Three weeks ago, I saw a Chinese movie directed by Zhang Yimou by the name of Under the Hawthorn Tree about two young adults who fell in love at a time when the society looked down upon dating so early. The two lovers carried their affairs in secret, but when the girl's mother found out about affairs, she (the mother) told her that if he really loved her, he would keep his distance from her. Like a good Asian boy he complies. This compliance is meant to convey his true love for her, that despite wanting nothing else to be with her, he was willing to sacrifice it for the good of his lover.
Like Under the Hawthorn Tree, The Adjustment Bureau, written and directed by George Nolfi based on a short story by the name of "Adjustment Team" by Philip K. Dick, is also about how much one would be willing to sacrifice in the name of love. Matt Damon plays David Norris, a young, ambitious, idealistic Congressman seeking election for a seat in the Senate. However, upon a short encounter with Elise (Emily Blunt), when they share a brief but meaningful kiss, David realizes his true love lies with Elise, not at the hands of registered voters of New York City. The adjustment bureau quickly notices the spark, and was determined to separate the two lovers because according to "the plan", their love was never meant to be. Unlike the male protagonist in Under the Hawthorn Tree, David refuses to back down, and fights against his fate to be with the one he loves.
In other words, if Under the Hawthorn Tree is a Chinese version of Shakespeare's classic masterpiece Romeo and Juliet, taking place under the Cultural Revolution when Chinese people were overly naive, I believe that The Adjustment Bureau is a modern day version of Romeo and Juliet, taking place at a time when most of us believe in free will as opposed to fate.
In my opinion, although Under the Hawthorn Tree was very emotionally moving, The Adjustment Bureau is the better movie, because it sends an additional message: don't be afraid to go after what you want. Even if it means going against the will of a powerful, if not divine being. The movie makes it no secret that "the chairman" is a symbolism for God, and the people of the adjustment bureau are His angels ("we've been called that [angels]", says Harry Mitchell, a member of the adjustment bureau in one scene). However, in the film, even God is not all powerful, as He only has limited enforcers in the adjustment bureau, so if a nuclear warfare were to break out, even He could not prevent the catastrophe that would follow.
The film also makes a strong case that free will does take its toll. As Thomson, another adjustment bureau member reminds us in another scene, that although "the chairman" has blessed us with the gifts of intellect and reason, it was those same gifts that caused the world to be on the brink of destruction during the Cuban missile crisis. To add additional pressure for David to keep away from Elise, Thomson informs David that if he chooses to be with her, not only will it ruin his dream, but will also ruin her dream (she is fated to be a famous dancer, and then a famous choreographer). As if to add insult to injury, Thomson flexes his muscle, causing Elise to sprain her ankle, then telling David that he is the one to blame for her injury.
After a few twists and turns, the film reaches its climax with a showdown between David and the Thomson, which was very exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat (as did all other parts of the movie), I have to admit that the resolution was a bit of a cop out (I won't ruin it for you). In fact, if the movie had a resolution that was as epic as the rest of the storyline, I would not hesitate to give it a MUST SEE rating. Unfortunately, the ending did disappoint me a great deal, so as it stands, I'm giving it a solid RECOMMENDED.
As a final note, I would like to say that you were planning on watching this movie at all, you almost certainly should see it in the theater. Director George Nolfi (FYI, this is his first movie as director) incorporates beautiful cinematography, as well as great sound mixing (or is it sound editing? I'm not sure). I especially loved the clicking noise of the dressing shoes of Thomson and his enforcers against the tile floor as they chase down David to set him on his "correct" path. The noise was complimented by their perfect formation, as they all send a clear message: we are the ones in charge, and we WILL hunt you down.
If you are a believer of choice and free will, then CHOOSE to go see the movie; I think it's definitely worth the time and money.
SeaOfScenes rating: RECOMMENDED
*EDIT* The author of the short story "Adjustment Team" was previous misspelled. It has now been corrected.
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10 comments:
I think you mean Philip K. Dick
@E: Thank you for your correction. The post has been edited accordingly.
The fact that the story is compared to Romeo and Juliet is a compelling argument for me not to watch it in theaters. The story has been way overdone, so throwing in a FBI setting and a few action scenes isn't enough to get me to pay $10 unless there are some very compelling arguments about the visual effects (like Avatar) or screenplay.
I just want to note that "flexes his muscle" did not immediately come out as a metaphor to me, so I was confused that someone would do that to sprain an ankle. Isn't there usually a description of the type of muscle being flexed?
@smash
i think x means that Thomson flexed his muscles by showing off his power to control events and alter their lives, not that he physically took hold of elise's ankles and sprained them, in which case i suppose his biceps and forearms would be involved in the exercise...
@Jay: thanks for your explanation.
@Smash: Jay is right. I said in my review that the people at Adjustment Bureau are analogous to "angels" so by "flexing his muscle" I meant he used his supernatural power to cause Elise to sprain her ankle.
(See X, I read you and Jay's blog during OFF-work hours :P)
I like the comparison to the Hawthorn Tree, and glad to see the movie blog is finally revived again.
@Lisa: Thanks for coming back to our blog! Your comments are always welcome, even if you disagree, because then I can just tear you apart and tell you why you're wrong, such as your opinion on Hua Mula =)
Seriously though, I really do like it when you disagree with me, provided you give good reasons
because you said i can comment :D
i think the movie is cute. but i failed to stay awake in the middle to the last 5 minutes of the movie. i dont know what it was, but it just couldnt kept my attention. this might be because i knew the ending and it felt like the plot was dragged. o.o
@monmon: Which parts were you bored? I thought the pacing was pretty good, and for the slow parts the beautiful cinematography was able to keep my interest. The ending was predictable, but it could've ended in a few other ways. Personally I didn't like the ending because I thought it was a cop out, but the rest of the movie was so well made (in my opinion) that I didn't mind.
Unlike Lisa, I can't post during my off hours since I don't really have any.
X - in the future, I think you need to find some other works of literature to compare tragic love stories to. R&J has unfortunately been so overdone that it's lost all meaning.
But I do like your comparison to the Hawthorn Tree. However I think the way the two movies' characters choose to face their obstacles are equally telling of the characters' culture in addition their historical period. After all, how many korean dramas are based on the opposition of the lovers' family as the main obstacle to true love?
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