Revolutionary Thinking

Note: This entry contains some spoilers for the movie Revolutionary Road.

I am much more a person of thought than of action; more likely to be found thinking than doing. So it comes as no surprise that when left alone in a snowed-in house for days, thoughts would swirl up around me with greater passion than usual. All this ruminating has extended to an area that I usually rest in, thought-free: film.

This may seem surprising--many movies are meant to be thought-provoking, telling powerful stories that stick in our minds. Well, those aren't the types of movies I usually choose. In fact, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I prefer mind-less movies that will merely entertain me and require no mental acrobatics. I am a great lover of the chick-click genre as it makes no demands of me. Perhaps this is because I view movies as an escape from my usual state of being (thinking); purely a chance to knit and relax.

However, I occasionally wind up watching a movie that does make demands of me, one that generates more thought. Being snowed-in, I've been watching more movies than usual, so it was bound to happen. Yesterday I watched Revolutionary Road, which inspired many thoughts, and I feel compelled to write about it here, in an effort to sort some of them out.

I chose the movie on the basis of the lead actors--Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio--who I think are two of the best actors of our generation. Of course, they first appeared together over ten years ago in Titanic; interestingly, both movies tell stories of love that must end, and in both cases, someone dies.

Revolutionary Road tells the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a young couple in the 1950s, who are faced with dilemmas that still confront people today--falling in and out of love in your marriage, the struggle of raising children, unexpected pregnancy, expectations of conformity from society-at-large, and the question of what makes a satisfying career (or life, for that matter).

Caught in the rut of suburbia and experiencing marital problems, April comes up with a fix-all solution--move to Paris. Paris, she thinks, will solve all their problems, giving Frank the chance to escape a job he hates and have the time to discover what he really wants to do while April supports him financially (remember, this is the 1950s!). And of course, their love will be reignited, because nothing's sexier than two young people breaking the mold and following their dreams.

"This is our chance, Frank," April insists. "This is our one chance." And in that, one of the themes of the movie--what you do with your chances in life. Do you take them, or let them pass you by? For Frank, the chance of Paris isn't as simple as it is for April. Because he's offered another chance--a new job with a new (much bigger) salary. And with April unexpectedly pregnant again, it seems like a good opportunity. Bart, the executive who offers Frank the position, has something to say about chance as well:

A man only gets a couple of chances in life. If he doesn't grab them by the balls, it won't be long before he's sitting around wondering hoe he got to be second rate.

It seems that one message of the movie is that chance is subjective--what's chance to one will look like foolishness to another. Bart thinks he's offering Frank an opportunity. April sees it as oppression.

And it's this tension that is the root of Frank and April's problem. She values searching, while he values stability. Frank and April have a fight when he suggests they shouldn't go to Paris:

Frank: I have the backbone not to run away from my responsibilities.
April: It takes backbone to lead the life you want, Frank.

It seems that both are right. Facing responsibility, facing dreams, both take courage. I think we can only conclude that life is always hard. There is no quick-fix-Paris solution. It is difficult to honor responsibilities and commitments, and it is equally difficult to make some shooting-star dream become a reality.

Revolutionary Road is essentially a movie about living, and in examining Frank and April's lives, it led me to examine my own. Like Frank, I have responsibilities that I don't always enjoy. Like April, I have dreams that remain just that--dreams. Her response was to see the situation as hopeless. Is there any other? How else can we judge our lives when we look at them and see desires that aren't realities? I suppose I could be like April. And maybe in her situation I would be. But for me, I see those unmet dreams not as hopeless, but hopeful. Hopeless will be the day I stop dreaming.

Frank says to April at the beginning of their relationship, "I want to feel things. Really feel them." And I think that's what's important. Feeling, not taking for granted. Remember that you are alive. And as for staying true to responsibilities, that's what connects us to other humans. It makes us part of something bigger than just ourselves.