Last night I watched the Coen brothers’ The Man Who Wasn’t There. It was one of the few films of theirs that I hadn’t seen and after watching it, it may be my favorite. I read something a while ago that said black and white photography in film is much more dramatic … that it can achieve many things that color cannot. I was turned off to that statement immediately, but soon after went through a classic film phase. Now, after watching The Man Who Wasn’t There, I’m beginning to agree.
The film really struck me … especially Billy Bob Thornton’s performance. I appreciate the Coens so much because they don’t pander to their audience. They make the movies they want to make without compromising their vision and they are better filmmakers for it. The night before I watched The Man Who Wasn’t There, I had a friend tell me that the third act completely falls apart because of a really weird plot twist. A plot twist there definitely is, but it makes the film so much better than if it had stayed within the bounds of a traditional plot.
The film is about our inability to understand life and the peace that comes when we stand back look at things as a whole, realizing that that’s just the way it is. We can’t change it, no matter how weird it is. I don’t entirely agree with all aspects of the philosophy behind the film, but it is still rife with so much truth and beauty. I was given tremendous peace by watching it. It lulled me into a much needed silence with its tranquility and made me immedietly want to watch it again.
It’s funny that the piece of music over the opening credits (the third movement from Beethoven’s 7th piano trio) sounds so much like a hymn. Even though His name gets thrown around alot, the presence of God is not too evident in the film. Still, there seemed to be something sacred about it. Perhaps it was the silence or the extremely contemplative nature of the whole affair. Maybe it was beauty of Deakins’ photography.
I may be totally wrong, but it’s a film I’ll be revisiting again very soon that just might turn into a favorite.
2 Comments
April 16, 2008 at 4:44 am
Phillip — I saw this flick again recently (for a piece I’m going to do over at Evan Derrick’s site) and I agree … it’s a great film. Somebody once said that the Coen’s films are great because they get better the more you watch them.
The Man Who Wasn’t There, I think, continues their penchant for redefining genre (this time, noir) and giving it their own stylistic and thematic twists. You’re right that the film is about the inability to understand life. When Crane dreams the night before he goes to the chair, he sees a space-ship, and his nod of recognition could mean that he acknowledges that the space-ship answer is as good as any, or that he actually believes that it is (as does Big Dave’s widow).
Another theme is common in the Coens’ films … the fact that nothing ever really changes. Crane, after all he goes through, says he regrets nothing, except that he once regretted being a barber.
April 16, 2008 at 4:53 am
Rick, I’m glad you’re writing a piece on this one. I reviewed it for MovieZeal and it will be posted soon. I tried to dig into some of the themes, but didn’t get too far as it was only a moderate length review and my in-depth analysis skills are only starting to be honed.
I agree with what you say about the theme of “nothing ever changes.” This film and No Country are very similar when you put this theme in mind; The Man Who Wasn’t There being a more positive take on the same theme.
I’ve talked to people who hated the last act of The Man Who Wasn’t There. They said they didn’t understand it. I think this is a case where the film needs to be taken very literally in order to understand. It’s really simple. It’s really beautiful, as well.