THE GUITAR

US, 2008, 93 minutes, Colour.
Saffron Burrows.
Directed by Amy Redford.

The Guitar is the work of Robert Redford’s daughter, Amy. She dedicates it to her brother James because of his love for music.

However, the film is very much a woman’s film. Immersed in the enormous crowds in New York streets, Melody, the central character (played with great aplomb by Saffron Burrows), seems swamped as an individual. She then receives a death sentence when the doctor explains to her that she has cancer of the throat.

The film is an exploration of what a woman in a particularly secularised world might do faced with the sentence of death in two months. Melody decides that she will spend all her money, after getting some severance pay when fired from her job. She also is alienated from her boyfriend who is unable to listen to her and wants to talk more about his therapy and his finding his inner child. Melody then rents a loft, spends all her money on furniture, decorations as well as lavish food (from expensive to indulging in pizza).

She isolates herself in the loft before she dies, encountering only an African American who delivers all her packages – and has a liaison with him. She also encounters a young woman who brings the pizzas and who comes back to the apartment – and she has a liaison with her. The film seems to indicate that in the face of death one should try every experience, especially every physical and sensual experience.

While the moral of the film might seem to be eat, drink and be merry (in all aspects of life) for tomorrow we die, in fact it is not. It is more eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you will not die. When the crisis finally comes for Melody, when the package deliverer and the pizza girl take responsibility for their own families, she has to face the doctor again and finds that she is in complete remission.

This leads to a new phase of her life, having no money, keeping only the guitar (which she bought because of a childhood memory which is seen in flashbacks where she longed for a guitar but her quarrelling parents could not afford it). Eventually, playing for coins in the park, she is able to join a group who play in a club – and find fulfilment.

1.A women’s film, in the sense about women and women’s issues? Illness, coping, not coping, death? The prospect of death? At a given time?

2.The title, the focus on the guitar, the name Melody? The flashbacks, the shop, the guitar in the window, bright red, the little girl wanting it, her longing, her parents and their squabbles, their refusal, her stealing the guitar from the shop, the chase by the owner? The effect on her life? A symbol?

3.The New York City settings, the crowded streets, the anonymity, the buildings? The doctor’s office, the workplace, the loft?

4.The importance of the interiors of the loft, empty space, filling it, gradually building it up, the goods, the furniture, the luxuries, the music?

5.The moral/fable: a completely secular fable, the absence of anything transcendent? Wants and needs, satisfying oneself, narcissistic, luxury, money no object, the difficulties and constraints of time? Melody’s background, the absent parents? The break with the boyfriend? Her relating to the carrier and the pizza woman? Sexuality, sensuality? Eventually having to face the consequences? Eating, drinking? The issue of true values and where one’s treasure is? Issues of identity, life? Melody and her complete isolation and self-absorption, no consideration of others, no issues of world justice or charity?

6.Melody, her age, in the crowd, people dumping her, the biopsy, her illness? The month or two of life? The discussions with Brett, his self-pity, wanting to find himself? Her being sacked, four weeks’ severance pay?

7.Melody as bereft, no relatives, no-one to draw on?

8.Seeing the advertisement, the loft, leaving her apartment, the discussions with the man and the lease, the limited time, her occupation, becoming at home, her dream world, literally throwing boxes and clothes away, naked in the loft, starting again? The catalogues, her credit cards, the phone being installed, the unlisted number? The king-size bed, the lounge, the furniture, clothes, curtains and decorations? The antiques? The guitar and the expensive sound system? Indulging in food and drink? Quality food and pizza?

9.Audiences responding to a woman facing life with little time to live, no obligations, deciding what to do with complete independence?

10.The phone as the only link to the outside world, isolated, the setting it up, using it for ordering things?

11.Roscoe, his delivering the parcels, sympathetic, helping her, the background of his marriage for seven years? His return, bringing the flowers? The sexual encounter? Cookie, and the threesome? His pregnant wife – and Melody letting him go? His smile of satisfaction and getting out of the relationship?

12.Cookie, delivering the pizza, her rough manner, her criticisms about the tip? The return, bringing the pizza, talking, Melody asking why she had come? Her being engaged? The background of the boy with his connections? His hitting her? The sexual advance, the relationship, Roscoe? Her being battered, her decision to get married in a few weeks – and severing the relationship with Melody?

13.The guitar, the music, the video teaching how to play, playing and fulfilment for Melody? Her not seeming ill? Her credit cards finally giving out, on the phone, no money left?

14.Her concern, going to the doctor, after realising she had lived more than two months? The doctor’s verdict and her complete remission? Her complete change of life? One in a million?

15.The man with the lease, wanting her to move, the final eviction notice? Her bargaining with him? Selling all her furniture, the limited money? Everything going except the guitar?

16.Walking the street, following the man with the guitar, playing in the park, the few coins, the drug addict and giving her the speaker, his being arrested? Her playing, the other musicians, playing together? Going to the club? Her happiness in playing and singing?

17.The film as schematised and contrived in its plot? A fable? Completely secular? Its depth or lack of depth?