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The movie-watching experience is an extremely personal one. Often times, we elect to watch movies that inspire us to lead better lives, fill us with joy and laughter, or even show us beautiful imagery, yet the popularity of films often described as uncomfortable to watch continues to rise. What use can an audience gain from an absurd and oftentimes confusing film experience?
American screenwriter Charlie Kaufman is best known for his films Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, and most recently, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things. The themes of Kaufman’s work include existential dread and questions of time, age, and the folds of reality. Such topics can cause fear and discomfort, leaving some members of the audience questioning why they watched the film in the first place. His films are best known for absurdity, which can be defined as illogical, inappropriate, or wildly outrageous.
The answer can be found in the thought provoking nature of Kaufman’s self conscious films — a style of story telling so particular to Charlie Kaufman that it coined the descriptor ‘Kaufmanesque‘. Self conscious themes of his movies can cause audiences to be more aware of themselves and their existence than they would normally be on a regular day to day basis. Most audience members would choose not to interrupt the ebb and flow of their regular day to day lives – this begs the question: what do we gain from watching films that push us to think outside the box?
The Psychology Of Discomfort
If unsettling movies such as Charlie Kaufman’s were truly unbearable, there would be no audience for them. Audiences are not always seeking happy endings in film – on some occasions, movie goers are looking to be disturbed. Critics rave about his most recent movie, applauding the absurdity and undeniably Kaufmanesque characteristics of the film. The majority of reviews call the movie unsettling. Rolling Stone called the movie a “blend of seismic uncertainty, vulnerability and absurdity,” but assured audiences that the movie will take them exactly where they need to be (( https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/im-thinking-of-ending-things-movie-review-charlie-kaufman-1052969/ )).
The main pull of movies similar to Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and I’m Thinking Of Ending Things is the thought-provoking nature of the film experience. In reference to the experience of watching unnerving horror films, Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, a professor of psychology at the University of Utrecht, was quoted saying “you choose entertainment because you want it to affect you.” The experience of watching Charlie Kaufman’s filmography will certainly affect audiences in one way or another.
The truth is that most people want different things from their film experience. Some people seek a romantic plot, and others seek a colorful joyride in action and superhero movies. Those who watch Charlie Kaufman’s movies seek something different, because most of his movies do not fit the bill of romantic comedy or thrilling joyride. From personal experience, it doesn’t seem like anyone would watch his movies unless they wanted to be thoroughly confused, but sometimes people want to watch thought-provoking films. They allow for a different kind of escape from reality – one that can be dwelled on for days after the viewing experience. Kaufman’s films achieve this goal, and they achieve it efficiently.
Making Kaufman’s Movies Kaufmanesque
Most notable among Charlie Kaufman’s skills is his ability to bend films into a dreamlike and often absurd viewing experience. His movies are so strange that critics created a word to describe them: Kaufmanesque. But what makes his movies so peculiar that they merit the creation of a new word?
Kaufman writes in such a way that allows audiences to see regular problems in an extraordinary way. He uses tools such as repetitive and often disorienting conversations between characters in the film to confuse viewers, which provokes audiences to think deeply about what they are watching. They leave audiences with a lot of feelings to unpack, and in many ways, they leave audiences thankful they watched the movie — but also thankful they will never have to watch it again. Kaufman has also been praised for his ability to push the bounds of meta – a film tool which refers to itself or its genre within itself.
While it is a universal fact that Kaufman’s films are absurd, unique, and oftentimes downright strange, the question still remains: what really makes these movies so individual? The truth is, Kaufman’s style cannot be described by any one word or genre — which in many ways explains why Kaufmanesque was coined to explain his style. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind can be defined as a sci-fi love story which circumnavigates the different turns and downfalls of a romantic relationship, while I’m Thinking Of Ending Things is categorized as a psychological drama which focuses mainly on themes of aging and time-bending. Kaufman’s films are so complex and diverse in the subject that they exist in a continuously growing and changing genre. It is difficult to define his movies with a single word or category, which how the term “Kaufmanesque” was born.
Movies As Personal Experiences
As previously mentioned, movie-goers choose a movie based on personal preference. Human nature and psychology tells us that humans enjoy the experience of watching fictionalized depictions of horror and thrillers because it removes the reality from the equation. Audiences are able to handle bad things happening in a fictionalized setting more-so than they would in reality. Unsettling and thought provoking film experiences provide an outlet for those who want to experience discomfort — just not in reality.
Aside from wanting to experience discomfort, perhaps audiences watch unsettling movies to distance themselves from personal grievances. In other words, people want to see bad things happen in movies that are worse than the bad things happening in their lives. Everyone has their problems, but watching an uncomfortable movie like Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind can remind an audience to put their problems into perspective. Which, in many ways, is the whole point of a film.
Media consumption is a personal experience. Film experiences in particular can be so intense that they are utilized often for a phenomenon called film therapy. When considering the features of a movie, such characteristics as the density, intensity, and overall emotions of a film are considered. If a person needs an insightful or thought provoking film, they may turn to one of Charlie Kaufman’s self-conscious films.
An Introspective Narrative
All of the experiences had by main characters in Charlie Kaufman’s films are introspective and on a path to self realization. In Being John Malkovich, one of Kaufman’s most well-known films, the audiences first hear John Malkovich himself remarking upon his own sincerity and originality. The movie takes off running straight into self reflection, and does not lighten up as the movie goes on. Similarly, Eternal Sunshine Of A Spotless Mind follows Joel, played by Jim Carrey, as he navigates a break up so bad that he seeks out the memory erasing services of a sketchy company.
The sheer absurdity of these narratives carries through to I’m Thinking Of Ending Things as we watch Lucy, played by Jessie Buckley, drive in a terrible snow storm with her boyfriend of six weeks while she considers ending the relationship already. Charlie Kaufman’s films all carry the same forced self-reflection and awareness. Kaufman’s screenplays ask the bigger questions like why we are here, where we are going, and if we can even do anything about it.
While the films beg introspective questions, they do nothing to answer them — and in not answering the questions, they provide exactly what audiences need. In many ways, the questions begged by Kaufman’s filmography are answered by Kaufman intentionally not answering them.
All of the characters in Kaufman’s films are seeking answers about the bigger things in life, yet most of them go without finding the answers they need. In not answering these questions, Kaufman seems to intentionally answer all questions at once by sending the message that there will never be an answer, and we should all navigate life in the present rather than focus on searching for unobtainable answers.
The bleak phenomenon of these provoking experiences mirrors that of post modern self-awareness. These movies put audiences in a peculiar position. Audience members may feel forced to engage in introspective thoughts, which often times are subjects that most people choose to ignore.
Taking From Charlie Kaufman
Charlie Kaufman’s screenplays confront the parts of life which most audiences choose to stray away from. His movies invoke feelings of desperation, loss, confusion, and self reflection, as well as a variety of other dense and difficult feelings. Kaufman’s films are a unique and heavy experience, but these movies are still very popular.
Some people may say they enjoy feeling uncomfortable. Diving further into these feelings, psychologists can predict that perhaps we as humans desire thrilling experiences, but prefer to experience them from the safety of our couches. Other audience members might enjoy the thought-provoking nature of his films. There isn’t only one answer to why we watch Kaufman’s filmography, but rather countless reasons; every audience member will take something different, and it is the uniquely personal viewing experience that makes Charlie Kaufman so wonderfully Kaufmanesque.