Alienation

Note:  Main notes on post-modernist terms:  -[post post-modernism]-

See also:   [Film Terms (on film page)]
                   [Film]
                   [Distancing]
                   [Art Films]
                   [(art) Concepts]

Alienation
  {<><>}
                     {Stuff} "Imitation of Life"


(expand, briefly expound here)

Chronology


Stuff
(Imitation of Life)

I decided to call this section that in honor of
a superb film of the same name. In, it a young
woman (of "mixed" parentage) is able to "pass for"
white. In the end, in order to continue in her 
better and clearly more preferable life she 
must distance herself from her own mother.

If we set asside the "period piece" and "racial"
focus of the work. The film addresses almost every
aspect of alienation. 

Most of all, alienation does include the two feelings
of: Being pushed out by the crowd and feeling like an
alien from another planet. 

Being pushed out (the act of isolation itself) is most
common in crime. The person on trial is already separated
from the community, probably their family, and of course
most importantly a feeling of being a part of the community.
Even before this, some of these factors may have lead to
the condition where they are on trial. Notice that in this
aspect we still do not know if they are innocent or guilty.
The final "judgement" of the trial is to whether the person
is be finally (or at least temporarily) cut off and hence
isolated from society. Of course, they then join a new
community. Only in "The Lonely" episode of the Twilight
Zone did this not occur - a person sentenced to total 
isolation on an asteroid. About as alone as any person
can be - no radio, tv, (and we presume) "internet" contact
with ANYONE. Every six months a supply ship lands and 
brings supplies and they stay for exactly one hour -
one hour within which the solitary prisoner has to 
see if they are still really real. 

Slightly down from this is of course "solitary confinement",
and of course torture, and all of the "pleasantries" of
prison life. But, even with this clearly distored sense
of "belonging" to a community (the prision), the total
and absolute isolation provided by the prison's walls
themselves provide the absolute and un-yielding fact of
the person's alienation: The rejection by ALL of society
by means of "trial". 

From the other point of view, to feel oneself alienated
from the world or society in particular occurs in many
mental states; eg, meglamania, paranoia, slavery, military
service, political service, wealth, privlidged state of
knowing, etc. In these cases, the circumstnaces (which
may involve a mixture of these and other factors) create
the "difference(s)" that make the individual stand out.

Of course in some systmes of isolation, where there is a
supportive hierarchy or extended community, the alienation
can be seen as a necessisary aspect of the alienating 
factors. For example, it is the training of the "Secret
Agent" and their "higher mission" that isolates them and
at the same time alienates them - placing them on a 
"higher plane" than the ordianry citizens; viz, "The
Men in Black" in both the film and real life. Recall to
that "James Bond" has a "license to kill" - thus placing
him above the "normal process of law and order" and of
course above society in general. 

However, we may view all of the above as "special 
extenuating circumstances" of a person either being
alienated by choice of career, necessity to "find the
truth", etc. We may also group those that are imprisioned
(with or without cause) in a separate group as well.

Regardless, the most intense form of alienation occurs
when the person(s) are set aside because of something
that they can not control. This would include a person
falsely accused of a crime, as well as cases of mistaken
identity, and other such "motivating' or "inciding" 
incidents. As the facts and consequences of the 
alienation take hold of the individual(s) they begin
to colour and distort ordinary things about them. 
Everything becomes strangely filtered by the facts
of isolation: In the external world and its events, 
as well as the persons that they interact with, and
of course the person's own perceptions of the world
and increasinly "strange" way of dealing with the
external -- all caused by the alienation itself and
it's increasing impact.

Another excellent example of this occurs in the film,
"Nemesis Game" as well as slightly-less well done
films "The Game" and "". The main point (especially
in "Nemesis Game") is that the things that happens
around the alienated person is interpreted by them
in an increasingly bizare way. In the case of a real
psychologoical cause for the alienation, things take
on a greater than real aspect and hold special 
significance for them - some of the signs of 
psychoses such as schizophrenia; see, for example 
the book and film, "A Beautiful Mind". 

In the case of "Nemesis Game", the person follows the
clues willingly since they (like a mystery film, etc)
indicate a greater understanding of the world and 
promise an ultimate understanding of the world at
a level deeper and broader than most "normal people".
Thus, in such cases the process of alienation give
the person(s) a feeling of superiority. But, clearly
the same sorts of things can cause them to feel
trapped and/or hunted. 

The balance of all of these things leads to the exact
model of alienation that the artist/film-maker/writer
wishes to portray. 

This can come at key moments of discovery. For example,
in the otherwise mundane film "Conspriacy Theory", it
is the confrontation by ?? () with 
?? () when tells her, 

    Everything was find, and then John Hinkley 
    tried to kill President Reaga. It was then
    we knew we had lost control.

This chilling tie-ing together of her thoughts that
all of this might just be a complete fantasie, into
a cold, crystalised and serious reprecussions as 
THE TRUTH is revealed - and almost by accidental
discovery. This theme and its proper excution can
be an excellent forcal point of a work - but, of
course, as with all thing: Moderation. Too many
revelations simply leaves the viewer/reader either
confused or laughing; the latter state of course
can be used in the spoof.

The further investigations of "alienation" in film
are dealt with the film as art subject:  -[Film (alienation in)]-

Alienation in Art








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