500 Days of Summer
I LOVE the music, fashion, and artistic aspects of this film. I do not enjoy the idea that Tom's (Joseph Gordon Levitt's character) happiness is deeply rooted in his relationship with Summer. I understand the terrifying and horrible situation of of a break-up, but I really worry about the destructive nature of Tom's character. I want to go British on his ass and tell him to "Keep Calm and Carry On."
As a girl who doubts everything that I believe in, whether that's love, religion, or what the best condiment is to slather on a hotdog, I really do not feel comfortable with the character of Summer saying that the man she met and is going to marry is the One, and that she gets the feeling of love that she was never sure of with Tom. The ending of the movie supports the idea of fate in love, and how you are meant to meet the right person, despite the setbacks of heartbreak. This is a perspective that I don't really find inspiring, but instead confining in the idea of the one right person. What if you lose that one right person to someone else (ie Tom's situation)?
Readers: What perspectives did you see in this film?
Sidenote: AWESOME complement to the film is this music/dance video:
Why Do You Let Me Stay Here--She and Him
I used to believe in "the one." I don't know if believe is really the right word though. It was more that I knew nothing other than that particular social norm, so I accepted it.
ReplyDeleteI ran across the quote below a few years ago. It really summed up how I felt after being dumped and still fits with what I have come to believe. It's from a now defunct website, chickspeak.com:
"There is no ONE. No one that exists out there in pure form, in spiritual perfection, in theoretical bliss. We make it the one every single day…in what we say to each other, in how we treat each other, in what we do together. On dog walks and in car rides, over dinners and through disagreements. So stop looking for some theoretical one out there in never-never land."
P.S. I really like your blog and think love is a really interesting question. :)
Allison--thanks for the contribution! I really like that quote as well. The day to day love is the one that I think makes more of a difference than the idea of a crazy, overwhelming love that knocks you off your feet. The same goes for religion--the day to day practice and ritual of being moral is much more rewarding to me than an intense realization or spiritual experience. Thanks for reading my blog! : )
ReplyDelete