White Whale Of The Life Aquatic

9/27/2018

The Life Aquatic, a fantastic retelling of a modern day Moby Dick, is a silly-yet-deep movie. You can watch it superficially and enjoy the insane plot line and surreal beauty or delve into the 'slice of life' wisdoms and growth of a story about revenge and cost. (Image source Egor Kamelev on Pexels)

   Unfortunately for me, I chose the superficial option. Eh, we can't always be deep.

Through The Eyes Of Another

   My partner, however, was thoroughly entrenched in the emotional depths. After movies, we tend to discuss our viewpoints and he had a lot to offer that I didn't pick up on.

   Like how the songs were mostly (if not all) David Bowie adaptations, translated into Portuguese and performed by the same guy you see in the background of most scenes. Or how after they finally saw the shark, there were no surreal (almost cartoony) elements anymore, and the song was in English. We gather that is to subtly reveal that the main character has finally seen the reality of life.

   Mostly what I saw was halfway between silly and depressing. Except for one scene in particular.

Awestruck

   The moment they see the shark, Steve Zissou has this...moment. I know that moment well, as I have felt it myself and seen it in others many times. Bill Murray does a spectacular job of portraying it, probably because he has experienced it in his real life.

   It's the moment when he realized simultaneously his powerlessness against a foe, and also a profound sense of respect for its terrifying grace. Both an admission of defeat and yet also a reawakening to the wonder of life and nature. You don't need to dive to the dark parts of the ocean to have that moment, but I suppose that's where some experience it.

   Overall, it's an amazing movie. Most people my age have probably seen it already, but it literally came out the year my daughter was born. Knowing her circle of friends, I doubt many of them have watched anything like it. Perhaps someday they will.

   Have you seen The Life Aquatic? What was your favorite part? Did you find meaning in it, or was it just silly entertainment? Let me know below or on Facebook.

   See ya next time, Internet Drifters!

3 Comments

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7/4/2019 03:24:24 am

The great white whale is truly the emperor of the sea. No matter where you look at, when it comes to the oceans, nothing compares to the great white whale. If I am remembering this correctly, I believe that the great while whale is the largest mammal on the entire earth. Just think about that, being categorized as the biggest mammal in the entire world. Aside from that, the great white whale also towers the likes of elephants and even sharks.

Izanamikun

7/4/2019 07:09:17 pm

Actually, the largest mammal is the BLUE whale. The 'white whale' isn't even one specific species of whales, as it could be a beluga (the most commonly called white whales, but one of the smallest whales in the world), or merely an albino of any other species. In Moby Dick, it is said he was actually hunting an albino sperm whale.

I think the case stands no matter what, though. The real story is that of vengeance, which doesn't really need the rarity or majesty of the white whale concept. The fact that it is unique seems just a plot point; if it looked just like others of its kind, how would one know when they found it?

Izanamikun

7/4/2019 07:13:17 pm

I DO think it's pretty amazing how much awe you have for sea creatures, though! There's so much we don't know about those depths- it creates immediate intrigue and mystery!

Lil' Things

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