Memory Refraction

Rating: Null/10 (8 April 2004)

Vanilla Sky examines the human psyche and how memory can become distorted. David Aames (Tom Cruise), a rich playboy, is involved in a car accident which leaves his face badly disfigured and in order to conceal his injuries he wears a mask. However he finds himself unable to remember clearly the events surrounding the accident, and so his mental state forms the basis of the film's narrative.
The film's narrative takes place in two time frames. The first is in the present where he relates his memory of events to a psychiatrist. The second takes place in flash-backs with David's voice-over narrating these events. The film is predominantly shot using wide angles, thereby distancing the audience from the action and introducing a voyeuristic element to the film.
The mask represents two sides to his personality. With the mask on, David is losing control. With the mask off, he is confrontational. He gets drunk which in itself is symbolic of a loss of control and this symbolism is reinforced by the mask being moved to behind his head. His confrontational side is illustrated in a scene when after some drinks he removes the mask and challenges the barman to comment on his disfigurement. Therefore both sides of his personality become visually represented.
The music used in the film helps to propel the narrative and gives an insight into David's confusion. This confusion is signified by the lyrics of R.E.M's, 'Sweetness Follows'. An example of David's loss of control is the line, "it's these little things, they can pull you under." In such circumstances as David finds himself in, every little insecurity is magnified. Furthermore, the line, "readying to bury your father and your mother" symbolises the loss of security, a security that a parent would give to their child.
In my opinion, David's disfigurement was minor and would not disturb anybody who would see it. This is in keeping with Hollywood portrayals of disfigurements as film makers such as Cameron Crowe can not afford to portray stars being seriously hurt and risk losing audiences.
In addition, I felt the acting of Tom Cruise to be rather wooden, an opinion which also applies to the majority of the cast. However, the film did not need strong acting performances as the plot and it's thought provoking content was the over-riding element. Therefore, the acting performances did not hold as much significance as they do in other films.
Vanilla Sky is reminiscent of Christopher Nolan's 'Memento' in which the audience are made to empathise with the main character in his struggle to distinguish the difference between fact and fiction. Other examples are David Fincher's 'The Game' and in David Cronenberg's 'eXistenZ'.
Overall, I thought that Vanilla Sky contended some interesting questions about how memory can become unreliable without the person realising and therefore blurring the line between fact and fiction. When does reality stop and imagination begin?
6/10