The One Who Watches, An Interpretation.
Recently I
was able to download and view the feature length film, The One Who Watches, written andproduced by Molly Josephson and
Nicholas Sunsdahl. The piece features a host of local talent, most notably the
two central characters played by Jesse Whiting (Dr. Jesse) and Sean Elmquist (Jean).
The film is unique, vibrant, and well constructed, and what follows then, is a holistic
interpretation of some of the more heady elements of the plot structure. This
may be considered your spoiler alert. If you have an interest in seeing this
film, it can be purchased online directly from the producers at a link provided
below, in either digital download or DVD format. In addition to this,
screenings are being scheduled in the Minnesota area.
Before
examining the more subtle details of the film’s structure, it bears importance
to have an overall explanation of the story. Dr. Jesse is a professor at a
smaller university in northern Minnesota. The location of events surrounds a town
built on Windigo Lake, a prototypical northern Minnesota town, peopled with
regionally flavored individuals. It showcases the culture that sets our state apart from
others, and surrounds it with the natural beauty that is the centerpiece of this film.
Whatever hesitation or reservations you could have about the plot should be set
aside, simply to witness the complex and well constructed visual pastiche the
film presents. There is never a lull in the vibrant images that drive and
partner this work. Dr. Jesse is often seen walking through nature, seemingly
oblivious to the wonder around him, centered in his own world.
Dr. Jesse
is working on his novel. In it, he is attempting to explain and crystallize his
own theories trying to understand supernatural phenomena
within a logical context. Indeed the border of logic and magic is a powerful
theme that flows through this piece, hinting at the presence of powers unknown.
Dr. Jesse is pulled from his routine from a series of events, starting with a séance
at which his briefcase is stolen, leading to eventually be cast as the lead of a local
musical. The musical is centered around the lumberjacking history of the area,
as juxtaposed with the inherent wonder and beauty of nature. Dr. Jesse is not a
performer, by trade, but the director, played wonderfully and enigmatically by
Elmquist, sees something within him that begs to be exposed. The dynamic
between these two characters is both energetic and frustrating, as each
attempts to understand and respect the other in their respective journeys.
The plot,
then, could be stated simply as “local college professor gets cast in musical”.
However, such a tidbit fails to include both the scope of the piece, and it’s subtlety.
The thing that I love about the film is that it never spoon feeds you anything. If you long for the structure and predictability of dinner time sitcom, then this story is not for you. If you are looking for the next Fargo, you will be likewise disappointed.
Instead, this film presents a story in moments, that serve a larger theme.
Although lacking the vulgarity of John Waters, the presentational, sometimes
absurd delivery of lines and scenes would seem like Waters. Although the
ensemble cast, and direction of action might seem like a Christopher Guest
film, it avoids the conventions and predictability that has made Guests repetitive
and homogenized.
Instead,
this is something new, and living, and real. Josephson and Sunsdahl have worked
together to create a cunning script that
leaves the viewer constantly guessing, and evolving along with the film.
Instead of being talked down to, like our central character we are asked to
participate, and it is to us as to how invested we become. For my part, I have
a number of interpretations about the piece that follow here, but that would
have no relevance or meaning if you have not seen the film. So, this is where
you get off, dear reader. This is where I tell you to go watch the movie, and
then we can continue.
The first,
surface theme that I thought was being explored was the long road to
mediocrity. In almost every story I have seen, in which our hero is a writer working
on a novel, they never finish the novel. Or, if they do, it is terrible. It is
just what writers are supposed to do. Write novels. Without an ability to truly
describe or synthesize his ideas successfully, the walk we see Dr. Jesse take
is our own. Pointless, absurd, pretty, perhaps, maybe even a little dangerous,
but in the end pointless. Dr. Jesse will never finish the novel, never perform
in the play, never be able to connect, or love, and so unable we see Dr. Jesse
do, at the end of the film, what we know he must. To end the absurdity and
obscurity, and embrace the darkness of finality.
This is the
easy story. If you get the above theme, then you are doing much better than the
99% of the world population who would think it is a film about teaching in
college and lumberjack theater. But it is still not the core of the work. It is
the topmost layer of the onion, and to truly appreciate the story, we have to
drive deeper, and ask more of ourselves as active film critics and
appreciators. It is because I appreciate this film that I explore it so, and
this value is priceless. At the end of Transformers
you know what to think. You know what to feel. You know what happened,
because everything was explained, and then conflict was ordered, and repeated
in slightly different ways, and in the end justice prevails, the rock music
plays, and we are rewarded for our consumption by feeling the release of the
credits. The One Who Watches is not
that. If you are watching it actively, and without pretense, then you should
still see the credits roll and have questions. This is the hallmark of a great
work, because it demands the participation of the audience. This is the second
theme, and it could be the most important, because it exposes and promotes a
frank discussion of our current system. How it has failed to engage, or
challenge us, as forward thinking 21st century media consumers. The
best films I've seen this year have not been made by Hollywood. They have been
made by artists around me, with budgets that barely exist to a Hollywood film
by comparison. Fractions of 1% that create stories of value, and purpose.
The third,
and final theme, and the one that I believe is most powerful and poignant, is
that Dr. Jesse is a beaver. It is an absurd claim, yes, but in my examination,
I cannot help but feel that it is the best. Beyond the brown coat, the gentle,
open eyes, the fact that he creates his novel ON the water, with wood (paper)
in the first scene, it is just the best interpretation I have. Maybe Dr. Jesse
is a Werebeaver, in reverse? Most of the time he is a human, and as a human he
does what beavers do best, that is organize. Bemidji, and Bemidji State
University are seen within the film, and as it turns out, BSU is home to the
Beavers. Being a graduate of that university, Jesse Whiting himself IS a
beaver. Meta or not, it is what it is. The theme of the river, and the course
of that river, is also a visual that is constantly explored. As a blockage to
the river, Dr. Jesse’s career in academia represents a block in the flow of
knowledge. Whether finance or ability, college controls the flows of
information through it. The most obvious and overt example of bringing this
interpretation home is when Dr. Jesse is on stage, being surrounded and harassed
by canoe borne voyageurs. Metal or career, the film is about a trapped beaver.
This interpretation is the greatest, I believe, because it leaves the ending
with a hopeful bent. Dr. Jesse returns to the waters from which he came, to
swim, and chew, and flow as he was always meant to.
In closing
I would just like to thank and appreciate everyone who contributed to the
making of this film. It really is an example of independent film succeeding. My
hope is that the future of film making will exist outside of industry, and that
it will be the quality of a story, and the vision with which it is explained
which will determine its success. In this regard, this film is an award winner,
in my book. Once again thanks, good luck, and MacBeth.
JT Liend
12-14-2014
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