The American independent road movies of the 1980s witnessed a
paradigm shift when compared to similar films made in the late 1960s & 70s.
The rebels who broke away from the cultural inhibitions were now perceived as
eccentric persons, waiting to reintegrate themselves back into the family unit. Gone
are the days of puzzling men hitting the road with their iconoclastic bikes, in
search of the so-called freedom in a conformist society. Nevertheless, the
interesting element in the 80s American road movies is the balanced portrayal
of women (contrary to earlier era road movies that solely focused on men).
Nastassja Kinski in Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas (1984), Julie Hagerty in Albert
Brooks’ Lost In America (1985) were much more complex female characters. They
didn’t fit into boorish category of ‘wild’ or ‘tamed’ women. Jonathan Demme’s unpredictable screwball comedy -- written by Max Frye -- Something Wild (1986)
furthered this complex depiction of women in road films. The film’s Audrey
‘Lulu’ Hankel (mesmerizingly performed by Melanie Griffith) engages in
subversive behavior in a society where the cultural status quo has been reinstated.
Rebels are now comprehended as looneys; the hippies are replaced with yuppies
(young urban professional). The dream to be a rebel stays alive in the movie’s
characters. When the wheels are set in motion and this particular dream is
achieved, there’s only threatening consequences and no sense of gratification.
Jonathan Demme’s
overlooked gem is a fascinating tale of self-reinvention. It starts off as a quirky
road-trip rom-com and gradually wades into nightmarish territory, reminiscent
of Scorsese’ After Hours (1985) and Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986). The protagonist
is a young business executive Charles Driggs (Jeff Daniels), who has buried his
rebellious streak within. Soon, he is going to be the corporate company’s VP. A
trickle of rebellious attitude escapes now and then, provoking Charles to skip
out on the check at a restaurant. As Charles silently sneaks out of the
restaurant without paying, he is confronted by a woman on the street. The woman
calls herself Lulu whose bob haircut, eye-catching exotic jewellery perfectly contrasts Charles’ conservative grey suit. Lulu’s appearance was modeled
after the appearance of silent-era actress Louise Brooks – best known for her
iconic role in Pabst’ Diary of a Lost Girl (1929). When we first see Lulu she
is reading a book on Frida Kahlo, an enigmatic and extraordinary artist. What connects the fiercely independent, sexually charged woman and the buttoned-up executive is
the urge to revel in debauchery. Lulu was just looking for a naïve man to
kidnap and take him on a rampant road trip.
Lulu’s intentions for the journey aren’t explained much and
its intriguing how Charles easily gives into her impulsion. He shows her the
picture of his happy family (wife, son and daughter) in the wallet and moreover
confides that there’s important work to be finished in the afternoon, before
the upcoming weekend. Yet, when Lulu stops at a motel after ripping off at a
liquor store, intoxicated Charles follows her to bed. Speaking in hushed tones,
Lulu literally gets on top of Charles, ramping up the wildness. Charles finds
more pleasure in this adventure. He is also careful to not get caught and
there’s a simple reason for the yuppie to break away from the traditional life.
But what’s the story behind Lulu, the hedonist? We get the details of her
story, but we don’t figure out what’s in it for Lulu to take this trip. The
trip runs from Manhattan to Pennsylvania, where Lulu sheds off her black wig
& jewelries (to reveal golden blonde hair), discloses her real name
(Audrey Hankel), and transforms into a small-town girl in order to visit her old-fashioned mother. By the time, the darkly fierce Ray
Sinclair (Ray Liotta) joins Lulu, everything turns into a nightmare. The
intensified Capra-esque style wildly shifts to the territory of Coen Brothers or Lynch.
Furthermore, we aren’t sure about who is playing who.
Something Wild would certainly divide viewers (especially it’s
erratic tonal shifts). The script written by then-recent NYU graduate Max Frye
blurs genre boundaries as it traverses down the same ‘road’ in both directions.
Frye’s intricate writing includes ironical road signs, puzzling locales, and
genial multicultural individuals whose presence transcends the visual dryness
of typical road-movie rom-com. Demme and Frye perfectly worked together to
create the sense of place through its people. There’s ample space provided to
document the thriving life around Charles & Lulu’s journey. Case in point,
the film’s opening scene, which doesn’t establish the characters, but only the
atmospherics. Even though the environment doesn’t have a huge hold over the
narrative dynamics, there’s something fascinating about it. Acclaimed
cinematographer Tak Fujimoto amplifies the stylistics while capturing the
ever-changing dynamics of the American cityscapes. But, for the most part the
cinematography isn’t intrusive as it allows the actors to do all the
heavy-lifting.
The writing or direction doesn’t entirely reinvent romantic
formulas, but we don’t often see rom-com’s diffused with juicy subtext of class
antagonism – between Charlie and Ray. Resting beneath the layers of antagonism
is their vulnerabilities which is revealed in the third act. However, Lulu isn’t
just depicted as an object in the middle of this antagonism, waiting to be
claimed by the winning side. She is too proud and independent to fall for
simple romantic notions. I particularly liked how the journey doesn’t lead to
any big changes. The character doesn’t entirely break away from their
respective pasts. Yet, the possibility for the self to evolve and further redeem oneself is
kept alive. “What are you gonna do now you've seen how the other half lives?
The other half of you” asks Audrey to Charles. Dreams are limitless, laced with
our fantasies. When dream comes true there’s clear picture of its limitations.
Self-reinvention commences after learning these limitations and maturing
alongside the pursuit of dreams. By the very end, Charles’ individual
boundaries isn't just extended, but entirely transformed. What does this
transformation or personal reinvention mean for his life and relationship with
Lulu? That’s sensibly left for us to decide. Director Demme scores huge points
for casting the right actors for the three central roles. Ray Sinclair was Ray
Liotta’s first major role. His specialization of playing charming sociopaths
started with this film.
Trailer
Something Wild (113 minutes) is a must-watch genre defying
exercise in director Jonathan Demme’s oeuvre, whose film-making approach
refused to be pigeon-holed by particular style or theme. It’s starts off as a
smart, seductive comedy and wildly veers off to unexpected cinematic
territories (which perfectly worked for me).
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