Fight Club and The Handmaid tale

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Fight Club

The film begins literally inside of the main characters head. The camera begins in the inside of the body of what seems to be his brain. The camera flows through nerve cells and neurons all the way through to his nostrils out leading down the barrel of a gun. At this point the narrator says “People are always asking me if I know Tyler Durden.” This is a major question in Fight club, and the film does a good job hiding who he is. In the beginning we see two people, one holding the gun and the other sitting in a chair with the gun in their mouth. The film already tricks you right from the beginning right when he makes you think Tyler is another person.

Who is Tyler Durden? Tyler Durden is everything the narrator wishes he could be. The narrator is an insomniac who works at a recall specialist for an automobile industry. While the narrator is working he sees his glimpse of Tyler. This shot only lasts for one frame. I think it was edited this way to show us that the narrator is starting to envision Tyler in the midst of losing his mind. This is one of many one frame scenes in the movie that most people will miss.   

There are also shots where Tyler and the narrator look directly into the camera and speak directly to the audience. I think this style works well with the narration. Usually actors are told not to look at the camera but in this case I think it fits in nicely.

“Sometimes Tyler would speak for me.” When the narrator says that Tyler would speak for him, you would assume that Tyler exists but he is really talking about his alternate ego. Tricking the audience is important to keeping the storyline intact. We can see his alternate ego and the narrator can see him but everyone in the movie only sees Tyler. I think this is a cool concept and fit very well into the development of the narrator’s story about Fight Club.

What is Fight Club? Fight club is a place where nothing matters but the fight. The narrator and Tyler created it in the pursuit of freedom from all worldly realities and restrictions that hold modern man from reaching their true potential. Nothing matters in Fight club, not money, fame or any possessions people live for matter. Fight club is freedom for every moment that goes by in the fight.

Tyler whispers in his ear, or so it seems when he’s on the phone with the detective that tells him his apartment was blown up by homemade explosives. Tyler says, “tell him the liberator who has destroyed my property has realigned my perception.” He destroyed his own apartment in attempt to have freedom from the burdens of a materialistic lifestyle. The narrator could not do this on his own he needed Tyler to liberate him. These scenes are important because they show you the dynamic personality between the narrator and Tyler.

The handmaid’s tale

In this film the Republic of Gilead is at war and pollution has left the majority of the population sterile. The main character has Kate is captured after witnessing the death of her husband. Kate’s daughter is kidnapped in the process of fleeing to Canada. Kate is then told that she will be trained to be a Handmaid or concubine to be more accurate. Her purpose is to supply a wealthy family with a child. Kate is soon forced to live with the Commander and his cold hearted wife.

Kate is forced to have sex with the commander while being held down by Serena Joy.  Kate always thinks of her past life before she was taken and forced to become a handmaid.  She discovers that many of the leaders of the nation are as sterile as their wives.  She wants to get out of the group of handmaids so bad that she comes up with a plan to get pregnant by another man.  This man happens to be the driver of the commander.  Even though there is a very harsh punishment for fornication, she does this anyway because if she gets pregnant they will not put her to death. 

The Handmaids tale is more of a feminist movie than a political fable like 1984. The purpose of the movie is to dramatize the role of women in a dystopian society ruled by men. Children are seen as possessions of wealthy families.

You could argue that this film is definitely dystopian for women. On the other hand you could say that this particular dystopian world favors males therefore is it still dystopian for men? The men in the movie have power and rule over women. This film definitely seems like it was meant to be on Lifetime network as a horror movie for women.

The women in this movie are separated by class as well as dress attire. The unfertile housewives are dressed in blue, and the women forced to have children are dressed in red.  This is to symbolize their biology.

In the end Offred kills the commander violently with a knife. She escapes in a black van with Nick in hopes to someday be reunited with her daughter. Kate stares into the sunset from her hidden trailer waiting for her new baby to be born. This film was definitely my least favorite out of all the dystopian films I have had to watch so far. I don’t find the film to be interesting nor visually pleasing in any way. Not very often do I find any cinematic appeal in the camera work. I don’t find the story to be of any interest and I think it fails to really deliver a true purpose. I feel like this film isn’t gritty enough, it looks boring aesthetically.

I can’t really call this a romance but as far as dystopian it definitely is for women. That’s what the movie focuses. I would have liked to see more of the dystopian effects on the Republic of Gilead.

Totalitarian Technocracies

“When we refer to a work of literature as dystopian, we mean that the community in question would probably be unappealing to most, but not all, of the author’s intended readers.” Thomas Horan

Every dystopian movie/literature will have a different effect depending on who the reader or watcher is. For example most people would find that 1984 would be an unpleasant society to live in but some may find it more desirable than their current situation. Some people would find my country an unlikeable place to live and vice versa. The Handmaid’s tale I would say is more dystopian to women than it is men. I do believe that the intended reader’s part applies to how effective a dystopian society can be.