Too Close For Comfort
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Too Close For Comfort
Alice," I don't love you anymore. Goodbye."
In the middle of yesterday night on the eve of Valentine's Day, I decided to relive that old feeling of single-hood once again by watching a movie that opposes all romantic relationships in this world. I've never really liked Closer when I bought the DVD, not really getting the plot or really liking it in the first place. But like I said about movies, perspectives for them always changes on second or third viewing, and every single time you find something different or good about it worth thinking about. But then again, it might have just been because the first time I watched it, it was in the living room and the characters were yelling at each other "Did you come? DID YOU COME?" and stuff like that.I'm sure my mother didn't understand it but still, it was rather embarrassing.
But I remember the couple of Valentine's Day that I had for the past couple of years. 2003's Valentine's Day was spent in utter grief, and that had a backlashing effect for the next couple of weeks ago which involved myself looking out of a Physics laboratory, staring at the clouds, dazed and confused. 2004's was spent mostly at Sentosa at a school organized cross-country event with the class. Afterwards of course, I went home and blogged about blogging at home, if you get what I mean. 2005 and 2006's Valentine's Day were spent in camp, and I remember in 2005, the vendors at the cookhouse were nice enough to serve our rice in a heart shape. That was nice, but to me that further elevated the fact that we were all stuck on the dreadful island back then. 2006 was no better, because I was going to India a couple of days later, and being single right before the date of departure really got to me. Of course, if I had known just how amazing India is, I wouldn't have thought twice about the day itself. But what the hell, that's how I spent the last four years of Valentine's.
In honor of that in a way, I decided to take a closer look at Closer, since I am about to sell it to a friend of mine who loves the movie. It turned out that, like any other movie that I didn't particularly like on first viewing, it was actually much better on second viewing. I remember the first time I saw it, though I didn't particularly like it, I wasn't crazy over it. I didn't like the raw and in-your-face sort of plot, the way the characters cheated on one another, deceived and lied, all that jazz. I never liked it and preferred the conventional love story, or the conventional unconventional ones, if you know what I mean.
But this time around, I felt the pain of the characters, the impact of the lines, the punch of every hurtful word, everything. I still can't say that I am going to love this film, but at least this time around I have learned to appreciate it from another perspective altogether. Unlike most of the other love stories that we see in theaters, this movie is the real and raw deal. You don't have the cliche roses, no more "I love you", but rather the painful words of "I don't love you anymore". Because that is what happens in a broken down relationship, you just don't love somebody anymore.
A closer look at Closer might be too close for comfort. Because it resonates some of the issues that I have experienced myself, or some that I have heard from my friends. The truth is, I never expected myself to relate to the characters at all, since it always seemed like the work of an extremely depressed screenwriter. I felt myself relating to Clive Owen's character more than anybody else's. Not really because of the fact that he visits porn chatrooms to have a good cyber sex, but rather what he went through and his reacts to it. Because it is not easy to forgive and even more difficult to forget, and when you are in that kind of situation you just don't care.
I wouldn't recommend this film for just anybody, because it makes people cynical about love. "Love bores you", Alice said to Dan in the movie, and in retort he replied," No, it disappoints me" In truth, it happens to your sometimes, but at the same time it elevates hopes and wishes. So in a way, love is such a complicated emotion in humans that is so hard to explain. I don't think this movie tries to examine that question of love, or try to find any answers for the audiences. Mike Nichols allows the audience to examine the questions themselves and derive at their own answers. Is love hateful? Is love sexual? Is love innocent? Is love...?
If you ask if me I liked this film, I would say yes, but not love. You can blame the wistful, hopeful side of me that still believes that in truth and reality, love does not involve deception, even if it does. People just got to learn to lie to themselves more than the others sometimes, because it is the new currency of the world. To make believe something like that I think, is way better than being submerged in truth. I cannot deny the truth in the movie, I accept it. But at the same time, it doesn't mean that I have to believe in it at all. I'm not sure if I am making sense at all here, but I guess that is what the film did to me, to twist your initial idea of love and the turn back to question yourself on everything that you knew.
It won't do
To dream of caramel
To think of cinnamon
And long for you
It won't do
To stir a deep desire
To fan a hidden fire
That can never burn through
So goodbye
Sweet appetite
No single bite
Could satisfy
Alice," I don't love you anymore. Goodbye."
In the middle of yesterday night on the eve of Valentine's Day, I decided to relive that old feeling of single-hood once again by watching a movie that opposes all romantic relationships in this world. I've never really liked Closer when I bought the DVD, not really getting the plot or really liking it in the first place. But like I said about movies, perspectives for them always changes on second or third viewing, and every single time you find something different or good about it worth thinking about. But then again, it might have just been because the first time I watched it, it was in the living room and the characters were yelling at each other "Did you come? DID YOU COME?" and stuff like that.I'm sure my mother didn't understand it but still, it was rather embarrassing.
But I remember the couple of Valentine's Day that I had for the past couple of years. 2003's Valentine's Day was spent in utter grief, and that had a backlashing effect for the next couple of weeks ago which involved myself looking out of a Physics laboratory, staring at the clouds, dazed and confused. 2004's was spent mostly at Sentosa at a school organized cross-country event with the class. Afterwards of course, I went home and blogged about blogging at home, if you get what I mean. 2005 and 2006's Valentine's Day were spent in camp, and I remember in 2005, the vendors at the cookhouse were nice enough to serve our rice in a heart shape. That was nice, but to me that further elevated the fact that we were all stuck on the dreadful island back then. 2006 was no better, because I was going to India a couple of days later, and being single right before the date of departure really got to me. Of course, if I had known just how amazing India is, I wouldn't have thought twice about the day itself. But what the hell, that's how I spent the last four years of Valentine's.
In honor of that in a way, I decided to take a closer look at Closer, since I am about to sell it to a friend of mine who loves the movie. It turned out that, like any other movie that I didn't particularly like on first viewing, it was actually much better on second viewing. I remember the first time I saw it, though I didn't particularly like it, I wasn't crazy over it. I didn't like the raw and in-your-face sort of plot, the way the characters cheated on one another, deceived and lied, all that jazz. I never liked it and preferred the conventional love story, or the conventional unconventional ones, if you know what I mean.
But this time around, I felt the pain of the characters, the impact of the lines, the punch of every hurtful word, everything. I still can't say that I am going to love this film, but at least this time around I have learned to appreciate it from another perspective altogether. Unlike most of the other love stories that we see in theaters, this movie is the real and raw deal. You don't have the cliche roses, no more "I love you", but rather the painful words of "I don't love you anymore". Because that is what happens in a broken down relationship, you just don't love somebody anymore.
A closer look at Closer might be too close for comfort. Because it resonates some of the issues that I have experienced myself, or some that I have heard from my friends. The truth is, I never expected myself to relate to the characters at all, since it always seemed like the work of an extremely depressed screenwriter. I felt myself relating to Clive Owen's character more than anybody else's. Not really because of the fact that he visits porn chatrooms to have a good cyber sex, but rather what he went through and his reacts to it. Because it is not easy to forgive and even more difficult to forget, and when you are in that kind of situation you just don't care.
I wouldn't recommend this film for just anybody, because it makes people cynical about love. "Love bores you", Alice said to Dan in the movie, and in retort he replied," No, it disappoints me" In truth, it happens to your sometimes, but at the same time it elevates hopes and wishes. So in a way, love is such a complicated emotion in humans that is so hard to explain. I don't think this movie tries to examine that question of love, or try to find any answers for the audiences. Mike Nichols allows the audience to examine the questions themselves and derive at their own answers. Is love hateful? Is love sexual? Is love innocent? Is love...?
If you ask if me I liked this film, I would say yes, but not love. You can blame the wistful, hopeful side of me that still believes that in truth and reality, love does not involve deception, even if it does. People just got to learn to lie to themselves more than the others sometimes, because it is the new currency of the world. To make believe something like that I think, is way better than being submerged in truth. I cannot deny the truth in the movie, I accept it. But at the same time, it doesn't mean that I have to believe in it at all. I'm not sure if I am making sense at all here, but I guess that is what the film did to me, to twist your initial idea of love and the turn back to question yourself on everything that you knew.
It won't do
To dream of caramel
To think of cinnamon
And long for you
It won't do
To stir a deep desire
To fan a hidden fire
That can never burn through
So goodbye
Sweet appetite
No single bite
Could satisfy
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on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 at 11:27 AM.
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