Hidden In Plain View
I just finished watching Michael Haneke's Cache a little while ago and wanted to post something about it really quick. Before I get going, it's very good and I recommend it to anyone looking for something a little challenging. That aside...
If you haven't seen this movie and are at all interested, I'd advise you to not go further without checking it out first. I'm going to try not to reveal anything important about the movie, but what seems unimportant to me isn't always to everyone else, so just in case...SPOILER WARNING!!!
Now, one reason that I think this movie resonated with me so much is because it reminded me of my screenplay in the way it handles secrets and mystery. There are many secrets and mysteries in this film, but the one at the center of it all is the matter of the videotapes. Cache begins, like David Lynch's Lost Highway (also, notice that the main character's last name was Laurent...Coincidence???), with a couple being terrorized by an unknown individual or individuals who sends them videotapes of their house. Over time the content on the tapes becomes more alarming and the threat escalates. Likewise, in my script there is a mystery/secret at the center of the story that propels it forward through the second act.
So, why is this significant? The thing is, anyone half-awake while watching this thing unfold will realize that they aren't dealing with a traditional narrative or film structure and they won't likely be handed a very concrete and unambiguous resolution to satisfy their curiosity. So, I'm watching and I know that very likely all my questions won't be answered, but damnit...It's all too interesting to put out of mind that easily! This is a big problem with a story like this, or like the one I try to tell in my screenplay. As a viewer, some part of you, no matter how much you're interested in the ideas the film is trying to impart to you, wishes that the film would just abandon all the heady subtext and worry about the secret exclusively, because the secret is just that fascinating. It's quite agonizing at moments.
Here's the lesson you have to understand to enjoy this movie, or my screenplay: There's a difference between what happens in a story and what a story is about, and sometimes they may be totally unrelated on the surface.
Every once in a while you find a movie that's about things that you never see on-screen and that no one ever mentions aloud. Cache is about guilt, trust and the things that are kept hidden. It's not about the tapes. The tapes are there because they create a situation that reveals character and a truth that is far more profound than just a question of "whodunit???" This film cannot be approached in the same way as your typical Hollywood thriller.
The other thing is that, as a writer, it makes no sense to box yourself in to one simple answer. Once you've built up an insane sense of suspense and mystery, there's hardly ever any solution you could give that would live up to the hype. As soon as you say aloud the secret, something that is very big suddenly becomes small. This creates a paradoxical problem. These huge secrets are the things that create the most interest in your story, but they also threaten to overwhelm the subtext that ultimately will make the film work. If you let it, the secret will swallow the story whole.
So, I understand the course this film takes. It's one quite like I've tried using in my own writing. Viewed on its own terms, the film more than stands on its own merits. It is deep, insightful and true and I heartily endorse it.
...But I still wanna know what the hell was going on!!! AAAAARGH!!! :)
If you haven't seen this movie and are at all interested, I'd advise you to not go further without checking it out first. I'm going to try not to reveal anything important about the movie, but what seems unimportant to me isn't always to everyone else, so just in case...SPOILER WARNING!!!
Now, one reason that I think this movie resonated with me so much is because it reminded me of my screenplay in the way it handles secrets and mystery. There are many secrets and mysteries in this film, but the one at the center of it all is the matter of the videotapes. Cache begins, like David Lynch's Lost Highway (also, notice that the main character's last name was Laurent...Coincidence???), with a couple being terrorized by an unknown individual or individuals who sends them videotapes of their house. Over time the content on the tapes becomes more alarming and the threat escalates. Likewise, in my script there is a mystery/secret at the center of the story that propels it forward through the second act.
So, why is this significant? The thing is, anyone half-awake while watching this thing unfold will realize that they aren't dealing with a traditional narrative or film structure and they won't likely be handed a very concrete and unambiguous resolution to satisfy their curiosity. So, I'm watching and I know that very likely all my questions won't be answered, but damnit...It's all too interesting to put out of mind that easily! This is a big problem with a story like this, or like the one I try to tell in my screenplay. As a viewer, some part of you, no matter how much you're interested in the ideas the film is trying to impart to you, wishes that the film would just abandon all the heady subtext and worry about the secret exclusively, because the secret is just that fascinating. It's quite agonizing at moments.
Here's the lesson you have to understand to enjoy this movie, or my screenplay: There's a difference between what happens in a story and what a story is about, and sometimes they may be totally unrelated on the surface.
Every once in a while you find a movie that's about things that you never see on-screen and that no one ever mentions aloud. Cache is about guilt, trust and the things that are kept hidden. It's not about the tapes. The tapes are there because they create a situation that reveals character and a truth that is far more profound than just a question of "whodunit???" This film cannot be approached in the same way as your typical Hollywood thriller.
The other thing is that, as a writer, it makes no sense to box yourself in to one simple answer. Once you've built up an insane sense of suspense and mystery, there's hardly ever any solution you could give that would live up to the hype. As soon as you say aloud the secret, something that is very big suddenly becomes small. This creates a paradoxical problem. These huge secrets are the things that create the most interest in your story, but they also threaten to overwhelm the subtext that ultimately will make the film work. If you let it, the secret will swallow the story whole.
So, I understand the course this film takes. It's one quite like I've tried using in my own writing. Viewed on its own terms, the film more than stands on its own merits. It is deep, insightful and true and I heartily endorse it.
...But I still wanna know what the hell was going on!!! AAAAARGH!!! :)
