A Film Every Millennial Needs To See

Rating: 10/10 (4 October 2017)

After watching Fight Club blown away by the plot twist, I wondered why it took me such a long time to come around to watching it. The moment my first screening of Fight Club ended was just like the first time I saw Memento. My mind was blown away and I could only think how did the screenwriters created such a radical and genius screenplay. The way the story is told and presented on the screen is intensely engaging that I was sucked into the story and I became "the narrator".
Born as a millennial, I felt that this is one of the most important films that every young person needs to see. It is amazing but also shameful that this film made in 1999 is still relevant today. These days the population is still occupied with people who are unhappy about their life. There is a statistic which says that in the US one of the most well-off countries, over 70% of people hate their jobs. Basically, spending years of their lives miserable. This dull and harsh reality is illustrated in Fight Club with the "Film Noir" style, realistic lighting and the minor-key soundtracks which creates a dark mood. It shows you from the start that this film is about getting to the pointno more lying to ourselves, and it's time to wake up. This is the journey that the narrator takes in the film. Tyler Durden is there to help the narrator to awaken from his life of indoctrination.
Fight Club is a modern Film Noir. The filmmakers of Fight Club were able to reflect the time in place the film was created. Fight Club is set during late capitalism after the war, where people were consumed by consumerism. Subsequently, this is also when many men became the sensitive new man of the 1990's, which closely reflect the narrator especially his obsession with IKEA furniture. Rather than working for power or building himself up, he purchases things to create his identity. Moreover, the low-key lighting and overall darkness of Fight Club possibly reflects the harsh reality of how these men perceived the world during "(the) great depression (of) our lives" quote from Tyler Durden. In addition, to add to the theme of consumerism. David Fincher stated that there is a Starbucks coffee cup or a logo in every scene of the movie. Starbucks is one of the most recognizable franchise in the world and it is a great example of people's dependency and addiction to materialism.
One of the most noteworthy characteristic of Fight Club is its unique and out of the ordinary story-line. As stated earlier it is an experience similar to watching Memento. The story is formed in a way that the experience of the audience mirrors one of the narrator. The first time the narrator finally realizes that him and Tyler are the same person, the audience is equally confused as the narrator and cannot believe everything that has happened. Nowadays, I feel like the cinema is dominated by films with predictable story lines where the story is just spoon fed to viewers, made by studios with big budgets and revenue as utmost importance. In my life time, it seemed to me that there were not many films like Fight Club where I actually enjoyed being confused after the first screening and still enjoy watching it for the second time with the same amount of engagement as the first. The whole film experience was like completing a puzzle. With some online research, I was able to find answers to lingering questions. Then watching it for the second time I was able to make sense of everything and it was a satisfying moment.
Fight Club isn't just a film with incredible cinematography and screenplay. It is philosophy and is a catalyst for many to live a full life. Tyler Durden is really someone that the young generation need, he delivers all the most important lessons in life. If you want a big wake up call in your life, something that breaks your pattern this is the film to go back to.