FEARLESS
US, 1994, 118 minutes, colour.
Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini, Rosie Perez, Tom Hulce, John Turturro, Benicio Del Toro.
Directed by Peter Weir.
Max Klein emerges from an air crash as a hero, leading people to safety from the wreckage and carrying a baby. He feels numb but elated and begins to review his life. Back home, he feels a distance from his wife and son, annoyed by a psychiatrist and clashing with a smart, money-chasing lawyer.
Asked by the psychiatrist to talk to a young mother whose two year old died and who is still in shock, he befriends her. He goes to a church with her, discusses God's will and is overwhelmed by a profound love for her. This further puzzles his wife. He secludes himself in his study and draws and collects paintings of near death experiences.
He dreams of the crash and remembers seeing a light and losing all fear, going to sit with a boy during the crash. At the same time, he is exasperated by the lawyer and the wheeler-dealings to get money for his partner's family.
Max goes shopping for gifts for the woman's dead son and his dead father and demonstrates to the woman it was not her fault for loosening her grip on her child by crashing his car into a wall. He asks his wife to save him. He almost dies but she revives him once again into a new life.
The screenplay for Fearless is by Rafael Yglesias from his novel. Direction is by Peter Weir whose films include Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, Year of Living Dangerously, Witness, Dead Poets Society and The Truman Show. It is also a fine star vehicle for Jeff Bridges as Max Klein, the survivor of an air crash, dubbed a hero and 'The Good Samaritan' but who finds it hard to combine the sense of wonder he experiences in being alive with the ordinariness of his work and marriage.
This is not a mainstream Hollywood entertainment. It tries to imagine and explore some of the realities of suffering, pain and death in the contemporary world, issues of religious faith and the absence of a sense of God while puzzling over the arbitrariness of accidents and wondering about God' role in them. Jeff Bridges is persuasive as the ordinary hero who is motivated to save people. Rosie Perez received an Oscar nomination for her role as the distraught mother who gradually comes to a sense of peace through Max. Isabella Rossellini is the bewildered wife while John Turturro and Tom Hulce are effective as the psychiatrist and the lawyer.
Unusual themes and treatment for an American movie.
1.Impact of the film? Human dimensions? Spiritual dimensions? Life, death, love, presence of God, accidents, pain and suffering?
2.American settings, the effects for the crash, San Francisco and the cityscapes? The musical score?
3.Max emerging from the cornfields, carrying the baby, the extent of his leadership, rescues? The Good Samaritan? The media calling him a hero? His denying that he was a hero? The victims, the crash, the signs of the cross?
4.His leaving the scene, the shower, the pierced side (and the beginning of Christ parallels)? The exhilaration of the driving, his head out the window? The desert? The symbolism of his spit and the sand forming a paste?
5.Visiting his friend, the disasters of her life, the cafeteria, giving her the strawberry, the forbidden fruit, his past allergies, almost dying, eating the strawberries, a new life?
6.The FBI finding him, his replying that people didn't need him any more? His wanting to fly back to San Francisco, talk about the crash and facing the reality of the word? Formerly afraid to fly, now wanting first class? The psychiatrist, his recognising him as a shrink, his not being scared any more?
7.The return home, his wife kissing him, his not returning the kiss, simply being kissed? His response to his son?
8.The lawyer, his intrusiveness, identification? With the psychiatrist? Max hitting the psychiatrist? Speaking bluntly, the talk about seeing Gordon die? The reselling of the tickets, Max invited to lie? His yelling and not wanting to tell lies? Mrs Gordon and her reaction to him, the embrace?
9.The water and his washing his face? Revisiting his past? "I thought I was dead"? Jonah, the reporters, Byron and his coming back to thank Max, with his father? Jonah's scrapbook? The talk of the Good Samaritan and the rescues? Byron's testimony and Max running away?
10.The significance of the light, the various reflections and his seeing them, in the city, in the plane, walking through traffic? Walking on the deserted freeway?
11.The flashbacks (the close-ups of his eye ......)? Gordon and the computer? "You're such a neurotic"? The turbulence, the response to the danger in the plane?
12.Carla, wanting the seatbelt help from the flight attendant, the death of her son? Her later dreams?
13.Max seeing the light, the low sound, his saying that it was the moment of his death and he was not afraid, "I have no fear"? Max and the group, in the plane, leading them to safety, their support? His walking away? Wandering with the baby?
14.Driving away, the hotel, the shower, looking at himself, his eyes and his gaze? Driving, speeding, head out the window, the lively music?
15. Visiting the friend, after 20 years, asking after her, going to the cafe, having the strawberries, the past history of allergies? Her sad life and her support from him?
16. The FBI, the airlines representative, offering him a ticket, his wanting to fly first class, their accommodating him? The psychiatrist, sitting next to him, their talking, Max’s resistance?
17.Arriving home, his wife and son, his seeming distance, the same with his son?
18.The lawyer, in the house, the law, damages, the claims? Max not himself, ousting the lawyer? Hitting the psychiatrist?
19.The lawyer, blunt, his character, the issues of the money, Max’s intense scream? Finding out that his partner had cheated with his ticket? Visiting the wife, embracing her?
20.Byron coming to see him, with Jonah, Jonah’s suspicions? His father bringing him, the safety? The media describing him as a Good Samaritan? The upsidedown view of things?
21.In the traffic, the issues of God, God killing people? The TV reporters?
22.Flying again, Max overcoming his fears? the flashbacks of the crash in such detail at this juncture of the film? Carla, the flight attendant, the light at the moment of death, not being afraid?
23.Carla and her husband, his trying to get her to get out of bed, the visit with the psychiatrist? The Catholic themes, shame and guilt?
24.Max telling the story of his father’s death, the comments about God killing, that there was no God? Yet Carla wanting to visit the church? The crucifix, lighting the candle, the close-ups of the images? Choosing not to believe in nothing?
25.Max telling his wife about his overwhelming love? The psychiatrist’s response? That he would feel invulnerable?
26.Going to the group session, the sister and the story of the deaths, the holiday together, the effect? The mother wanting news about her son, Max and his harshness, the psychiatrist having to calm him down? The angry man saying that the process was sadistic? The man who was mixed up about the seat
placements but trying to help? Lisa, trying to comfort Carla, the anger and walking out?
27.Carla’s husband, his interest in payments, deals? The lawyer, driving with Max, the office consultation, getting Max to rethink what was happening in the last moments, each minute worth dollars? Max’s wife, her plea, Mrs Gordon and the need for support? Max and his attitude towards lying? Going to the roof, walking on the ledge, his arms outstretched, the wind, his wife and her upset?
28.Max, describing his day to his son?
29.Carla, the kiss, her reaction? Max taking her on a tour of the city, the buildings? Walking like ghosts in the crowd? The idea of buying presents for the dead, Carla’s reaction, her enthusiasm after Max bought the kit for his father? The toy for her son? The picnic at the mall, the strawberries, dancing in the mall? Carla having to let him go, blaming herself for not holding onto her child in the plane, lying in the confessional, going to the lawyer? Max and his bewilderment, trying to prove that Carla was not to blame, driving the car into the wall, saying the hail Mary? In hospital? Carla coming to coming to visit Max’s wife, the tension, the friendship, trying to comfort his wife, saying that he was her guardian angel?
30.His wife, looking at his dark paintings?
31.Carla, the sadness of her goodbye, being definite, leaving Max, and the question of Max’s future?
