Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The Perplexing Search for Perplexity
As long as I can remember, people have inquired
about my “favorites.” Favorite color,
favorite food, favorite movie, etc. The
expectation that people easily select and share their favorites serves as an
instilled societal norm. Unfortunately, I
am an outlier—as always—for this social trend.
I find it very strenuous to recite the things I enjoy most, or consider
superior. I think this partially has to
do with my aggravating tendency to find fault in everything. Because everything has flaws, I see no
reason to pinpoint a “favorite thing” if no perfect archetype exists in the
first place. Thus, my favorite book,
music, and the like seem to deviate daily.
Crazy, right? Now, after explaining
my personal madness, I feel equipped to answer the question at hand: What movie
sits atop my all-time favorite list? After much contemplation, I have come to a
decision: Inception. The movie has that typical standard of a
wonderful cast and superb special effects, but also has something I value and
find paramount to the title of “all-time great.” The plot for Inception has such novelty and complexity unmatched in other films. Usually, I find the majority of movies to
have predictable storylines and conclusions.
Most films dabble in what made other movies successful, and synthesize a
series of well-known concepts to make a decent, if not original, story. Instead, Inception
journeys into a new world of ideas.
Exerting myself mentally to determine my favorite movie reminded me of
the similar headaches I experienced while watching Inception in the theater.
The movie follows a thief who journeys into the subconscious of target
to implant an idea for a shady client. The
thief utilizes dreams within dreams within dreams to tap into the deepest
recesses of the target’s mind. Just thinking
of that intricate plan made my own mind spin for hours on end. I love it when a movie prompts the viewer to
think critically, form hypotheses, and invent interpretations of meaning. A movie that has that open-endedness,
permitting an individualized experience for every viewer, has a very special
attribute. I may have much difficulty
in evaluating the favorites of my life, but at least I now know one. Inception
plays with the nature of reality and people’s personal perceptions of it. That focus on individuality, like my
idiosyncrasy to inefficiently choose favorites, makes the movie that much more
one-of-a-kind.
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I also enjoy the movie "Inception," although I would not consider it my favorite movie, for I find it almost too complex. After watching the film two times, I still became lost in the plot. However, I did enjoy the movie's ending, which provides many possibilities for interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI also love the movie "Inception” because it makes its readers actually have to think about what happens and try to figure out what will happen next. I like feeling like I experience the twists and turns in the plot with the characters. I also like how each character has flaws and different reasons for going into the dreams, because it makes the viewers question their actions and judgements.
ReplyDeleteAlex, as your past and best writing partner, I feel my duty in our relationship centers around the need to point out the obvious: everyone prefers one movie, book, food, outfit, or weather over another. The word “favorite” merely describes your preferences, and like you, I too prefer "Inception" over the majority of movies circulating the world of filmography. Every time I watch this masterpiece I notice something new, and recently, I have come to learn the true meaning of the end of the movie; the director’s use of subtitle hints to the main character’s sanity or insanity create a seamless work of art that should reside on the “Favorites” list of the entire world population.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I apologize for my sassy tone.
Although I respect your opinion, I really disliked "Inception," probably because I understood almost none of it. The garbled dream sequences endlessly frustrated me as did the fact that I had no idea for whom to root. For instance, I did not know why I should want one energy company to prosper above the other. My friends picked up on my inability to comprehend Inception and afterwords began to come up to me to say "It's all a dream" at random intervals.
ReplyDeleteLike Claire, I also saw "Inception" multiple times - three and a half, actually. However, my decision to view the film an excessive number of times stemmed from the fact that I still could not understand the basic storyline, not because I enjoyed it. Every time I watched, I began with a fierce determination to grasp the plot, and every time the credits rolled, I remained clueless and disappointed. Eventually, I just gave up. While I commend the director of "Inception" for writing such an intelligent, complicated movie, I have a hard time believing that anyone besides him (and maybe you, Alex) truly understood it.
ReplyDeleteI find it humorous that "Inception" has triggered two strong responses in viewers: either respect and enjoyment or complete and utter confusion. However, I think that this develops the strong assertion, especially within such a bright audience, that people cannot enjoy things that make them feel incompetent. I too found this movie slightly confusing, but since I am that person that everyone hates watching movies with, as I ask questions every two minutes, I could follow it reasonably. Therefore, I enjoyed this movie for the most part. I like things that make me think.
ReplyDelete