the masses, but the overwhelming response is restoring my faith in humanity - not just because the movie does that, but because people are biting at diverse, arrhythmic wit and style and Russian-doll'd jubilance. A lot of this is superficial, of course, and on-the-nose, but a lot is implicit and crafty and understated, and I don't think the film is getting enough credit for those prevalent layers. It's a film about community, drawing in a community, and yet it's also about how each of our experiences is inherently unique, lonesome, and inaccessible. Why should Gerwig's side of that coin be oppressed for not subscribing to another's? I'm grateful she shared it with the world. What a mind, heart, and attitude to behold.