Day 73: Being John Malkovich

"Have you ever had two people look at you, with complete lust and devotion, through the same pair of eyes?"

Who are we? This is a monumental question that stifles much of our teenage years as we experiment with hobbies, career choices, and even choices in mates. Yet, for all of the trial and error we work through in our early years, we still seemingly have that identity crisis ticking away. Granted, some people are more inclined to their established identity, but nonetheless, we all have realized shortcomings in the persona we’ve created. Thus it seems that for any given social situation, we can switch between an assortment of personas. Whether it’s a quiet evening at home or working the crowd at a party, we are inevitably changing ourselves based on the social cues that surround us. Harmless as it can be, we are never truly comfortable in our skin as our lives progress, a notion that is further magnified against a society obsessed with celebrity and established social norms. Writer Charlie Kaufman understands this as many of his films look at our fluid identity amongst the backdrop of a mind bending narrative. None of his films demonstrate the structure of an identity the most than “Being John Malkovich”, a film that is literally about consuming someone else’s identity as a means to escape one’s fledgling personality.

The concept revolves around a struggling puppeteer named Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), whose art of manipulation is only appreciated in the bellows of his run down apartment. Physically speaking, Craig is homely looking, but he’s done enough to be married to Lotte (Cameron Diaz), an animal enthusiast who treats her apartment like a zoo. Perhaps at one point Craig was in love with Lotte, but he’s now buried deep under his suffering art and Lotte’s mounting idiosyncrasies, one of which includes a newfound transgender impulse. To escape his humdrum world and realm of unemployment, Craig seizes a filing job with LesterCorp. This particular office has its quarks. It has a receptionist who is either insipid or an auditory dyslexic, a CEO who’s nonsensical, and it resides on the 7 ½ floor of a building. The funny thing is these aren’t the biggest quarks to Craig’s new job. What supersedes everything is Craig’s discovery of a portal that leads directly into the mind of actor John Malkovich (obviously played by John Malkovich). Yes, a portal that once you enter, places you in the head of John Malkovich for fifteen minutes before it spits you out on the New Jersey turnpike.

No matter how short the time frame may be, it gives Craig a release from his life. For fifteen minutes he’s a renowned actor that, at least in everybody else’s mind, is living a glamorous life. Knowing the impact the portal can have on other purveyors of celebrity and those wanting to be acquitted from their lives, Craig, with the assistance of his office crush Maxine (Catherine Keener), starts selling tickets to the public almost as if it was a ride. To no one’s surprise, their impromptu business takes off, which creates a buzz that not only reaches Lotte, but also Malkovich himself. What happens next is an assortment of mixed identities and sexual complications where Craig, Lotte, and Maxine exploit Malkovich’s mind as a means for their own emancipation and further examination of their desires. Certainly things get a bit bizarre as characters begin to betray one another, and the reason for the portal comes into play, but at its heart, “Being John Malkovich” is a poignant film that explodes with creative energy.

Said energy emanates from director Spike Jonze, a music video director turned auteur. With the film being as wild as it is, Jonze has free reign over his visual approach, which allows for many intricately constructed scenes that push the boundaries of reality. But with aesthetics aside, Jonze does a deft job of crafting a film that moves quickly along a spectrum of tones. Kaufman’s script obviously has its fair share of puzzling ingenuity and hilarity, but Jonze’s work is paramount to the film’s success as it balances the wacky premise with the sad realizations about human identity. The aforementioned balance is best found in the performance of John Malkovich himself, who goes meta on our asses. Don’t get me wrong, the acting overall is wonderful. Yet, the most fascinating and enjoyable performance is that of Malkovich, who is constantly on the grind, feeling like he’s losing control of himself. This allows for Malkovich to deliver a manic performance that renders some funny bits, but there’s an undeniable sadness that stems from within him as self control becomes inelastic, and his known identity starts to become warped.

Ultimately this becomes a grand take on the destruction of an identity and personal stagnation, one that we probably don’t want to admit happens in our own lives.  Kaufman and Jonze know this, and they push our characters to the height of an epiphany or to the depths depression just to wake us up. They’re holding a mirror up to us, reflecting not only our voyeuristic appeal to celebrity, but also the many mental confrontations we often find ourselves in. Much like the plight of Craig, we can be our own worst enemies, for we break our true selves down to enhance our position in the social façade around us. And it’s through this façade that gender ambiguity, sexual confusion, and personal identity are addressed with cop out remedies. We shouldn’t be anyone else in order to escape the treachery of our own lives, nor to be socially acceptable. Through a smart script and crafty direction, “Being John Malkovich” reminds us how appreciative we should be about the traits that distinguish us from the world’s other inhabitants. After all, no matter how much we may hate our selves, our lives, or our image, we are who we are, and our own skin is always the best fit.