Throughout
the film My
Own Private Idaho,
there are several scenes which I would consider to be fresh and new.
In particular, one scene, or rather a recurring scene, sticks out as
one of the freshest. The main character, Mike, (played by River
Phoenix) suffers from narcolepsy. Periodically during the movie,
generally after a stressful or difficult incident, he passes out.
When this happens, the next scenes are of a dream world depicting
Mike and his mother. It is these dream-like scenes that I feel create
new and fresh images. For one thing, these scenes incorporate an
interesting technique, whereby they appear to be “home movies”.
The scenes appear less staged and more spontaneous than the rest of
the film, the camera shakes, and the coloring is different. The
coloring is darker, giving off an eerie twilight feel. This technique
separates these scenes from the rest of the film, helping them stand
out. What's interesting, is that these flashbacks sometimes occur
while Mike is awake, as when Mike's father is telling the “truth”
about Mike's mother. In addition, building on the “home movie”
effect, these snippets of Mike's memory have no sound or dialogue.
Occasionally, there will be a voice-over, but it is someone talking
in the present, no one in the dream-like scene is saying anything.
Nobody
besides Mike knows about these flashbacks, they are his private
memories, or in other words, his “private idaho”. They are a
place he can escape to when the going gets tough. While other people,
his own father included, talk negatively about Mike's mother, his own
dreams are always positive. They are the product of his own mind and
conform to his feelings and memories. His life as a gay hustler seems
to be an unpleasant one. I got the feeling that he wants more out of
life, that hustling is just a means to get by until something better
comes along. Despite his dismal reality, he knows he can always
escape to his “private idaho” where life is pleasant, no one
gives him a hard time, and he doesn't have to hustle to survive.
His memories are his private Idaho..... excellent!
ReplyDelete