Whether or not people respond to this film emotionally, many are certain to respond to its narrative structure with something akin to horror. I don't know much about Aristotle myself, but I imagine it is films like these that have him spinning in his Hellenic grave. But, until more filmmakers chance to make the kind of films that PTA is making, he gets major points for originality and a willingness to explore the possibilities of the medium. I don't know enough about film history to say that he is expanding the pallette (there is plenty of evidence to suggest that he is merely pilfering), but there is something breathtaking (and sure-handed) about his embrace of the absurd. And, where I thought it was used inappropriately and distractingly in "Magnolia," his absurd emotional logic works perfectly in "Punch-Drunk Love." Like any interesting piece of art, the film creates its own sense of reality, its own logic, and by keeping faithful to that logic, he succeeds in making something original. "Punch Drunk" is like the negative image of "Hard Eight," which couldn't leave it's protagonists alone. Couldn't resist punishing them. It wouldn't give them a break. In "Punch Drunk" he still shows a predilection for broken, fucked up people; but this time he gives them every chance to be happy. It is, by far, his best film, because it seems his most honest film. To a fault, Anderson has always loved his loser characters; in this film, he creates a reality that allows him to reward them -- despite everything. If you're cursed with a love for losers, you might as well do them (and yourself) a favor -- make them happy.
Wednesday, November 06, 2002
MORE ON 'PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE' - Sam Hallgren also saw 'Punch-Drunk Love' recently and emailed this response. I'm posting it here not because we had pretty much the same reaction (just as we did on 'Roger Dodger' and 'The Good Girl'; we're obviously drinking from the same tap), but because he found a much more eloquent way of saying it.
Whether or not people respond to this film emotionally, many are certain to respond to its narrative structure with something akin to horror. I don't know much about Aristotle myself, but I imagine it is films like these that have him spinning in his Hellenic grave. But, until more filmmakers chance to make the kind of films that PTA is making, he gets major points for originality and a willingness to explore the possibilities of the medium. I don't know enough about film history to say that he is expanding the pallette (there is plenty of evidence to suggest that he is merely pilfering), but there is something breathtaking (and sure-handed) about his embrace of the absurd. And, where I thought it was used inappropriately and distractingly in "Magnolia," his absurd emotional logic works perfectly in "Punch-Drunk Love." Like any interesting piece of art, the film creates its own sense of reality, its own logic, and by keeping faithful to that logic, he succeeds in making something original. "Punch Drunk" is like the negative image of "Hard Eight," which couldn't leave it's protagonists alone. Couldn't resist punishing them. It wouldn't give them a break. In "Punch Drunk" he still shows a predilection for broken, fucked up people; but this time he gives them every chance to be happy. It is, by far, his best film, because it seems his most honest film. To a fault, Anderson has always loved his loser characters; in this film, he creates a reality that allows him to reward them -- despite everything. If you're cursed with a love for losers, you might as well do them (and yourself) a favor -- make them happy.
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Whether or not people respond to this film emotionally, many are certain to respond to its narrative structure with something akin to horror. I don't know much about Aristotle myself, but I imagine it is films like these that have him spinning in his Hellenic grave. But, until more filmmakers chance to make the kind of films that PTA is making, he gets major points for originality and a willingness to explore the possibilities of the medium. I don't know enough about film history to say that he is expanding the pallette (there is plenty of evidence to suggest that he is merely pilfering), but there is something breathtaking (and sure-handed) about his embrace of the absurd. And, where I thought it was used inappropriately and distractingly in "Magnolia," his absurd emotional logic works perfectly in "Punch-Drunk Love." Like any interesting piece of art, the film creates its own sense of reality, its own logic, and by keeping faithful to that logic, he succeeds in making something original. "Punch Drunk" is like the negative image of "Hard Eight," which couldn't leave it's protagonists alone. Couldn't resist punishing them. It wouldn't give them a break. In "Punch Drunk" he still shows a predilection for broken, fucked up people; but this time he gives them every chance to be happy. It is, by far, his best film, because it seems his most honest film. To a fault, Anderson has always loved his loser characters; in this film, he creates a reality that allows him to reward them -- despite everything. If you're cursed with a love for losers, you might as well do them (and yourself) a favor -- make them happy.
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