Why? . . . and CHAT!
I watched Half-Nelson with my oldest daughter last night. If you haven't seen it, and you're a film buff, it made it onto many critics' "ten best" lists in 2006. I know why. One of the most compelling, non-preachy perfomances of a drug addict, Ryan Gosling conveyed more with one destroyed look than any scene-chewing actor who might overdo the addict's descent into hell.
But . . . as a writer, one thing fascinated me. My daughter kept asking me WHY? Why is he a drug addict? Why? He's smart. Handsome. Sexual. Smart. Smart (yes, that one kept coming up). And dedicated to his students (he plays a junior high school teacher in an urban area). So WHY?
And really, I had two thoughts. One . . . because. Because he's hard-wired that way. Because addicts simply are pre-disposed to it. And two . . . because. Because he IS so smart and so fascinated by dialectics that within him is the synthesis of drug addict and scholar. (And sorry, if that sounds heavy, you have to see the movie and know a little about dialectic thought.) I think his brilliance made him fragile, because it's tough making it through the world when you are consistently the smartest guy in the room. It makes you see the world differently. And not always in a good way.
But as a writer . . . what I loved is well, you will never know. You are left to interpret and left to debate and wonder. To come to one conclusion and then maybe another one when you think about it a week from now. I think the best books leave you that leeway. The very best of books are often ambiguous.
When we go through high school--at least traditional American education--we're very often asked for the "right answer" in English class. The teacher says "Here . . . here is the symbolism, this is what you should be getting out of this scene." But really, the work of teaching someone how to read a work of literature should be leading them into a thick forest and then leaving them there. Let THEM find the path out--and the evidence to support their view. Because the real answer very often is a giant maybe.
Thoughts?
AND DON'T FORGET tonight's chat at 10:00 p.m. E.S.T. We have eight or so participants so far--room for more. Don't be shy if you're a conistent lurker here. Send me screen names. Also, make sure you have your AIM open from say, 9:45 p.m. E.S.T. on. I will probably work at my desk from about noon on here . . . so I will leave on my AIM in case you want to say "hi" and make sure you're all set. My screen name is ericawrite5. Send me a hello.
The chat will be focused on . . . well, hey, a party among writers. And also about kick-starting our writing for 2008, what we're working on, support and encouragement, and then all-around B.S. The best kind of chat.
So hope to "see" a lot of you tonight. Keep writing, gang. And chime in with your thoughts on ambiguous books and endings.
14 comments:
I'll have to mark Half-Nelson down! Although, I hate, hate, hate ambiguous endings, LOL. Especially, especially, especially when it's used as simply a device to say see? I'm a literary writer, not a (romance/mystery/thriller/science fiction/fantasy) writer because I didn't tell you the ending.
Okay, once in awhile I'll take an ambiguous ending. You're right, it does promote thought. But I only like it about 1% of the time it's done.
Half Nelson was one of my favorite movies in years ... It made a permanent Ryan Gosling fan out of me. As to his addiction, he also came from a family of addicts (alcoholics in his case), so it's not like that apple fell far from the tree. But really, everyone should see that movie.
I didn't see the movie, but Jon's comment about being from a family of addicts makes sense.
I like an ambigous ending in a movie -- if they leave with a sense of hope. I like leaving the theater and thinking about the characters, trying to write my own ending. But ... if every ending was like that, it would get tiresome.
In my last story, with multiple protagonists, I left an ambigous ending for one character. In my wip with multiple characters, an ending like that didn't fit them, so I tied up the ends.
I'll see this movie now! I love Ryan G. And I agree with Edie about leaving hope. We need it to survive...that and love.
I love to find movies and books that leave plenty for discussion. Movies like that are easier to find, though, simply because the chances that someone has seen a particular movie are greater, which makes it easier to find someone to discuss it with. What I don't like, though, is the feeling that things are ambiguous because the author/director/etc. didn't fill in the gaps, leaving huge, accidental holes. Saw a movie like that last night, and it drove us all nuts.
spy:
I felt the ending wasn't so much ambiguous as realistic. ANY addict heading into descent or recovery . . . is always a coin toss away from the other side. It is really a brilliant film, and I couldn't believe the many layers. It's definitely one of my favorites ever.
E
JVZ:
When i said he was hard-wired, that was part of it--the family dynamics. I thought his peformance was heart-breaking, poignant, courageous, all of it. The scene where he exchanges a look with her, as he peers from the bathroom in the motel . . . I honestly think my heart stopped for a minute.
But no "easy" answers. Nothing wrapped up neatly.
E
edie:
Good point. In that case, because the topic of addiction is so complex, the ambiguity fit.
E
ladonna:
He's very sexual in this movie in a few scenes--angular and wired. But it's not a typical performance. Again, highly recommend.
E
booklady:
No, this wasn't a "drive a truck through the plot-hole" flick.
:-)
E
Haven't seen that one... but it is on my list now. Read the wikipedia and imdb entries about it and it looks like a movie that I would enjoy.
I love an ending that doesn't tie it all up. I like to have to think about it. Of course I hated the ending JKR put on the end of the last HP novel. The wife loved it and I felt it ruined the whole story for me.
Ahhh, such is life. That is why choice is a good thing, because we all like it our own way :)
Hey, Erica... That scene you're talking about just crushed me. Seriously. So much so that I found out what song was playing and bought it. Check out Da Da Da Da by Broken Social Scene. It builds beautifully, and to this day, I can recall the emotional peak of the movie perfectly with that song. When he nods at her, oceans of words evaporate.
ewoh:
Wow . . . see, sometimes I WANT to know what happens to everyone.
:-)
In fact, at the end of Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven . . . I gave it a sort of epilogue.
E
Jon:
I literally . . . just never from a film felt my insides drop like that. His face . . . one of the purest moments on film I have EVER seen. I just thought of . . . what is that one? Requiem for a Dream . . . and it WAS a horror show, that flick, AND visually amazing, but the moments of horror and pain for me were CREATED by the nightmare of the plot and some of the arresting visuals. NOT by nuance on a single actor's face.
Downloading that song right now.
E
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