1. Ray's personality confuses me. Is he truly optimistic inside and out?
2. What kind of father takes his son to Betsy's to lose his virginity? Does he honestly believe in his choice?
3. Has Ray totally given up with Edward?
4. Is the fact that Charlene is sleeping with Ray's brother the only thing she has to hide? I feel like she still acts really uncomfortable and not simply from the guilt of cheating.
5. What's Nora's story? Is she single? Does she like Ray? Why does she stick around Trona?
6. What's in Ray's tin can?
This film reminds me of the book Holes where the town used to be a colorful, happening place to live, but because of environmental matters is not anymore. Trona is like the town in Holes because it is now a nuclear waste site that has not seen rain for days on end. This film also reminds me of a Wes Anderson film because of the way it is shot and written. There's a lot of awkward conversation, moments of silence, and simplicity in the way the people are portrayed. Instead of filming the best of times in the character's lives, the writer and director of this movie made it a point to draw on the mundane moments as well because those can be equally as important. On that note, I thought about Roebke's idea of things not existing until we observe them. This could make sense in this movie. For example, one may not recognize or question why Ray keeps going back to that tin can until the moment in the movie where they reveal what it is. The tin can does not exist until it is recognized by the viewer.
I think Wendell Berry would like the society portrayed in this movie even though they appear to be rather impoverished. They do not waste much because they cannot afford much. In this way, it makes me second guess Berry's idea. Sure, it is possible to be economically comfortable and ecologically friendly as well, but in most cases, it's the simpler folks who cannot afford much that are not doing much to abuse our environment. The individuals in Trona may not be able to afford lots of electronics, stress education, or maintain more commercial stores, but what they're saving in the environment, they're replacing in the behavior of the people. The adults bum and booze around in their front yards, the teens make drug deals and apparently pride themselves in going to brothels, and the younger kids ride dirt bikes on deserted football fields. This doesn't appear a great trade-off to me. It would be nice to find a happy medium between treating the environment well and raising valuable citizens, but what else is new?
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I have the same question, what is in Rays tin? It seems to be some sort of comfort? He looks at and it obviously has a personal value to him, one that not even the audience is really allowed to observe.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your connection to the movie Holes, anyone who has seen the movie would agree. Also, you offered a new perspective for me by talking about Wendell Berry. At first I did not see the connection between the two works, but after reading your blog post I found it very interesting. Good job!
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