From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Screenwriters and screenwriters are undoubtedly different.

Look at Charlie Kaufman, who sketches a complex relationship with a few strokes, but stops at the right point to avoid spending more effort affecting the narrative rhythm. In the narrative space of skimming the surface, he intertwines and interweaves with the main line and the protagonist, not only completing his own narrative, but also colliding with the main line to create sparks.

This level of skill is already among the top 1% in Hollywood.

From this, it can be seen that Charlie Kaufman has a deep understanding of the core, framework, and all the branches of the entire story, which is also reflected in other sub-lines and supporting roles.

Dr. Howard and his wife.

From beginning to end, Dr. Howard and his wife's scenes do not exceed three minutes. The back-and-forth lines are only five sentences long. Even the audience may not remember his wife's name, Hollis.

However, with just a few strokes, it can easily awaken the audience's resonance, because there are too many such marriages in real life:

Existing in name only, barely maintained by inertia.

Their emotions have long been smoothed out and disappeared in the trivialities of married life. They may even have nothing to say when they meet at home. The bond that maintains their relationship is difficult to accurately describe. Perhaps it is love, perhaps it is family affection, or perhaps it is just a partner living together.

Dr. Howard made a mistake once, and Hollis chose to forgive, but behind this simple word, no one knows what Hollis herself experienced.

When Dr. Howard received Stan's call in the middle of the night and went to Joel's apartment to work, Hollis was hidden in the dark shadows behind him. She watched Dr. Howard answer the phone, but couldn't control her own suspicion, worrying that Dr. Howard might be going to meet Mary again—

The fact proved her fear.

In the eyes of the audience, Hollis could not forgive her husband a second time; but now, calming down and thinking about it, it is not so much that she cannot forgive, but rather that Hollis is tired. She is tired of those suspicions, those worries, those anxieties. She is tired of painstakingly managing this marriage and becoming unrecognizable.

Jealousy and fear made her ugly.

So, Hollis said to Mary: You can have him.

Stan and Mary.

To some extent, Stan is a more passive and introverted type than Joel. He has been silently waiting for Mary.

Usually at the clinic, he tries his best to appear in front of Mary, attracting Mary's attention in this way; when at Joel's apartment, noticing the wonderful atmosphere between Mary and Dr. Howard, he takes the initiative to leave, not because he doesn't like her, but precisely because he likes her too much, so he chooses to cheer for Mary's happiness.

In Charlie Kaufman's view, this is perfect love—

A lonely and desperate point of view.

Patrick and Clementine.

Strictly speaking, this is not "love".

Patrick is too young and too naive. He has not experienced love, so in his dictionary, love is hazy and lacks a clear concept:

Conquest is love, possession is love, dependence is love, and pity is also love.

Patrick calls Clementine "old woman". From this, it can be seen that he is trying to conquer Clementine, taking the initiative in love, in order to prove the power of men in this way. This is also what he learned from social life; but he is too young and doesn't know how to conquer at all, so he clumsily imitates everything Joel did in Clementine's diary.

At the same time, here, Patrick plays the role of a "clone". He imitates Joel's actions, awakening the memories deep in Clementine's soul. This is the reason why Clementine inexplicably went to Montauk Beach that morning, and met Joel there for the third time.

Looking at it from this kind of projection effect, Clementine, after eliminating her memories, still briefly "fell in love" with a phantom, a phantom of Joel.

Clearly so painful, clearly so resolute, yet still stepping into the same river again.

So, is this fate, or is it a tragedy?

Rob and Carrie.

Finally, this couple, Joel's friends, also do not have much screen time in the movie, only slightly more than Hollis, but Charlie Kaufman projected too many ideas onto them.

Rob and Carrie appeared twice.

The first time was when Joel couldn't understand why Clementine seemed to not recognize him at all. Rob and Carrie argued about whether to show Joel the card that the Lacuna clinic had mistakenly sent. Rob's aggressiveness and Carrie's uncontrollable anger were in stark contrast.

The second time was when they went to the Montauk Beach party. Carrie kept trying to prove that she could act independently. She even took the initiative to carry the heaviest cooler, but Rob ignored her, and it ended in failure; then Carrie tried to help carry the remote control airplane, but Rob cherished his toy very much and refused.

At this time, it can be seen that Rob's childishness, selfishness, and indifference—are somewhat similar to Dr. Howard's, not having grown up or matured; perhaps when they were in love, this was the reason why Carrie liked Rob, that innocence and purity, but after marriage, it evolved into something she had to endure.

Carrie has been trying to prove herself, emphasizing her right to speak, and having a place in this family, but Rob has never cared.

If Dr. Howard and Hollis represent one kind of family relationship, then Rob and Carrie represent another kind of family relationship, and the difference between Carrie and Hollis is that Carrie can never make up her mind to leave Rob, constantly using all kinds of excuses to excuse Rob and find reasons for herself to maintain the marriage.

Is it sad?

Perhaps it seems so in the eyes of outsiders, feeling disappointed; but in real life, only the person involved knows whether it is worth it.

In addition, there is Naomi, who has always lived in Joel's words.

Naomi has never appeared, but judging from Clementine's words, she mistakenly thought that Joel and Naomi were already married, but they were not.

Joel and Naomi don't seem to have had any serious quarrels, but the point is that they didn't have any passion either, just muddling through, maintaining the relationship in this way—

Love?

In fact, in real life, it is a luxury. In most stable relationships and marriages, it never exists.

Inadvertently, this also reflects another point of view of Charlie Kaufman.