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A Moment of Tragic Beauty: “Running with Scissors”
By tom | July 19, 2007
I’m a sucker for Blockbuster’s used DVD isle; with their 4 for $20 special, its basically the price of renting. I’m compulsive about my stack of DVD cases, finding giddy joy in raising the stack another teir or two. Often I will buy films I’m intregied by and then they will sit on the stack for months.
Yesterday, I rediscovered last years critically-fondled Running with Scissors. Based on the personal memoirs of Augusten Burroughs (ranked #15 of the top 25 Funniest People in America * Entertainment Weekly, 2005), Scissors details the horrors of his childhood, witnessing his parents marraige rot from the inside out, and spend his developmental years growing up under the lax supervision of his mother’s shrink.
As a book, I wouldn’t have read it. But as a film, Running with Scissors had me from the opening narration. Not only does it sport a stellar and tenaciously brave cast (Annette Benning, Brian Cox, Joseph
Finnes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alec Baldwin, Kristin Chenoweth, Patrick Wilson, and Jill Clayburgh) but each character is so extreme in their depiction, it was hard to take my attention away for a second to answer questions from coworkers (Jill Clayburgh’s character intently focused on a 1930’s horror flick while snacking on dog food in place of popcorn, as just one random comparison.)
The mental issues each character is haunted by is exageratted and larger than life, making it nearly satirical and symbolic, but nonetheless chilling and eerie.
Augusten’s mother (the breathtaking Annette Benning, American Beauty) is the embodiment of human narcisism, thouroughly convinced she is destined to be a famous poet. This deliusion is the very source of Augusten’s turbulent future.
There is a scene in the film that changed my life forever. Annette Benning’s character is beginning to lose it - she has locked herself in a room and won’t come out. At Augusten’s request, her psychiotrist (Brian Cox) gently tried to coherse her out. The scene explodes into a frenzy as Benning’s lover tries to protect her, other characters get involved in a shouting match, Cox tries to quiet them - all the while, Benning’s perception of what is going on around her begins to dim, noticing that plump, fluffy snow flakes are slowly plumeting from the ceiling. She stands - by now the sounds from outside are muted and the soundtrack has kicked in “Blinded by the Light” from Bruce Springstein - she stands and stretches her arms out, turning around and round in the indoor snow - intercutting with the chaos ensuing outside the door - she doesn’t care. She doesn’t hear it. She doesn’t know it exists. She is just there. Away from the perpetual turmoil her life has been collecting, lost in the beauty of a dream.
…and tragically, the moment is over, someone crashing through the door in desperation to get to her.
But for that one moment, an unfulfilled woman shared something with the world, found comfort in the warmth of air, the coolness of winter, and the radiance of life.
For that moment, she was whole.
——–
The film is explorative, edgy (toned down considerably from the book, but still graphic at moments) and deals with some hard-to-watch topics. It questions sanity, relationships, trust, and self, but never strays too far into abstract to do so.
If you’re looking for a film steeped in excepetional acting, visionary storytelling, and sensational writing, check out Running with Scissors.
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July 19th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
Augusten Burroughs. Definitely a funny man. I have never barked with laughter in a bookstore before, but that’s precisely what I did in Barnes and Nobles while thumbing through Magical Thinking. I was highly anticipating the release of this movie and since I was in Brazil at the time and the release date there is set for 2010 sometime, I downloaded it (gasp). And with my measly little connection it only took me 2 weeks to get the whole movie. Perhaps I had too much invested into the film before I saw it. All I know is that I won’t watch it again. Mildly amusing, mildly thought-provoking, mostly just a lot of time I could have used to read the book, which most likely, was a lot better. I love Burrough’s writing, but I’m not sure that it leaps onscreen with the same flair that it leaps off a page. Anyhow, here’s to “Possible Side Effects” in print, now.
July 19th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
I definitely have to add Running with Scissors to my “Books to Read” list.