This film, directed by Spike Jonze, was first shown in 1999. The main character is played by John Cusack. Other actors in this movie are Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener and, obviously, John Malkovich.
The movie tells the story of Craig Schwartz, a man whose dream is making a living as a puppeteer. As this is not possible, he finds work in an office. There, he discovers a small door behind a filing cabinet that leads him directly into Malkovich’s mind.
I honestly didn’t like this film. And I definitely wouldn’t have recommended it. Maybe it was because I didn’t get the point of the plot. Or maybe it was because the plot didn’t have a point to get.
I can’t tell what this film is about: is it about following your dreams, no matter what? Or perhaps it tries to teach us that we must be happy with what we have. Or it can also tell the story of how human being wants to get its own happiness, without worrying about others feelings. I mean, was the director trying to give the film some philosophical meaning or he just wanted to do some absurd ridiculous movie?
In order to solve this doubt, I decided to research some critics of this film. And I must admit I was surprised because they were almost all pretty good. I read that the film was nominated for three Academy Awards, between other prizes. And I finally discovered what an independent film really is.
An independent film, also known in the United States as an art film, is a film produced mostly outside of major film studios. The main characteristic of this kind of cinema is that the director is totally free to give his point of view, without worrying about the social conventions. He can say whatever he wants, however he wants. Inside this cinema category, we can find films like Apocalypse Now, about a man who becomes like the man he has to kill, or even this film, Being John Malkovich.
Independent films may seem crazy or nonsense at the beginning. Maybe some of them really are nonsense. But most of them have a deeper meaning not so easy to understand. They are not like Hollywood films that tell nothing, movies that are hot air. Just like Being John Malkovich, art films are painfully realistic and dangerously critical. Independent film directors defend their right to make their own art, to tell the world how they see life. By using the script they try to describe their feelings, as if it was a personal diary. They want to make their dreams real, even if they may seem as ridiculous as puppeteering. But they are not often understood or supported. Just like Craig Schwartz himself says, speaking to a monkey: “You don’t know how lucky you are being a monkey because conscience is a terrible course. I think, I feel, I suffer. And all I ask in return is the opportunity to do my work and they won’t allow it because I raise issues”.
