So Happy Together - Adaptation

Adaptation~Movie

          "Writing is a journey into the unknown." This is perhaps one of the truest statements I have heard about writing and is something I can constantly relate to. When I'm writing anything; an essay, a story, even something as simple as a blog post, I find myself staring at the screen, waiting for inspiration to hit, and the words to flow the page. Sometimes I won't even have an idea about what to write, and as corny as it sounds, the words really seem to speak to me and lead me on a journey full of twist, turns and endless emotions until I reach the final destination.

          Adaptation is a movie about Charlie Kaufman (Nicholas Cage), a screenwriter who struggles with creating a movie based on the book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep). He wants to do something original with it, avoid all the cliches and capture the essence of the book; however, he finds himself caught in a major case of writer's block. Charlie eventually, after learning some important life lessons on the way and seeking help from his foolish brother Donald, completes the script.

       

          I'm not really sure what I thought of the movie. I liked the concept of how in trying to avoid the cliches, Charlie doesn't realize that his own life is full of these "overdone moments." I find it interesting that no matter how hard you try, cliches are still able to wind up in your life; whether that be the "bright blue eyes" or the "goosebumps up your arms" or even the "falling in love with the guy you're writing about" type, cliched moments will happen to everyone. I know I've lived a few (mostly the "make a fool of yourself during a presentation" kind). Maybe that's what makes it so overdone; the fact that each person has a similar experience. Everyone has felt butterflies in their stomach, stayed up late talking to friends and (my personal favourite) complained about how school sucks. These are all common cliches.   In fact, I feel like people trying to avoid cliches is a cliche in itself. When writing, I feel as though the author should be able to relate with the character somehow, and through these cliches, these moments that almost everyone has gone through, this connection is established. 

          I think the biggest lesson I've learned from watching Adaptation is that to really write about something in depth, you have to understand it. We see this with Susan when she's writing about John. She really takes the time to know him (maybe a little too well) before finishing her book. Another example is Charlie himself. He isn't able to finish his script until he fully understands the situation about Susan and her life. When you understand everything about your subject it makes for a good story because there is no room for loopholes and it makes your storyline stronger. 

          

         Another thing I was able to relate to in this movie was the writing process of Charlie Kaufman. I could spend hours and hours trying to think of a topic or a story that fits, and nothing will ever come to me. Once I've finally found something to write about and I've written it, after rereading it I want to change everything because it never turns out the way I want it to. I'm actually quite surprised that I don't have the same hairstyle as Charlie; the process makes me want to pull all my hair out. I think this is something every writer goes through at one point (I just go through it…a lot more) because instead of forcing something, sometimes we need something to inspire us; to lift the pen and scribble itself on the blank piece of paper  that yearns for the ink to transport it into another dimension where anything is possible. 

          So though I'm not sure whether I liked the movie or not, I really did learn a lot from it. There's specifically one quote that stuck with me; "You are what you love, not what loves you." This really is significant in the life of a teenager, where at any given moment we can fall into an endless pit of insecurities, never to resurface. It tells them that the opinion of others should never change who you are. You are your own person; whether you like it or not. 

          

         

"We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone." 
                             -Orson Welles (Director of War of the Worlds)

Awake and Alive

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader."
                          - Robert Frost