My Review IS a Spoiler (And a Meta-Review)

Rating: 10/10 (14 May 2013)

I have to begin with an apology. Not only am I going to come right out and explain what this movie is about, I am going to make a few remarks about the other reviews that I have read about this movie. I saw the film for the first (and second) time just last night, and like most people, I thought it was a very smart and thoughtful piece. However, many people seem to be praising the film for all the wrong reasons, and the few who have something negative to say about it, don't seem to understand what it is exactly they are complaining about. One or two people truly seem to 'get it', but seem content to keep their thoughts to themselves. I will not be so coy.
Let's be straight. The Machinist is the story of a fat and terribly insecure man who does nothing but consume his entire life, and in the end, consumes that as well. After loosing his hand in an industrial accident at work, and collecting a settlement check nearly as fat as himself, he tries to overcompensate for the fact that the only way he can get laid is to pay for it. He buys himself a really nice car, and begins acting all cool and macho like some idealized guy in his mind (Ivan), doing things like smoking cigarettes. He's an easily distracted fella though, he did manage to get his hand chopped off at work remember, and runs a red light one day while lighting his cigarette. Of course, he runs over a child. Being the heroic upright citizen this man is, he promptly goes on a fishing trip and hides from the police. After about a year or so, he cannot deal with the guilt any longer, has a total nervous breakdown, and contemplates killing himself. This last part is the only part we actually get to see on screen. I have seen lots of reviews raving about the amazing job that Christopher Nolan has done losing 60lbs. These would most likely be fellow actors. No one seems to question why it would be necessary for his character to be that underweight. The few that do posit that it has to do with the character guilt, and the fact that he hasn't slept in a year. No. The character is fat and in denial about basically his entire life. Denial so strong it has him on the verge of hanging himself. No real human being could go an entire year without sleep. These things were all in the characters mind. He saw himself as scrawny and beat up, because he was emotionally beating himself up, and denying himself the "reward" he used to find in food that caused him to be overweight in the first place. But here is the real twist, get ready. Many people have called this a "depressing" film, however I see something uplifting in it. You see, we are all consumers. We smoke our cigarettes, and catch our fish, and eat our food, and occasionally do something stupid like run over a small child. We constantly affect the world around us in everything that we do. We are all Machinists. The only thing that holds this crazy society together is the guilt and the shame that we feel for our negative actions. Without it, we would have anarchy and primal law. Our guilt and shame is what makes us uniquely human. Our gift from God. We can either master it or let it master us; succumbing to depression, addiction, and suicide, like our friend in the movie. Feeling bad is what makes us good. Hence, I began this review with an apology.