Grandpère and I went to see "Up in the Air" Friday. Since I don't want to write a spoiler account of the movie, I'll only say that the principal character, Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), appeared a tragic figure to me because of the lack of emotional connections in his life and in his job. How could he spend day after day firing people for bosses who did not have the guts to do the job themselves? How could he live a life of constant travel with almost no emotional connections with other people?
Others saw the movie as a parable against the soulless capitalist systems which flourish at the expense of people. I suppose there was that, too, although the emptiness of his life without strong emotional ties was what struck me most forcefully. And the constant travel. I know folks who live out of suitcases nearly all the time. I couldn't do it.
UPDATE: Fran wrote two posts about the movie. The links are here and here.
Sounds like a "socialist" film. Modern age, decadence, and all that.
ReplyDeleteOrmonde, if a movie tries to address modern age decadence, that's a heavy load for a film to carry. I did not see the movie as that much of a heavyweight.
ReplyDeleteI asked Grandpère what he thought was the theme of the movie. He said that Bingham's lack of commitment to people or places made for an empty and pathetic life. He did not see the larger theme either.
However, I see how folks could make the leap from Bingham's life to the wider view, but we did not.
I think you are quite right about the lack of commitment and connection to others makes for a very empty life. My first two years in Vienna were spent traveling a lot (more than 80 days a year, if I remember correctly, or about 16 meetings a year). It meant working very hard at making connections while I was home. Friends from church were the stabilizing element, but it took a while for them to remember to include me in plans that might have been made while I was gone. The travel got to be very tiring and I did my best to lessen the load as time progressed,
ReplyDeleteAmelia, Bingham was home only 40 days out of the year, and he hated those days. He didn't bother to keep up with anyone on his home ground, except those with whom he was forced to spend time in the home office in the little time he spent there.
ReplyDeleteOnce I've returned from a trip, I don't even want to look at a suitcase for a while. Over the years, I have learned a bit about traveling light from one too many times of traveling heavy. The first time GP and I flew across the Atlantic, we had 6 pieces of luggage. Never again!
The discussions on your and Fran's blogs made me want to see the movie, and I went this afternoon. Very thought-provoking. More later - but I wanted to thank you and Fran for starting a conversation about the story itself and the world of the story.
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