I should probably preface this post by saying that I had about 5 cups of
coffee earlier from a rather large mug, so on top of my already
overactive brain function, I'm left with an overactive brain function on
overdrive, which makes the fact that I am unable to sleep not
surprising in the slightest. Thus, I find myself here, in the wee hours
of a bleak sleepless morning, pondering the universe and it's many
complexities.
First of all, I will get this pleasantry out of the way right from the
start: This is not merely a film review, even though I will no doubt
discuss aspects of the film (which, coupled with my caffeine intake
account for my writing this in the first place) this is not simply a
film review.
I will say that it is not very often that I come across a film so
powerful as to propel me to devote an entire entry to it. It should be
no surprise to anyone that most of what is recycled through Hollywood
these days is just that: recycled and regurgitated shallow filth that
has either already been adapted, already been made, or already been
re-adapted with the sole purpose (it would seem) to outdo it's
predecessor in sheer absurdity. An absurdity which knows no bounds,
limits, or depths from which to sink, further drowning in the seas of
insignificance and mediocrity.
Knowing this to be fact, one would no doubt conclude that the medium of
cinema is nothing more than the over hyped, over stylized, over budgeted
beast we have allowed it to grow into, the product of our own doing (or
undoing, as it were). Even so, every once in a while a film comes along
that forces us (by sheer strength of will and content) to use our
minds...the thing we often seek to disengage when we set out on our
cinematic journey in the first place. Such films force us to come to
terms with the very things we are seeking to escape, aspects of our
lives we hope to never revisit. Such films challenge the established
realities which we have created for ourselves and force us into a level
of introspection that borders on torturous. It is precisely this forced
introspection that makes such films not only relevant, but necessary. In
the de-sensitized, overly saturated culture in which we live, such
films serve as a reminder of our humanity, and just how far we have
strayed away from it.
Silver Linings Playbook is such a film.
