FLATLINERS
US, 1990, 111 minutes, Colour.
Keifer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt.
Directed by Joel Schumacher.
Flatliners focuses on a group of young trainee doctors who want to expand the frontiers of science, especially to explore the meaning of death and the experience of death. They believe that religion and philosophy have failed - it is up to science. In this way, the film is reminiscent of all those stories about scientists who defied the laws of nature (from Frankenstein on).
The writer of the film, Peter Filardi, commented that human experiences was the last frontier for innovative film-makers. His screenplay reflects the yearning for some understanding of responsibility, sin and guilt, forgiveness, atonement and reconciliation.
The film was directed by Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys, Cousins). It is stylish in tone, the production design being especially different (pastel colours and shades, dilapidated buildings, echoes of monuments and churches, dramatic flashback sequences and fantasies). The film has a good cast led by Kiefer Sutherland as the passionate initiator of the experiments and with Kevin Bacon and Julia Roberts.
The film is pop science - but exploring deeper themes for a popular audience.
1.The title of the film, reference to surgery, death? The possibility of returning from death?
2.Impact of the film and its drama, themes? Interest, entertainment? The exploration of values and human longings and search? The plausibility of the plot and the medical and surgical experiments?
3.The use of the city of Chicago, the set design, shadows and colours, night sequences? Dilapidated buildings, the credits and finale with the artwork, statuary and paintings, echoes of Michelangelo? The style of the various flashbacks? Realistic, collage, horror style? Reality and unreality? Musical score, choral background?
4.The role of science, the failure of philosophy to explain life after death, religion and atheism, prayer and God, human yearnings, solution to mystery? Depthing of mystery?
5.Themes of personal responsibility, sin and aggression, guilt, atonement, forgiveness, reconciliation?
6.Nelson and his passion, the idea for the experiment? His belief in science? The opening and his comment on a day to die? His approaching each of the group and their reactions, David and his hostility? His motives, speeches, passion, the performance of the experiment? Death, coming back? The effect on him of the dying experience, greater sensitivity in hearing? Billy and his imagination, the physical attacks, the increasing presence, keeping the secret from the others, his being bruised and hurt, locking himself in, Billy's attacking him within the room? Wanting to be with David, the fight with Billy in the truck, going to the cemetery, telling the story, the cruelty towards Billy and his death, his having paid his dues? The atonement, his sense of disillusionment? Phoning Rachel, deciding that death was the only way for atonement? Setting up the machinery? His dying experience, under so long? The experience of Billy's persecution, the reverse, his own death? Billy coming, smiling at him, letting him live, his running back to life?
7.Rachel, her work in the ward, talking with the old lady, interviewing the people about their death experiences? The lady's voices, her reassuring her? The decision to participate in the experiments, her relationship with each of the group, with Nelson? Sharing their experiences, supporting, being with them after the experiment? The rivalry with David about undergoing death? In the surgical classes? Her death experience, being five, the presence of her father in the photo, in her memory, her mother, father's return from war, going upstairs to the bathroom, her father killing himself, her mother blaming her? Her father's many appearances to her? Her fear, breaking in the surgery class? Her vision of her father, going into the room, seeing that he was a drug addict, the father and his asking forgiveness and the reconciliation? Nelson's phone call to Rachel, going to help, the desperation and David's decision? Her relationship with David?
8.David, the urgency in the ward, wanting to operate, being ousted from the hospital, climbing down the wall, refusing to help Nelson, his criticisms of his motivation? The decision to come, his reactions, collaboration? His own death experience, the girl in the train and her vocal abuse of him? His sharing this secret? Attacking Nelson for his silence? The decision to go back and see Winnie Hicks and remember? Seeing Winnie Hicks, her daughter and her husband, Winnie Hicks's memories, his apology, her acceptance? The effect on him, peace? Helping Nelson? Supporting Rachel, the night with her? Trying to help Nelson, the end and the urgency of the operation, his desperation, his atheism, his sense of peace, the attack on God? Nelson revived?
9.Joe, his cavalier manner, his engagement, videoing sex with the women, the range of women, his going under, being haunted by the images of the women, their being in his house, outside and on the staircase? Meeting his fiancee, her reaction against him? His collaboration in the experiments?
10.Steckle and the tape, his caution, in the surgery classes, the great hesitations, caught up in the experience, sceptical, helping?
11.Winnie Hicks, the persecuted young girl, the adult, her success, the flowers, her child, husband? Changed memories? Forgiving David?
12.Billy, the persecuted boy, the taunts of the children, their cruelty, chasing him, up the tree, the dog (and its place in Nelson's haunting)? Billy and his death, the cemetery, persecuting Nelson, fighting and battering him, the reverse roles? His forgiving him in the dream?
13.Rachel's family, the mother, the father coming back from the war, the scene in the bathroom, his killing himself in the car, the mother blaming her daughter? Discovering the truth about the drugs?
14.The women videoed, the fiancee's attack on Joe, betraying the women's trust? Her understanding and leaving him?
15.Glimpses of the hospital staff, the doctor supervising the anatomy and autopsy classes, the nurses in the ward, the dying lady and her not wanting to be buried on Saturday, the people questioned by Rachel?
16.Popular entertainment - but a search for meanings?
