Soderbergh's "Solaris" and Guadgnino's "I Am Love"

Solaris:
- Soderbergh

     Only a fool desires poison and loves what is not real. Is it poison that one desires or is the desire poisoning? - DP

     Soderbergh's film does a wonder as it explores a very prominent theme in the idea of Love and Desire, hidden desire. Is it not man's dream to have what he desires even if it goes unspoken? And once this desire is achieved, is it really what he wants? This is what the film explores. You take a recently widowed man and put him in an environment that produces what he desires the most, reconnecting with his wife, and what do you get? Human nature. Chris, the protagonist, has failed to let go of the attachment he has for his wife, his hidden desire, and he ultimately loses his life for it, or does he?
     'Solaris' can be symbolized as "fulfilled desire," however, the desire which is fulfilled is nothing more than a replica, a copy, of what one truly wants. It does not exist; it will never exist. For unjustified desire will never find fulfillment. As Chris' replica of Rheya is revealed, it is discovered that she is nothing more than an image. Dr. Gordon, Snow, Gibarian, and even Rheya all try to inform Chris that "the thing you are seeing does not exist: only turn aside and you will lose what you love. What you see is but the shadow, image, cast by your imagination, in itself it is nothing. It comes with you, and lasts while you are there; it will go when you go, if go you can." (Narrator from Narcissus). Chris hears their words but accepts his desire. He can't let go. He does not care that "Rheya" is not real, as long as he can be with something/someone that reminds him of her. Ah, but what does he remember? Rheya's first replica was immediately sent away due to Chris' inability to accept what he sees, although, upon second arrival Chris' desires takes over and he spends his time fighting to believe that one, she is real, and two they can be together. However Rheya's second image tries to commit suicide, why? Because that is how she was remembered. Chris could not accept that he remembered is loving wife wrong. Rheya then begs to be sent back to Solaris due to her acceptance that she is not who Chris wants her to be, and although she felt his love, they could not share a life on earth nor on the space station. She disregards saying that they could not be together on Solaris. Why is this? It's as if she wanted Chris to find her in Solaris.
      As Dr. Gordon has had enough of her own pseudo desires played upon and departs for earth, it appears that Chris makes the decision to stay on the space station and becomes apart of Solaris, where he finds his chance to have his desire so called, "fulfilled." Dead or alive, he does not care. He is content with having what he believe he wants. Chris is forever lost in the pursuit of his desire.
     After analyzing the themes depicted in this film I question, how foolish can one be to hold on to something that tells him that she is not real? How willing is one to give up his own life so that what he desires can be fulfilled? What fuels our passion that we cannot let go? What sense of reality does one have as he indulges in his desire? How can one ignore truth when fiction and reality appear as one?
     

We will always long for forbidden things and desire what is denied us. 

- Froncois Rabelais

I Am Love

- Guagnino

     The more and more that we dive into the theme of Love and Desire, I'm discovering that humanity has no true morality. Being ruled by the flesh, some commit suicide, others adultery, and there's a lack of love toward family, as seen in I Am Love. This movie seems very similar to Madame Bovary. A woman is trapped in a marriage with no passion she has no social freedom except the women in her family, and she needs dreams of living a more fulfilling life. However, the only difference is that now, unlike Madame Bovary, Emma's desires seem to be fulfilled, she appears to find her desire being satisfied in Antonio. Ah another tale of a woman finding completeness in the one who takes her away from her troubles and makes love to her to make her happy. How refreshing. (Please note the sarcasm in the previous sentence. This film kind of irritated me).

     What is striking about this film is that the fuel for Emma's passion is found in her daughter, Betta. Betta leaves her own relationship to find pleasure in her new found lesbian love. Betta's lack of fear in committing her own sin encourages Emma to have the same boldness with Antonio. Emma takes no thought for actions and considers the notion that since Betta's doing it and is happy, so can I. 

     Now, it was suggested in the film that Emma and Antonio's relationship was wrong and I completely agree. Reason being, Emma neglects the respect she should have for her son as Antonio should have for his best friend. How might one feel if their best friend whom they love so much and invest so much effort in, started sleeping with their mother? Tragic I tell you. And to think that after Edo, Emma's son, finds out about this she would forget her desire and tend to her child. Surprisingly, Emma tries to justify her actions to Edo and in turn loses her son. Edo dies from not wanting to be touched by such a horrid woman, slips off a ledge, hits his hed on the concrete, and dies. Some might say that it was the blow to the head that killed Edo but I blame Emma's forbidden desire. And to take it a step further, Emma tells her husband, Tacredi, about her love affair immediately after the funeral for Edo. After realizing that she has no life back at her home, she changes her clothes, gets a reassuring glance from Betta and leaves what life she knew behind.

    I get that she might've been unhappy, I can sympathize that she wanted her desires to be fulfilled, I can even understand being attracted to Antonio, but to have no regard or caution for her actions is where I draw the line. Is there no one else she could've found fulfillment in? Did she have to let Antonio cut her hair? Did she have to give Antonio her "ukha"? (slaps forehead) If you're going to be promiscuous at least have some class about it. And for goodness sake, would it hurt to actually mourn over your son? I don't even think that Emma was genuinely concerned that her son died. She had a brief moment of melancholy and guilt but then runs back to the very thing that caused his death. Now we are not certain that Emma ran back to Antonio but it is definitely suggested in the film.

//

Oh Desire, How cunning you are, how daring, how brave. 

You have no limits on your power and no regard to death. 

No regard to life, your ambitions never rest. 

Lost in you the lovers are, due to your persuasion that your answer is not far.

Fueled by Passion you can fulfill lives or destroy them.

How wise you are to prey on the hearts of men.

Oh Desire, how destructive you are, so blasphemes. I am ashamed. 

- DP 

   

Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" - Week Two

The Death of Madame Bovary:

Poisoned by Desire, she suffered in vain.
No hope for satisfaction, her lacking remained.
Filled with dreams of twilight and a heart ever vexed,
The object of her eyes left her in doomed regret.

Blindly seeing a life unreal, reality moves on.
Like water to a dessert, where did she belong?
Complete with everything but wanting nothing,
What could this life offer that was worth her living?

Trapped by the one who glorifies lust,
only Death could remove her from what she could not become.
For one can not elude the shadow of what is not.
Close your eyes fair maiden, have you forgot?

 Madame! Madame! Blind, the beggar was not.

                                                          -DP (Daydreaming Poet)

"We will always long for forbidden things, and desire what is denied us."

     - Froncois Rabelais

Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" - Week One

     In comparison to the previous readings/viewings of love, Madame Bovary turns the attention to the precepts to love, "desire." It is often found in Literature that the desire of a woman is to live the life as she sees herself living, not necessarily as she is living. There is a need to break free from societal constraints and impose the feministic plight of freedom. The persona of Emma is characterized through the desire to be...free. To get what she wants but knows she can not have. I inquire, why can't she have it?

     Emma's upbringing can be viewed as less than desirable. She lived as society wanted her to live, the simple peasant life, staying in her place. However, she lived another life in her novels, in music, in poetry. She had long dreamed of falling in love, having material items, being free to express her inner longings and ultimately having them fulfilled. The joining together of herself and Charles is sort of a rags to riches tale, although, it is not enough to satisfy what she really wants. In the beginning, Charles was Emma's "way of escape", but to what? We find that Emma wants so much more as the plot progresses to the scene at the ball. Emma was instantly captivated by the  "good life." Overtaken by the fancy clothes, adoring men, high class food, wonderful music, Emma's desire took ignition and later taking shape and form. Charles was no longer her fix. She had to have more; she had to be satisfied. She had to have... Leon?

     I wish to end here because I am looking forward to what will be discussed in class but I must pose this question: What can man say about desire that it is nothing more than a pursuit to become who we perceive we are not and a chance to have what doesn't really exist? But what if our desire has substance? What if the object is obtainable? Can we say that it is no longer desire or an endeavor? Are we foolish to embark on the endeavor of wanting? Somewhere inside of us we must know that what we want either has potential to be obtained or it is what's needed to keep us from the insanity of what life can sometimes offer.

Fernando de Rojas's "Celestina" (Week One)

1.    Before the interpretation of the garden in Act One is assessed, one must first analyze the reasoning for Calisto's arrival to this place. The plot reveals that Calisto enters a garden in pursuit of his falcon and finds Melibea there. My first thought questioned Rojas use of a falcon. What does a falcon represent? In my research I discovered that the falcon is a symbol of liberty, freedom, and victory. It also symbolizes hope to all those who are in bondage whether: moral, emotional, or spiritual.
       With all this in mind, it's clear that before Calisto's encounter with Melibea, he was a free man, one not yet in bondage to the prison of love.
       As the plot develops, we see young Calisto adventuring into a garden. What does this garden represent? Well, it is found throughout literature that gardens are thought of as an image of the soul and innocence. They are commonly considered feminine and represent fertility. Gardens are used to create peace between people.
       In the case of Melibea's garden, it can be interpreted that the garden signifies her "self," the object of desire that traps Calisto into the prison of being "in love" with her.
       Upon first interaction, first sight, Calisto is struck with one of Cupid's treacherous arrows. Like all victims, an expression of admired beauty, faithful loyalty, and desire to suffer has been released to the beloved. However, the beloved in this work has no interest in what she describes as "illicit love." Calisto is immediately rejected, thus the pain of the embraced suffering settles in. The poison begins to spread.
       Melibea's reaction seems harsh an uncalled for but what would push her to this point?
"...The intent of your words, Calisto, has been what would be expected from the wit of a man like you, but your words will be wasted against the virtue of a woman like me. Be gone fool, for my patience cannot tolerate that illicit love I perceive in your heart should sing out its delights."
       With her response, Melibea characterizes herself as virtuous and impatient to the unlawfulness of the "love at first sight" concept. One would suggest that Melibea's eyes are open and not clouded by the desires of love. She shuts down the very process of the love cycle but ignites it by her rejection. Melibea has ignited Calisto's desire. He now wants what he cannot have. And given the role that Melibea is given throughout the work, this was not done out of trickery but out of genuine heart.
       It is necessary to keep the finer details of this scene in the front of the mind in order for other act's plots to be understood and assessed.