One of the finest movies ever made that few know about

Rating: 10/10 (3 June 2008)

If you are disenchanted with the movie industry these days for the lack of quality, you are not alone. If you want to see a relatively new movie that delivers on many levels, Vanilla Sky is a leading candidate. I will spare the details of the plot, but will give you a primer on how to appreciate this fine work of art to enhance your movie-watching experience.
To begin, the allusion to impressionistic art is not a coincidence. The art of impressionism embodies a whole set of socio-historical ideas that add depth to the movie. The beautiful "Monet-like" skies represents a disillusion with realism and an erasure of memory, evident in the visual display of distortion and haziness in many impressionist paintings. The scene in which these impressionistic skies appear reveal the emotional torment of the past as well as the desire to distort or rewrite it. This makes the main character's initial starting point as a wealthy playboy instead of a pauper essential in framing the movie's plot twist.
In addition to its crafty and artistic themes, the movie has a strong soundtrack that is both enjoyable and fun, but very appropriate for the scenes. Despite the lack of dynamic characters in this movie, with the main character being the only one although he too is rather static, the movie delivers a revelation that can only be appreciated with more than one viewing. It is through this second or third viewing that you pinpoint the scenes in which the main character has revelations about the nature of his reality and realizes whether or not he is dreaming. Through these scenes do you see his transformation. Simultaneously, through these scenes do you as the audience vicariously experience this change.
This movie is not about character development, it is about audience awareness of reality and fantasy. Will you be able to tell if a painting is impressionistic or a realistic landscape painting from afar? Probably not. Will you be able to discern a real scene from a dream in this movie without well-marked cues? It's unlikely. It is through careful analysis will one be able to determine the true nature of the scene, real or fantasy, and the depth of the audience's understanding alone will add depth (and appreciation) to this masterpiece. These visual cues will be revealed within the movie, but you will realize that your ability to distinguish between what's real and what's not is the driving force of the movie apart from the beautiful imagery and iconography.
The Great Gatsby was not considered to be a "Great American Novel" immediately after its release. It took a decade for the novel to be rediscovered and then catapulted into its deserving place today as an icon of American literature. I make no qualms about my desire to have this movie also be catapulted into its place among the greatest movies of all time as well. In the midst of the terribly banal climate of movies today, I hope my post will motivate some more attention for this great movie.