Monday, June 04, 2007
Isolation
What do you think this film has to say about loneliness and isolation? The three main characters are each alone: Fin because he has withdrawn from the cruelty and constant spectacle of being a dwarf, Olivia because of her persistent grief, and Joe because of his overbearing good humor and neediness. This may be the only thing they have in common, but they forge a very touching friendship.
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4 comments:
The film is very negative about isolation. It is a huge loss when the three of them split up, and a triumph when they get back together. The film says that relationships with other people are the only things that really matter.
And I liked how diverse the three were. It was neat how they fit perfectly together even though they were such different misfits.
I thought it was ironic that Fin moved away so he could be alone and instead found that, unlike the anonymity that a big city grants, he couldn't be a loner in a small town.
I also thought Joe was needy for quality company and senses that in Fin and Olivia. His low-life friends turn up, and the dialogue shows he hasn't been around them for a while (maybe because of his father), and he's constantly on the phone. There's company there for him, but not the right kind.
Yeah, Joe was interesting. He obviously had a lot of acquaintances, and he seemed to be missing "the scene" in New York during his sojourn in Newfoundland, but it wasn't satisfying to him. You can see he still yearns for a more meaningful, high-quality friendship.
Joe was incredibly needy. And I think at the beginning of the film he would have been happy to be plopped back home with his old friends, but his relationship with Fin and Olivia changed him -- I think he would want higher-quality friends back home by the end of the film.
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