Palindromes: Unique yet Universal
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number or other sequence of units (such as a strand of DNA) that has the property of reading the same in either direction, where the adjustment of punctuation and spaces between words is generally permitted. The term "palindrome" originates from Greek words that mean "back" (palin) and "way, direction" (dromos).
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Anyhow, the initial propose of this post is to blab about this amazing indie film called "Palindromes" (2004) by writer/director Todd Solontz ~ Welcome to the Doll House (1995), Happiness (1998), Storytelling (2001). Accordingly, here I am chattering away...Countless thanks to my dear gorgeous friend, who invited me over to behold this hypnotic off-the-beaten-path film at her beauteous grand palace...
So the idea of using the word palindrome in the film is to show how people always end up the way they started, either from front to back or vice versa, and whether you’re fifteen of fifty, you’ll always be the same. The movie is about a fable of innocence: malleable thirteen-year-old girl Aviva (a palindromic name) who finds herself lost in another world – similar but less sensible – during her rebellious teenage chapter of her life. ""Like so many trips, this one is round-trip, and it's hard to say in the end if she can ever be quite the same again, or if she can ever be anything but the same again."
What fascinating about the way this film was made is the director Solontz brings into play eight different characters to portray Aviva. They all differ in age, race, hair colour, body shape, and even gender - just about every outward characteristic possible. And the way the film is presented strikes to quest us whether or not we would feel some sorta discomfort comparing between, say, when watching Aviva being an oversized black little lady and when she is an underweight white girl. Sometimes us viewers see her as she sees herself, as if we are reading her diary (with her as a narrator) and sometimes we see her as others see her. Solontz pulls this off intriguingly well with an ostensible idea of ""a condition of stasis and/or immutability; that part of one's personality or character that resists change, stays the same." ...I strongly recommend this intense smack-right-into-my-heart film and wish it touches many more souls than it has already done so.
The most catching lines come near to the closing of the film. It goes somewhat like this;
"People always end up the way they started out. No one ever changes. They think they do but they don't. If you're the depressed type now that's the way you'll always be. If you're the mindless happy type now, that's the way you'll be when you grow up. You might lose some weight, your face may clear up, get a body tan, breast enlargement, a sex change, it makes no difference - essentially, from in front, from behind. Whether you're 13 or 50, you will always be the same. Ultimately, we're all just robots programmed arbitrarily by nature's genetic code. We hope or despair because of the way we've been programmed. Genes and randomness, that's all there is and none of it matters."
Q: "Isn't there any hope? What if you're wrong? What if there is a God?"
A: "If that makes you feel better."
p.s. the soundtrack is also magnificent- poignant yet beautiful: music by Nathan Larson and vocal by Nina Persson (apparently).
posted by Casa Libra~* at 00:38
19 Comments:
That's pretty fatalistic. No free will or rational choice? So you're saying you'll always be a retardled dorkface no matter what. we can just give up on you.
In terms of film-making, lines used in a film are generally exaggerated to shout out points the director would like to make.
In this case, the film just presents an idea; viewers are those who have to make up their own minds how to judge it. Those lines didn’t portray any conclusions about how one’s life should be; they are just plainly dark humours that come in a form of bleak lines screaming “we always come back to being who we are.” Does life have to be a palindrome? Or is there a way to change that, once and for all?
A person isn’t meant to be ‘literally’ fated to not being able to adapt, instead it says that it takes a lot for people to change or to overcome natural hubris and unchanging habits. If we are each individually a product of our genes, our environment and our inner will (or ‘soul’ for religious people), then real changes have to be not just more than skin deep but profound enough to overcome external influences and predispositions.
Another point to make, while scientific rationalism is weighed against religious fundamentalism, both are found yet utterly wanting. I’d say there is more soul searching in this film than misanthropy.
Oh and only real dorkface retards misspell "retarded" ;p
Yes. That's why films are all retardled. They exaggerate and simplify crap for weirdo thais.
And only a real dorkface would confuse retardled with retarded. They're two different concepts, like hubris and misanthropy are two words only used by pompous brit wannabes.
Life can be either exaggerated and oversimplified occasionally - that's why visual thought experiments like films are meant to provoke cogitation from viewers' common interests and curiousity, depending on how their ideas are stimulated.
Oi, I'm not pretentious. They're awesome words. And yeah right, different concepts ey? Just accept you misspelt the bludy word ;p
It's true. All films are retards. They don't say anything about anyone anywhere. Cause a medium for discussing life is bullshit. Especially blogs, lugano. they're so limiting. so why are you oversimplifying/exaggerating life on an freaking blog? that's dumb.
like you misspelled bludy misspelt?
Actually I didn't. My sister used to say Retardled when she was little and since then we've always used it as a way to say something is retarded but small. And you're pretty small.
hehe many thanx Kim for popping by and help defending my stance, muaaah.
Exactly, blogs, too, are a kind of thought experiments with the intention to elicit an intuitive response about what posted. So there, Lugano is acting like a retardled film too ;P
I didn't misspell misspelt, since misspelled can also be spelled misspelt.
ske?dad?dle ( P ) Pronunciation Key (sk-ddl)
intr.v. Informal ske?dad?dled, ske?dad?dling, ske?dad?dles
To leave hastily; flee.
ah, the fluidity of language and identity...
you are so cool!!! are you asian?
Kim? You commented before me and I didn't even see it. You stalk me from the bathroom to the blogs. You're crazy.
And I don't simplify crap on my blogs. I just invent stuff to sound cooler. that's what blogs are for. You should set up your own.
The concept is kind of weird. Life is not the central ball in a pendulum. People change, your "soul" can't stay naive like when you were 5 years old forever. Unless you are put in a box. but even that your brain process many things all the time. I mean we have to give our thought and life a chance for improvement.
But i didn't see the movie so i have no idea how stupid I sound right now. but i'm sure all movie directors have their own point of view they want to express..and they do express it..just like any fictional book. Unless it's a documentary, but then again bunch of documentaries are so biased.
poor lugano, you got sacked in every friends' blog, i'll hold my peace here too
RE: t (you forgot ‘na’ in front of your ‘t’ :)
Of course, there are some changes and improvements as we progress in life and our brain can never be stuck at a certain age. But the film doesn’t imply that we don’t change at all, instead it points out the fact that we all will always have some unalterable habits and pride fused into our soul. This also doesn’t mean that there is no hope to change for the better; just it takes a whole lot to do so.
And yeah films though they are one of the means to reflect reality, they’re super partial.
Btw, Lugano, Kim just created a blog (I have the link up on my homepage) just to be able to comment on your blog, you'd better include her under your friends' list!!
Hey craphead. I made that soon to be famous beans and cheese thing again, and I think what we were doing wrong was we let the cheese melt too long. Didn't Innael melt it, and it was gooey, but you could still see where the cheese was and where the beans were no? I think. Anyway, next time I'll try to melt it less.
ah yeah sure. actually i think you're right, we could still see the white bits (cheese) amongst the beans in innael's pot but not yours last time.
ah and i'll keep on practicing giving you compliments with a sincere facial expression and saying how ridiculously awesome you are at cooking it. promise next time i'll make it look as if you're the greatest 'beans & cheese' cook ever.
hey pang, are you asian?
Hey pang, did you comment on LJ? Please don't sign those -P. Thank you.
Hey anony. Kim and I are asian. Pang is more Visigoth.
boo! yeah it's me... what's wrong with -P? you're using -R and ji has her -G and danny can use -D while nat is -N.
anyhow, am an ostrogoth, not visigoth sorry.
I don't use -R, I use -O. And -P is my dad. So you can be -NPMSPNYTRNG
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