Rage

I just watched "Rage," and I like it. I'd like to watch it again, to make a chart of the characters and write down quotes they say, because there is much to consider.

It is an interesting character study, never taking place anywhere except in front of a blue screen (except the final shot). That is an experiment, a shift from conventional filmmaking, where locations are essential. But this film does not take place on screen--it takes place in your mind. Dozens of people die, but you never see it. You hear it, and your imagination constructs the scene while there is only a character to look at on screen.

Also, the characters audiences encounter are very intriguing, how they change over the course of the film. Namely Minx, played by Jude Law. Initially, Minx speaks with an accent and says that "the only things important in life are money and fame." I wrote her off as materialistic, lacking depth, and dumb. But later in the film, Minx drops the accent and shows audiences that Minx is a character, a puppet that is used to obtain the things she says are important. At her core, she is kind, sensitive, and insecure. Sally Potter created a very interesting character.

Also, the designer Merlin and his antithesis Mona Carvell create an noteworthy debate with their opposite views on fashion. On the one hand, Merlin says that fashion is beauty, is art, is something to be treasured. Conversely, Carvell says that "fashion is not an art form. If it's anything at all, it's pornography, to which millions are addicted. Hopelessly addicted." She then talks about how women shop, how they look at clothes with a look of lust and desire. It's a convincing argument.

Very quickly, you get to make judgments about the people in this story, about their character and who they are. Lettuce is so confused and lacking structure or family, and you can see the vulnerability in her huge eyes as she cries in front of the camera. Vijah becomes corrupted by his dream of fame. Anita has a revelation about God and that every person is loved by Him. Miss Roth realizes that her company is acting in an immoral way, so she protests against her own company and their policies. The characters are what drive this film, and they become real because the filmmakers never stray from their device.

I really like this film for what it tried to do. It strayed from normalcy to create a unique film through its style, and it is full of rich characters who push their vitality through the screen and into the minds of viewers.