THE TRIGGER EFFECT
US, 1996, 94 minutes, Colour.
Kyle Mac Lachlan, Elisabeth Shue, Dermot Mulroney, Richard T. Jones, Bill Smitrovich, Michael Rooker.
Directed by David Koepp.
The Trigger Effect is a mixture of realistic drama and reflection on human behaviour, especially anger and what this leads to.
The film opens with a series, a trigger effect, of people being angry with each other, for example people talking in a cinema, people bumping into each other, people being rude. This puts the main characters into a bad mood – and then the electricity fails.
The film traces the drama of what might happen in this ordinary situation, without the possibilities of explanations of why and when the electricity would be restored.
The central family, the mother and father played by Kyle Mac Lachlan and Elisabeth Shue, have a sick daughter. The doctor is unable to come or prescribe over the phone. The husband goes to the pharmacy and creates a scene, later returning to steal the medicine needed for the child. There are images of looting, social disorder. When there is an intruder in the house, someone who is working on repairs of the house, he goes outside and is shot by a neighbour. Then there are lies for the police as to what happened. When a friend comes to stay with them, there are further tensions. They all decide to leave and go to the in-laws. There is more trouble on the way, people wanting petrol, their discovery of a car by the roadside and someone whom they fear is going to kill them and who takes their car. They then harass an African American man and his daughter, trying to get help for the friend who has been shot.
Eventually, rather in a low-key way, the lights come on again and people have to reassess what has happened to them, how they have acted, and why.
The film was not popular – people probably expecting more of a melodrama rather than an invitation to reflect on human nature. The film was written and directed by David Koepp, a prolific writer of many successful films including Jurassic Park, Carlito’s Way, The Paper, Mission: Impossible, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Spider-Man?.
1. The impact of the film? As drama? As message film? Exploration of human nature and bad behaviour? The film not being popular at the box office?
2. The title, the opening sequences, the chain of people being rude to each other? The consequences? The lights going out – and the trigger effect of how people behaved?
3. The suburban setting, the town, the movies, the shops, the pharmacies, the shopping malls? The ordinary homes, the streets? The contrast with the open road? The small towns and diners? The isolated homes? Contributing to atmosphere? The musical score?
4. The introduction to Matthew and Annie, in the cinema, the two men talking, the confrontation in looks, their moving? The issue of whether Matthew should have been more assertive or not? Their returning home, the sick baby, the babysitter and her couldn’t-care-less attitude? The setup of the family? The visit of Joe, the past, relationship with each of them?
5. The lights going out? The ordinary consequences? Trying to find out what happened, the phone out, no television? The isolation? The neighbours and their discussions? The meetings and how to protect the neighbourhood and everybody being protective? Putting cars at the end of the road – other people’s cars? The generator and preserving the power? People not being neighbourly? While mouthing the words?
6. Matthew, the baby, Annie and her reaction? Phoning the doctor? Going to the pharmacist, creating a scene, the attitude of the pharmacist and the law, Matthew being insulting? His return, seeing the people looting, his taking the medicine, being encouraged by the customer? Being pursued? His coming home, the baby better – but the surprise for Annie and himself in his behaviour?
7. The ordinary sequences, by the fire, the candles, coping? Annie and the attraction towards Joe? Echoes of the past?
8. The intruder in the house, the repairs, the workman, going out into the street, the neighbour, the gun, the man with the knife? The shooting? The death? Steph and his wanting to cover up, putting the unregistered gun in the intruder’s hand? The police? The interrogation, the lies to preserve reputations?
9. The decision to go to the in-laws? The cars? Driving? The scene at the diner, Gary and his appeal for everyone for petrol? His look, people assuming he was sinister? The confrontation with Raymond, Raymond’s refusal? The occupied toilet – and his child? Gary and his running out of petrol, Matthew and Annie passing him, stopping, discovering him in the back of the car asleep? His plea? The pulling of the guns? The background of Matthew and Joe going to the shop, the advice from the man selling the guns, Annie putting the gun in the pool, retrieving it? The gun and Gary, his shooting Joe? His taking the car, declaring all he wanted was a lift?
10. Matthew and Annie, Joe and his wound, Matthew’s decision to walk, his finding the house, intruding, Raymond and his suspicions? Matthew getting to the house, like and intruder? Raymond’s little girl? Raymond eventually believing him, going in the car, the ambulance, the rescue?
11. The return home? The electricity coming on – everything quietly returning to normal? Yet everybody thinking about what they had done, interactions with others? Steph across the street and his having shot the man? The future – and the moral lesson from this kind of allegory?
