Beautiful and thought-provoking film

Rating: Null/10 (16 December 2012)

David Lynch has a talent of holding up a mirror. The audience is allowed or even forced to confront its own flaws, its numerous shortcomings. Yet the undertone is more often than not the one of hope, that we still have the chance to learn. Some could even claim that in some respect this film is educational. It certainly has a moral lesson. That pity rarely is the right answer, as it is nothing more than the grudging nod of a supposedly superior being towards a lesser man. Rather we should learn to respect and accepts others as equals, worthy of our time and their own individuality. It is a difficult lesson to teach without preaching or pointing fingers, but I rather think that this film accomplishes just that and it accomplishes it with beauty and grace.
The brilliance of using a character like John Merrick, played by John Hurt, is that he's such a shocking figure. And the movie plays with our expectations and our ingrained need to gawk and whisper. Our glimpses of Merrick are controlled and shrouded for a long time and when we finally see him it's such a sterile experience that we're forced to ask ourselves what all the fuss was about. And right after that Merrick starts to grow as a character and I honestly felt rather awful later on when I realized that I had immediately dismissed this man and his nature just because I had been so interested in how they had managed to make him look. It's a skillful trap and one that many will fall into, which helps to teach you the lesson.
Though speaking of Merrick's appearance, I must commend the makeup department, as he really looks hideous. There's an immediate reaction of repulsion when you first lay eyes on him, even though the shot itself is such a sterile one. And that repulsion is of course the fact why the need to respect this man needs even to be taught. You absolutely wouldn't expect such a kind soul from a body like that, but as always, you cannot judge book by its covers. In this case ugliness only goes skin deep and in time I learned to greatly respect and even admire Merrick's character and his willingness to endure.
A film with just Merrick in it would hardly be adequate, however. Thus I am glad that they managed to get someone like Anthony Hopkins to play the part of Frederick Treves as he is an important audience-surrogate. We feel and process our emotions provoked by this film by watching and learning from his reactions. The initial sick wonderment, the horror of realization, the misguided pity, the shame, the willingness to know better and the eventual respect. It is a staggering amount of emotions and subtle nuances to express, but Hopkins manages it with ease and aside from Merrick, his role is easily the most captivating in the entire film.
I would however slightly criticize just how saint-like Merrick has been made in this film. In some ways it works for the film's favour as the lesson gets taught much better when the contrast is as clear as possible without being naive. But the real-life John Merrick - yes, this is based on real people and events - was by all accounts a man, he had his flaws. Not numerous, but flaws nonetheless. Merrick's only real flaw in this film would seem to be his inability to stand up for himself, which makes him more rounded and more identifiable - plus it helps with the pity - but it's still a minor issue, at least for me. Treves is also given a much nicer role to play in Merrick's life, while his initial "handler" is greatly vilified, but I can recognize that the film works much better this way rather than if the real-life events had been perfectly replicated.
On the technical side of things, this is a remarkably well-made film. The shots and settings have themes and ideas behind them, they're not just random shots of hospitals and the streets of London. The black and white aesthetic also works really well with the Victorian setting, plus I bet that it helps to disguise the rubbery texture of Merrick's face. The music and the pacing also work rather well, but it's the visual side where this film really shines, aside from the story of course.
I admire this film. It doesn't feel like it's trying to force you to some conclusion or another. In retrospect you can of course see that you were guided, but it felt natural and I was allowed to draw my own conclusion. I had to gaze into my own person, my own soul, and allowed to decide whether or not I liked what I saw or not. And that's the strength of this film. It wants you to better yourselves, to show you that you still have some ways to go and that the society of today is not without any flaws. It's a beautiful film.