"Ghostlier demarcations, keener sounds"

Rasika. Politics. Literature. Advocacy. Humanity.

playthefivetones: 30-Day Movie Challenge, Day 11- My Favorite Writer Charlie Kaufman I enjoy fantasy, and I enjoy high concept comedy executed in an intelligent way. Charlie Kaufman is a writer known for crafting very cerebral high-concept fantasy stories that also speak to a complicated matter of the human condition. Naturally, this is what draws me to him. Kaufman is probably most well-known for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, so I will dwell on that film for a moment. It deals with a unique concept many of us would find tempting if it were offered in the real world. What if we could erase all memories of our ex-lovers? Kaufman approaches this question in his signature style. The story is eccentric, melancholy, somewhat manic, but all in an intelligent way, as though looking at the world through a tragically humanist lens. Instead of being just a film about a guy forgetting his ex, it becomes a film about how we never really stop loving someone, and how much we truly treasure our time with them. In the moment, we think we want to forget them, but what we don’t realize is that there are still precious moments that could never be replicated anywhere else. It’s a film with a cynical bent, but it’s largely humanistic. How does Kaufman approach this story? He starts from what seems to be the beginning and surprises us towards the end, while still creating a tragic outcome for our central characters. I’ll leave it at that for those that haven’t seen it. The script for Eternal Sunshine embodies everything I love about Kaufman. He takes very unique concepts and presents them in an odd, almost goofy way, maintain a style and voice that is very individual to his work, and still communicate questions and themes pertinent to the human struggle. Take Being John Malkovich. We’ve all wondered what it’d be like to be someone else. The way Kaufman approaches that desire is by creating a portal for his characters to enter the mind of actor John Malkovich. Once they discover it, they discover things about themselves that they never knew were there. Thoughts, desires, hates, loves…According to Kaufman, actually taking up the chance to be someone else can ruin us if we hate ourselves, improve us if we strive to better, or give us an insight into the several facets of our personality. I could spend this entire entry picking apart Charlie Kaufman’s screenplays, but I only have so much time. Needless to say, he is a unique writer that always offers an interesting take on whatever subject he tackles, and manages to find a humanistic approach even when he understands that the world his stories take place in is as sad as ours. Kaufman is odd, unique, and insightful, and it’d be hard to find something in his oeuvre that doesn’t offer a welcome soul-searching challenge. 

playthefivetones:

30-Day Movie Challenge, Day 11- My Favorite Writer

Charlie Kaufman


I enjoy fantasy, and I enjoy high concept comedy executed in an intelligent way. Charlie Kaufman is a writer known for crafting very cerebral high-concept fantasy stories that also speak to a complicated matter of the human condition. Naturally, this is what draws me to him.

Kaufman is probably most well-known for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, so I will dwell on that film for a moment. It deals with a unique concept many of us would find tempting if it were offered in the real world. What if we could erase all memories of our ex-lovers? Kaufman approaches this question in his signature style. The story is eccentric, melancholy, somewhat manic, but all in an intelligent way, as though looking at the world through a tragically humanist lens. Instead of being just a film about a guy forgetting his ex, it becomes a film about how we never really stop loving someone, and how much we truly treasure our time with them. In the moment, we think we want to forget them, but what we don’t realize is that there are still precious moments that could never be replicated anywhere else. It’s a film with a cynical bent, but it’s largely humanistic.

How does Kaufman approach this story? He starts from what seems to be the beginning and surprises us towards the end, while still creating a tragic outcome for our central characters. I’ll leave it at that for those that haven’t seen it.

The script for Eternal Sunshine embodies everything I love about Kaufman. He takes very unique concepts and presents them in an odd, almost goofy way, maintain a style and voice that is very individual to his work, and still communicate questions and themes pertinent to the human struggle.

Take Being John Malkovich. We’ve all wondered what it’d be like to be someone else. The way Kaufman approaches that desire is by creating a portal for his characters to enter the mind of actor John Malkovich. Once they discover it, they discover things about themselves that they never knew were there. Thoughts, desires, hates, loves…According to Kaufman, actually taking up the chance to be someone else can ruin us if we hate ourselves, improve us if we strive to better, or give us an insight into the several facets of our personality.

I could spend this entire entry picking apart Charlie Kaufman’s screenplays, but I only have so much time. Needless to say, he is a unique writer that always offers an interesting take on whatever subject he tackles, and manages to find a humanistic approach even when he understands that the world his stories take place in is as sad as ours. Kaufman is odd, unique, and insightful, and it’d be hard to find something in his oeuvre that doesn’t offer a welcome soul-searching challenge. 

3 months ago

  1. thebardofavon reblogged this from playthefivetones
  2. playthefivetones posted this

1 ⁄ 1

- Inkhorn theme powered by Tumblr -