Film review - The Social Network

Rating: 8/10 (7 February 2012)

"Has more than 845 million active users", "Has the 3rd largest population in the world" and "Estimation of the company is worth an estimated $84 billion", all these describes one-the Facebook-is the most popular social networking service. Facebook was created by Mark Zukerberg who was named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2010 and marking as the world's youngest billionaire. The Social Network, won the Best motion picture, best director and best screenplay at the 68th golden globe award, is about the founding of Facebook website and the resulting lawsuits that motived from the real story of Mark Zukerberg and his friends.
The story begins in the fall of 2003, Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg gained popularity by creating an on-campus website called Facemash.com, a site that allows users to rate the attractive female students. The Facemash.com's popularity and the fact that he created the site in one night was enough to draw attention of the Winklevoss twins. The Winklevoss twins asked Zuckerberg to create a dating website called the Harvard connection. From this project, Mark gets a new and better idea and created new social networking website called Facebook with his friend Eduardo Saverin. Zuckerberg soon expanded the Facebook's network from Harvard University to public with helping of Sean Parker, the young entrepreneur who became the pioneer of Napster. As the Facebook hit a great success all over the world, Zuckerberg faces two lawsuits, one from Saverin and the other from the Winklevoss twins. The movie portraits these story ironically that even Zuckerberg created successful social networking juggernaut, but it turned out that he lost his close friends (his social network).
The film was directed by David Fincher who is famous for such as his debut film-Alien 3, Fight Club, Panic Room, Zodiac and Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It is somewhat unexpectedly considered that the director chooses non-fiction dram genre instead of the thriller because most of his works are based on thriller genre, except for the Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fantasy-melodramatic). However, when the movie begins, we could find David Fincher's touches in The Social Network- impeccable camera works, attitude for the perfection of movie and his own dark and murky but vivid cinematography. For example, the scenes at the Harvard University are far from clear, cool and gorgeous, the movie offering a historic, dark, and edgy scenery. The Social Network also takes non-linear narrative structure. Most memoir movies are usually takes linear narrative structure-one single path from beginning to end, however Fincher takes a different approach. The movie seems to take a standard form (chronological) at the beginning part, but the movie starts to jump over the time and space-Mark Zuckerberg's recall of his memory when he developing the Facebook (the past) and various legal battle scene (the present).
The performances of the actors are also pretty impressive. Jesse Eisenberg played the main character-Mark Zuckerberg who earns enormous wealth and fame by creating online social network, but ironically fails in off-line social network. It is really true as the Mark Zuckerberg's real character, Eisenberg ties to craft not only the successful computer genius's outside, but ironic-tragic character's inside-humanity such as anger, sad and even as a freak.Andrew Garfield, who known for 'Never let me go' and 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus', plays the Zuckerberg's friend- Eduardo Saverin. He successfully acts on Saverin character as near-perfect man with emotions-straight and foolishness. Justin Timberlake also gives an inspire performance as Sean Parker as clever, savvy and narcissist entrepreneur.
Similar to the Social Network, there are some similar movies that take motif from the true-story or real person's story, for instances, Beautiful Mind (2001), directed by Ron Howard, is a drama film based on the life of John Nash (Russell Crowe stars) who is a Nobel Laureate Economics, 21 (2008), directed by Robert Luketic, is developed by the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team in Ben Mezrich's book Bringing Down the House and Catch me if you can(2002), directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Leonardo Dicaprio and Tom Hanks, based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr. These movies are not exactly same as the Social Network film, but these moves are developed based on the true-story and real- life story.
Not dominant, but some movies are takes same non-linear narrative structure as the Social Network. For example, Batman Begins (2005), directed Christopher Nolan and stars Christian Bale as Batman, takes a non-linear structure by showing the Bruce Wayne's memory and the present back and forth and Old-boy (2003),directed by Chan-Wook Park, also showing a non-linear narrative story progress by mixing Oh-Dae- Su(main- character, stars by Min-Sik Choi)'s the recall of the past memory and the present story progress that gives the clue why he custodies for a 15 years.
In the Social Network, the director David Fincher and scriptwriter Aaron Sorkin are try to develop the movie from the shy and silent young man's ordinary but special story. How personal desires correspond with the spirit of the age? Whether Mark Zuckerberg is a genius who cleverly read the human's common desire or just an astute cheater who steals and modifies quickly from someone's idea? How the World Wide Web transformed into another type of living space, which is similar to the real world(social communication), but somewhat totally different(unreal)? The answer might varies and interpretation also different from each audience. But,in my opinion, the movie the Social Network is the specific and analogous story which reflecting the Web- oriented world that mixed with our real life.