THE RULES OF ATTRACTION
US, 2002, 111 minutes, Colour.
James van der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Kip Pardue, Jessica Biel, Ian Somerhalder, Clifton Collins Jnr, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Swoozie Kurtz, Faye Dunaway, Kate Bosworth, Fred Savage, Eric Stoltz.
Directed by Roger Avary.
Brett Easton Ellis has built a reputation for novels that make readers squirm. He is a black and bleak satirist who takes on American society and shows its shadow, its violence and power, its lack of moral bases and the indulgence in sexuality and hedonism. His best known novel is American Psycho, filmed in the late 90s, showing us Patrick Bateman, the complete 80s yuppy who is conscienceless, narcissistic and destructive.
In The Rules of Attraction, we are introduced to his brother, Sean. Sean is a familiar campus type, intelligent, attractive, irresponsible yet a leader. He spends most of his time drug-dealing, moving around with his buddy entourage and in sexual activity. He is a lower rung Bateman who runs foul of his suppliers, lacking the class of his dapper brother.
Writer director, Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, Killing Zoe) tries to give the visual equivalent of Ellis's novel. He roams the US campus, early 1990s, giving captions for the many parties that preoccupy the students. They are sex and pleasure focussed, but also have an apocalyptic tone, "The end of the world party..." He also tells the story of Laura, an ingenuous and romantic student who idolises Victor who does not know she exists. Then there is the story of Paul, the cynically flirtatious gay student who is a friend of Laura and infatuated with Sean. By starting at the end and, literally rewinding the film, we learn more than we probably want to know about these people and arrive back at the empty ending. Ellis and Avary want to show an empty, bleak world of self-centredness and indulgence that is almost nihilistic. They do.
1. The work of Brett Easton Ellis, his fiction, his observation of American society, grimly satiric look, black comedy, nihilistic perspective and moralising? His personal perspectives on Americans, hedonistic society?
2. The connection with American Psycho, the brother of Patrick Bateman, audience expectations of Ellis and the connection with the novel and Patrick Bateman?
3. The 1990 setting, the campus, college, corridors and classrooms, life on the campus, academic, in the rooms? The parties and socialising? Relationships, sexuality, drugs, hedonism?
4. The captions throughout the film referring to the particular parties, giving them titles, the emphasis on sexuality, on apocalyptic themes?
5. The musical score, the preceding decades?
6. The writer-director as involved with his characters, inviting the audience to be involved, or keeping them at a distance? Their own experiences, audiences sharing or not sharing these experiences and attitudes? Judging the characters? The effect of watching such a picture of hedonism, nihilism and potential self-destruction?
7. The structure of the film, the focus on Lauren, her memories, a virgin, with Paul, looking for Victor? Going to the room, the rape, the reverse sequences and their visual and psychological effect on the audience? The flashback to what led up to these episodes? Turning to them at the end knowing more about the characters and their attitudes?
8. Laura's story: age, background, character, her study, being a virgin, going to the parties, attracted to Victor, her decision about her virginity? The attraction to Sean, the friendship with Paul? Meeting the photographer at the party, passing out, the rape and his photographing it? Paul as a friend, his homosexuality? Her friendship with him, the attraction to Sean, finding him with Lara? The distance, yet the attraction? The build-up to going to the party?
9. Sean's story, at the party, bashed, the drugs, his being the centre of attraction, talking to the girl? His drug-dealing, his being a Bateman, popular on the campus, getting the drugs from Rupert, the visit to Rupert with his friends, Rupert's harangue, the confrontation, the threats? His meeting Lauren, attracted to her? His friends and the entourage? At the parties, drug supply? In himself, integrity or not, people finding him attractive, sexual partners, masturbation, Paul's attraction to him, sharing the drugs, Paul following him about, the phone calls, his detachment from Paul? The relationship with Lara? Meeting Kelly at the diner, her death, his reaction to her death? Attacked by Rupert, the bashing, finally going to the initial party, seeing Lauren - with a different attitude from what we first thought? With the young girl? His future?
10. Paul's story, seeing him at the party, the voice-over description of him, homosexuality, flirtatious? His relationship with Lauren, their being friends, seeing them together in the flashbacks? His taking drugs, inviting Sean up to the room, sharing the drugs, infatuated with him, masturbation? His return to his mother, his seeming propriety, good manners in front of his mother and her friend, his former boyfriend? At the table? Up in the room, the frenetic dance? Memories of the past? His observing situations, his disappointment with Sean? Accepting it? The contrast between his declarations of feelings, sex, drugs? And the voice-over about his feeling nothing? Finally seeing him at the party, going off with Lauren?
11. Victor's story, Lauren's praising him at the beginning, audience assuming that he was the boyfriend, glimpsing him only in the early part of the film, just one of the students? Yet enhanced by Lauren's thinking about him, talking about him? The visual techniques for the collage of his European trip, split-screen, time-lapse motion, the collage in the different countries, capturing the spirit of places like London and Rome? The sexual encounters, drug encounters, his hedonistic visit? His own comments about the experience? Lauren's visit, his coming to the door, the girl in the room, his not knowing her? Seeing him at the party with a different perspective from Lauren's point of view?
12. Sean and his friends, drugs, following him round, putting him on a pedestal? The encounters with Rupert and his friends, the violence, their backing out?
13. Lara, sharing the room with Lauren, attracted towards Sean, the sexual encounter with him - and his thinking of Lauren? Their being discovered by Lauren, her disappointment and disgust? The irony of her going into the next room, finding Kelly dead?
14. Kelly, quiet and mousy, at the diner, infatuated with Sean? Audiences not giving her much attention? Suddenly, with Lauren, finding her dead?
15. The other young girls, the one approached by Sean at the final party? Wanting a good time, study or not, parties, sex and drugs?
16. Rupert, his gang, different from the people on campus, his harangues, violence? Taking it out on Sean at the end?
17. Paul's mother, the fact that she was Faye Dunaway, glamour, good manners, indulgent towards her son? Her friend, her son, criticising him? Their having more and more drinks? The film intimating the double standards?
18. The professor, married, promiscuous, trying to seduce the girls, trying to get a hold over Lauren, exams and marks? Seeing him and his being a frequenter of the parties - with little future?
19. The final party, seeing everybody again, Sean, the girl, Victor ignoring her, Paul observing, her approach to the student, going upstairs, the rape, the rapist vomiting over her, the photography? Her finally going off with Paul?
20. The cumulative effect of observing this society? Identifying with it or rejecting it? The satiric interpretation? Black comedy?
