Memento has me hooked. Yes, the idea is cool, the main character is fairly attractive, and the plot is mysterious and action-packed. However, what caught my attention most is the suspense laid carefully into the organization of scenes, music, and contextual clues in the film. Just as we believe we know what's happening, the scene quickly changes and we are thrown into a new setting. While I supposed the abrupt scene changes are part of a play on the main characters short-term-memory loss, most of the techniques seem to be characteristics of all movies. They want to pull you in, blind you with manipulation, and then pull the rug out from under your feet.
The movie now has me thinking about all of the television shows and movies that also have me "hooked." The thing that keeps me, and I'm sure many other viewers coming back for more and more, is the suspense. The notion that I have no idea what's coming next. Even if I do have an idea and correctly predict what will happen, my heart still races and my breathing increases during the climax of the episode. We, as viewers, are constructed to expect this, and when we don't experience it, we are bored or let down. I just finished watching the season finale of The Following and was quite disappointed by the ending. It didn't reach the high level or suspense and thrill I was hoping for. Thus, I think how incredibly hard it must be to be a director. Their job revolves around manipulating actors, costumes, settings, scripts, music, lighting, filming, special effects etc. I can't imagine trying to keep up with, let alone out-do, the never ending cycle of manipulation that characterizes all movies and TV shows.
I think we are conditioned to love that thrill so much because it is a more compact and exciting version of our own lives. What I mean by this is that on a day-to-day basis, we are constantly getting thrown curveballs, like having a family member get sick, receiving or getting rejected for an internship, having somebody use you to get what they want, or making a strong connection with a new person. Basically, we are often surprised by the twists and turns of our lives. We get the same feelings as when we watch a film; our stomachs turn and our palms sweat. However, because we have a much bigger stake in our own lives, theses feelings are not as "thrilling" as when we watch films. Films bring out these familiar emotions but in ways that are more pleasing to us, because we can remove ourselves from the stories being presented and know that the story being portrayed is a fiction.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that you found the manipulation in the structure of the movie as well as the television shows we watch. It's true that I tune in weekly for certain programs, eagerly waiting to find out what happens next. The shows are structured so that the commercials come during the cliffhangers and we can't change the channel or we might miss what happens next. Each episode sets us up for the next, which is why I find myself getting caught in a Netflix binge. All the episodes are there and because I'm "hooked," I continue watching episode after episode, season after season until I know what happens next. The sad reality is the finales are never exactly what we hope they'll be, but the shows are formatted to engage us until we are so hooked we feel attached to the characters, as if their lives are important to us. It's all fiction, but we become obsessed with emotions these programs give us. I really appreciate this post because I couldn't exactly identify why I was feeling so enthralled by the film until you pointed out how it is structured to keep us wanting.
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