Where is paradise?

Rating: Null/10 (14 April 2000)

Where do you begin? Where is paradise? How do we get there? What pushes us to strive for it, and what makes us fear it? Danny Boyle tackles all of these questions in the tragically underrated "The Beach."
Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic) undertakes the role of Richard, a lost soul searching for something among the hustle and bustle of Bankok's busy streets. He finds a clue that might lead him to what he is searching for when he encounters Daffy, a madman played by Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The Full Monty), who leaves him a map to a 'mythical' tropical island where paradise can be found.
Richard embarks on the journey to this place with two French confidants. The cinematography is outstanding, the paradise found feels like a paradise as the camera creates an IMAX view of God's natural beauty.
Richard undergoes many changes as he lives on this island and soon the changes he takes begin to make us wonder. Where is the line between sanity and insanity? Between game and life? Between death and survival? Power and struggle? All of these questions are examined, but not all are answered. The questions remain with us even after we leave the theater and we consider the symbolism and jokery of the film.
There is a scene in which Richard morphs into a Nintendo-esque version of himself as he hunts for something, isolated from the others. It is wonderfully humorous and equally powerful.
Richard begins to take on a Hamlet persona as we question whether or not he has actually gone mad.
We wonder where paradise lies, and how do we get there. But we also wonder, is it possible to keep? Will evil follow?
I recommend "The Beach" highly and suggest you view it a second time to follow the meaning behind it if the mere beauty of the film leaves you in an awestruck state. I admit the film is not perfect, as there is a hokey scene in which DiCaprio snares like a tiger. It is difficult to pull off and I don't know if an actual tiger could do it. The acting is terrific otherwise and it's an outstanding film that echoes the likes of "Apocalypse Now."