13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING
US, 2001, 94 minutes, Colour.
Matthew Mc Conaughy, John Turturro, Clea Du Vall, Amy Irving, Alan Arkin, Tia Tuxedo, William Wise, Barbara Sukowa.
Directed by Jill Spracher.
13 Conversations About One Thing focuses on issues of life and death and the particular focus is happiness. The director has written the screenplay with her sister Karen, drawing on her training in philosophy and literature. The film has a series of captions, sayings about happiness, about guilt, about the curse o being happy when Providence may laugh at your rather than with you.
The film, in an Altman-like way, focuses on several different stories. However, by the end, we realise that the film begins in the middle, takes us back into the story of the business insurance man and his coping with his drug-addicted son, downswing in his company. It moves forward then into the story of the hotshot lawyer and the young cleaner whom he injures in a hit-run accident. At the same time the film focuses also on the story of a mathematics academic, his separation from his wife, his relationship with the Professor of English, his harsh attitudes towards a reckless student.
The film is particularly well acted, has strong dialogue which is stimulating about moral issues. There is a great deal of material that is covered by The Seven Deadly Sins as well as by The Ten Commandments. Alan Arkin is particularly good, taking control of the film, as the insurance businessman. John Turturro gives a restrained performance as a very exacting, meticulous and predictable academic. Amy Irving is his abandoned wife. Barbara Sukowa is the English professor. Matthew Mc Conaughy has a good role as the lawyer who condemns criminals but who is cowardly in the face of a hit-run situation. Clea Du Vall is also very good as the cleaner who is injured. There is a very good performance by William Wise as a perennially cheery insurance officer.
1. The impact of the film? Its intellectual content? Moral issues and debate? The dramatising of moral issues?
2. The title and its focus on discussion, the one thing being happiness in life? The role of the captions, the comments on happiness, responsibility, guilt, God and Providence? Faith and proof? The comment that faith is the antithesis of proof?
3. The New York settings, offices, academia, lawyers, apartments, wealth and middle-class workers? The musical score, the piano motifs, classical music? Popular songs, especially "Put on a Happy Face"?
4. The structure of the film and the focus on the academic and his wife (and the film ending with a close-up on her as well)? The story of the lawyer, his celebration, meeting the insurance man in the bar, listening to his story about the man who won the lottery, his going off driving and the hit-run situation? Audience realisation that the scene in the bar was the central focal point - the insurance story preceding this incident? The academic as contemporaneous with it - but then the lawyer selling his car to the mathematician? The story of the lawyer and the cleaner preceding and following the bar meeting? The intricacy of the plot, the playing with time, characters cross-cutting each other?
5. The academic's wife, her cutting herself, her depressed feelings, her husband returning, his experience of being mugged, his reflection that this could happen to anyone, the mugger being an ordinary man even like himself? His leaving his wife, the packing up, her leaving his goods there, giving the rest to charity? His relationship with the English professor, her husband, the meticulous planning, his wanting to break out and be different, yet the regular clockwork meetings? Seeing him in class, his theorems, formulae? The importance of his making the point about things being irreversible and writing it on the board? The lackadaisical student, his approaching the professor, his being given the academic offhandedness? His pleading, citing personal problems? His suicide? The students using the formula to prove that he had jumped rather than fallen? The professor and his not knowing whether he would get back with his wife or not, standing outside his apartment? The finale with his wife in the train? The importance of the insurance man waving to her (in a way that he had not waved at his wife when he might have saved his marriage)?
6. Troy, the hotshot lawyer, celebrating with his friends, talking to Gene English? Gene and his moroseness, telling the long story of the woes that befell the man who won the lottery? The lawyer giving the lift, driving home, his articulating condemnation of criminals and getting them off the street, boasting? Hitting the girl, examining her, assuming that she was dead, driving off? The repercussions for his life, the cut on his forehead? His taking the razor blade to it and infecting himself? His attitude towards guilt, changing attitudes, getting the special case, the possibility of promotion? His examining his wound, fretting about his guilt? Trying to injure himself to make reparation? The young lawyer explaining that the girl had not died and that he was getting a second chance? Issues of luck, work, people creating their own destiny? Accidents?
7. Gene English in the bar, at work, morose, his relationship with his ex-wife, her husband? His drug-addicted son? Issues of downsizing in the office? His friendship with Richard? Confiding in him? Irritated by Mike - and then his winning the lottery? The image of a loser? His irritation with Wade Bowman? The smile, the cheeriness, bringing the cookies, the tomatoes? His deciding that Wade would have to go, the way he handled the meeting? Betting $10 and losing? His interviews with the big bosses, the possibility of becoming a vice-president and his not becoming it? His finally being downsized? His going to his wife's husband and making a special pleading for Wade Bowman? Doing a good deed for him? Meeting him in the street and Wade's cheerfulness? Not telling him that he had intervened? The relationship with his son - his future in the company?
8. Wade Bowman, the genial man, perennially happy, looking at the bright side of things, gifts for people at work, doing his job well? His being sacked, looking on the bright side, travel, with his family? Meeting Gene in the bar and being civil and friendly towards him? His joy at getting the job, meeting Gene in the street, giving him his card?
9. Beatrice and her friend, their cleaning work? The lawyer and his friendliness, the discussions about their future? Beatrice as dependable, the young friend as erratic? Beatrice with the shirt, offering to mend it, it blowing away in the street, her being knocked down, Troy not stopping? In the hospital, the visits of her mother, the care, visits of her friend? Her disillusionment in leaving the hospital, staying with her mother? Her friend visiting but then being put off by her morose manner? Beatrice's meeting the friend again, telling her the story of her anger, focusing her attention on the one man, his smiling back - and the film cutting to Wade Bowman hurrying along the street? The possibility that she would meet Troy and have some kind of recompense in future?
10. Gene's son, Gene paying the bail, his son's disregard of him, Gene visiting the apartment and seeing the girlfriend? The close-up of the son and his snatching the bag, getting the drugs, injecting himself? His not being in court, the judge ordering his arrest? Gene and his story about not waving to his wife when he was doing extra study? Her leaving him? The encounter with the wife on the train? Waving to her?
11. A portrait of ordinary people, professional people? Their lives, issues of the meaning of life, dreams, desires? The notion of true happiness? Job satisfaction, satisfaction in relationships? Risk, predictability? An insightful film about human nature?
