Consumerism in Film

Rating: 8/10 (28 September 2017)

Fight club is a very interesting look at the the way we live our lives compared to how we want to and what the reality of our dreams could look like. The Narrator lives the quintessential "American Dream" a decently paying job with travel around the country and more material items than he knows what to do with. And when life turns down for him, his apartment blows up, he realizes he has nobody to turn to. This in itself would of been a travesty of life but as is revealed toward the end of the film, the Narrator did this to himself. I view this as the manifestation of the Narrator's distaste in his current life. He lives a life trapped in his own discomfort, going to cancer meetings and pretending to be dealing with real issues when in fact he is dealing with depression stemming from his hatred of his own affluence. Once he has to face this reality, by Marla Singer also feeding off the pain of others. Her character is more emotionally complex in that she lives in a crack apartment and steals for food. She doesn't have superficial problems with her life, she has real issues and things to have a reason for being upset or hating existing. Maybe her reason for false consolation is her inability to face real adversity. Just like how the Narrator can't face his life sucks and hates it. Fincher's use of framing throughout the film creating a feeling of claustrophobia, putting the viewer in the mental state of the Narrator. All the action is centrally focused with external characters rounding out the shots. The end shot of the credit buildings falling is the first example of an open frame. This connects emotionally to the Narrator for the first time allowing another human being to embrace him in a non violent or aggressive fashion. Fincher also used lighting on an emotional level throughout the film. Even during shots during the day time there was an aura of darkness around the Narrator, again the film didn't seem bright or with life until the final explosion shot as the building falling seemed to be acting as fireworks in celebration of his personal escape from his self made prison. Costuming of the characters was also brilliant. As the gaudy outfits of Tyler and Marla seemed to exemplify what a regular person would think would happen to anybody if they lived at a slot machine for 5 years and took a flight to New York City. The underlying message of the film however seems to be kind of fuzzy. It is very obviously anti consumerism and an attempt to show the furthest extent that a person can be pushed to when they live their life defined by what they own. However the film itself doesn't seem to be outside of this corporate influence. As Pepsi has a prominent presence on the screen, even featuring an actual Pepsi ad in front of the news report on the smiley face building. This could be seen as an active decision, seeing the irony in this and allowing it anyways. But I don't buy that. It seems that the main message is fogged down by the true reality of modern film. As much we want to believe they are free forms of creativity and free from foreign influence. They still need to be funded and still need to appeal to as many as possible. So as creative a movie Flight Club was, even its anti consumerism message cant escape the grasp of what has become big Hollywood controlling what gets made and what is inside these films.