8. Love: PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (the re-watching of)

SO ya, it has been years since I last watched this.

And now, it bites so much harder because I am a more mature viewer, I guess.

I am impressed by the lack of sound (and when it does come in, it really packs a punch. Like the scene when he feels cornered at work when his intrusive sister drops by to visit with his prospective date in tow. The crazy crescendo of industrial sounds then starts drowning out the dialogue and you feel the anxiety and mental-collapse of his character very powerfully)

Also, the mundane image-scape and elements makes the whole experience out-of-sync with what we normally expect from a film. Thus the "Indie" effect is well-achieved.

But this is purely the cinematography. This film is so layered. I will be writing a bit on the philosophical content now.

Firstly, Sandler's character is fixated as the central point of psychological disorder. However, when we actually analyse the behavior patterns of the other characters, many of them are rightfully in a similar category of psychological disorder. I want to touch on his sisters as a group. As a group, they corner him, belittle him and project their perceptions upon him. They do not even seem to be aware of this. Thus he finds himself having to maneuver in such a hostile environment and his reactions remind me of what Fanon talks about. Moral of this little sub-plot is that most of us suffer from a certain kind of mental disorder in the slightest (at least) but it is the power matrix and relationships which govern which are exacerbated and highlighted.

Then I wonder, does his character experience Love? On the surface, it seems that he is not even attracted towards her at the start. His initial reaction towards Watson's character is of apprehension and withdrawal. He does not actually show any interest towards her. Then when she visits him, it seems to me that he starts to reciprocate her attempts at communication because of an attempt to overcome and brave his own state of imminent mental collapse. In fact, in the end she is the one who asks him out.

During their first date, his only clear action is one of reacting negatively towards what his sister had told Watson's character. And then when she initiates the kiss, he does put forward some initiative which denies him pure passivity. But still, I am not convinced. He seems to be just filling up a void of loneliness.