Since it seems to be so popular here in Japan, and I hadn't seen it in 20 years, I decided to watch 1999's Fight Club last night. I still enjoy it very much but here's definitely a movie that's been changed by my time and place.
I don't know any Americans who have the lifestyle Edward Norton's character is rebelling against. I know quite a few who wish they had their own nice little apartments where they could obsess over Ikea furniture. In 2022, you have to run like the Red Queen just to stay in one place. Meanwhile, in Japan, which has a much more comfortable middle class, it's easy to see why such a non-conformist film has appeal.
I think also, ironically, in the U.S. and Asia, the effeminate man-boy Norton's narrator character despises himself for being has become the ideal for many. He's attractively tormented without being threatening; he's like a teddy bear, running around in his underwear.
I couldn't help thinking of Lost Highway, which I viewed recently. Both are Jekyll and Hyde stories--truly, 1990s arthouse cinema owes a great debt to Robert Louis Stevenson. The different approaches taken by the two films represent a difference of fundamental artistic philosophy. Lynch is more of a sensualist, determined to truly immerse the viewer in this terrifying experience. Fincher's film is more of an analysis. Norton's narration, like Ray Liotta's in Goodfellas, is so amiable, it feels like you're sitting comfortably in a coffee shop, having a fascinating conversation, far away from any of the dangers being described.
I really admire how Palahniuk and Fincher use this format to show how a terrorist group might come into existence. It begins with genuine insight--Tyler Durden taps into a real sense of devalued masculinity. Showing he understands and knows how to provide cathartic outlets for repressed feelings is enough to win him the trust enjoyed by a guru. And I also like how, in fracturing the character's personality, Palahniuk creates a character too intellectual to be member of his own club. Which is probably true of most gurus.
Fight Club is available on Disney+ in Japan.
No comments:
Post a Comment