Thoughts on Awakenings

The first thing that came to my mind after watching the movie; Robert De Niro is so freaking good! I do not know how a post-encephalitis survivor behaves, but the way that he portrays it looks authentic enough. From the dead-eyed, catatonic states, to the jerky, convulsion periods of Leonard Lowe.

I find it most intriguing that the man who was most uncomfortable around human beings, was also the one who first saw the human inside all these dead-like patients.

From the beginning of the movie, if we were to view Dr. Sayer's way of coping through Horney's neurotic trends, we could suggest that he is detached from others, or moving away. He honestly wanted a job that doesn't involved interaction with live people, as could be seen in his application for only a research position, and his study with earthworms. But, perhaps due to financial issues, he decided to accept the job offer. Nonetheless, it could be seen that he was not comfortable at all when approaching people, patient and colleagues alike. In one instance, when a patient suddenly turned around and started yelling at him, he began to back up as quickly as a snail retreating into its shell for protection. He went all the way to his office, opened up the window, and sat by the windowsill for a time, away from others. Dr. Sayer's moving away can also be seen when Eleanor ask him out for a cup of coffee, and he awkwardly turns her down. However, as the movie progresses, I could see some gradual changes in him. It begins with him interacting with the catatonic patients, to slowly conversing with his colleagues and superiors, and becoming comfortable and relaxed. By the end of the movie, he consciously makes an effort of moving towards others, or being compliant, as described by Horney. This can be seen near the end of the film where Dr. Sayer voluntarily asked Eleanor out for a cup of coffee, albeit in a shy and messy way.

The relationship between Dr. Sayer and Nurse Eleanor might be described as affection, or liking, based on Sternberg's triarchic theory of love. This liking would fall under the intimacy component only, without passion or commitment. Throughout the movie, they seem to be more akin to being friends than just a doctor-nurse relationship. The both of them certainly do seem to share certain values, such as a quiet, gentle caring for others. Although Dr. Sayer technically outranks her, Eleanor's respect for him was not merely confined to his superior position, but also to him as a simple person. In turn, Dr. Sayer also seems to trust Eleanor, listening to her supportive advices.

The message of hope in Awakenings speaks most strongly to me. Hope inside the "dead" people. Hope in attempting something new. Hope in pushing on. Hope to continue hoping, where all else seems to be lost. At times in life, at the lowest points of our lives, hope seems like a distant memory, lost somewhere deep in the abyss. But if we can hold onto it, despite how hard it may be, it will see us through the hurdle, as well as to the beyond.

Thought's on Cinema Paradiso

I watched Cinema Paradiso a few years back, but I was too young to understood the symbolism and significance of many things.

Being an old-fashioned movie, it took its time in unfolding the story. Compared to movies in the 21st century, it may be considered as slow and boring at times. On the other hand, during certain parts, the story takes a turn and things get more interesting. It starts with Salvatore, AKA Toto, as a small kid, to being a young man, and all the way to a career man. I felt that the movie was portraying about the journey of life itself, with all of its beginnings and ends, its ups and downs.

In particular, I noticed the love story between Toto and Elena and their romantic beginnings. Toto was immediately smitten by Elena, as though a heavy lighting bolt of love struck his heart. She was a beautiful slender girl, with curly hair, fair skin, piercing blue eyes and a symmetrical face, suggesting youth and fertility. The physical attractiveness stereotype would explain why Toto was attracted to her, perhaps even perceiving her as a goddess that had descend onto earth. Shy and awkward initially, he eventually became bold and confessed his love to her. However, she turned him down firmly. Even so, he was not fazed and continued to pursue her. Here, it was interesting to see how Elena, who started from only seeing Toto as a friend, began to fall for him too. Perhaps this is due to reciprocal liking, whereby we like people who like us.

Soon, the pair fell deeply in love. Nonetheless, due to their family circumstances, they were separated, with Elena being forced to move away with her family. Just before she left, both of them tried to reach out to each other, to establish a means of contact. Alas, that was not the case. They missed each other due to a series of unfortunate events. They fell out of touch and never saw each other again for many, many years. Even so, they never moved past this part of their lives, especially on an emotional level.

Personally, the separation between Toto and Elena, due to circumstances outside their control, resonated within me. It wasn't that they did not put in the effort to find each other. They simply couldn't. Because life pulled them apart cruelly. That is how I feel in my life too. There are too many things out of my control. No matter how hard I try to stay in contact with my friends, sometimes we just drift apart anyways. It could be because of distance, disagreements, or just mutual silence. It hurts. But as Cinema Paradiso portrays, it's part of life. We just gotta accept that and continue moving forward in life.