This week, the theme for Wanderer's Thursday Movie Picks Meme is about father-son relationships. I think there's a mother-daughter one later on, though nothing about father-daughter or mother-son. Anyway, I'm supposed to find three movies about the relationship between a father and his son. This is not too hard to do, the only catch is that they have to be biologically related. That means that surrogate children don't work here, but there's still plenty of films about father-son relationships to look at.
Bicycle Thieves (1948)
This simple story about a man who loses a bicycle and struggles to get it back was part of the short-lived Neo-Realism movement in Italy, which followed the end of World War II and a strong desire among Italian filmmakers to find a new voice for their movies (largely because their fascist government had just been toppled in the War). The result was series of slice-of-life films dealing with everyday issues affecting people at the time. In this case, it's about a man who finally gets work that requires him to use a bicycle, only to have it stolen, with most of the film being about the efforts of him and his son to get it back. The son actually delivers a pretty good performance here, and the relationship between the two of them is pretty solid.
Eraserhead (1977)
This is certainly a more roundabout choice but as far as I can recall they never did specify the gender of the baby. David Lynch's first feature film involves a man who finds out his ex-girlfriend is pregnant with his baby and subsequently he is required to take care of it. The trouble, of course, is that the baby in question is a weird mutated reptilian creature that never seems to stop crying. There is also a creepy woman who lives in the guy's radiator, a mysterious "man in the planet" who seems to be controlling things, and a dream sequence in which the protagonist is decapitated, followed by the baby taking over his body and his head being made into pencils. It is a frightening experience and certainly an odd way to express the difficulties of being a parent, though it is definitely not for the faint of heart.
The Road (2009)
Have you found that The Walking Dead is just too upbeat for your tastes? Well then, John Hillcoat's The Road is the movie for you. This has got to be one of the most depressing films ever made. It's the story of a man and his son trying to survive in the aftermath of an unidentified apocalypse that has destroyed most life on Earth, leaving only small groups of human scavengers desperately trying to survive on whatever they can find (many having resorted to cannibalism). It is certainly an unusual relationship to be sure (the father actually takes the time to instruct his son on how to properly commit suicide should he ever want to do so) but it is a touching one nonetheless. Really, it's all about maintaining some form of human decency in a world where literally nothing else is left.
Nice call on the last two! I haven't seen the first. You're right about The Road being one of the most depressing things I've ever seen. I never would've thought of Eraserhead for this theme, but that's an interesting choice.
ReplyDeleteThat one was definitely a tough call. I'd considered Road to Perdition but I figured it would be too obvious and someone else would do it, plus in many ways its actually quite similar to The Road.
DeleteBicycle Thieves was one of my first thoughts, but I'd though that'll be a common one and everybody would sell it far better than I would. Never seen Eraserhead but have been meaning two for the past...er...three years.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe I forgot about The Road, the whole father-son relationship is integral to the plot. Yep, the film is certainly depressing as hell but their relationship gives hope to humanity remaining when the world is nothing like it used to be.
Eraserhead is certainly an... interesting experience, though one that might shock you. To be honest, the first time I saw it was the closest I've ever come to being severely traumatized by a movie.
DeleteI look forward to it as it takes a lot to shock me. Also, I don't know why I wrote "two"...
DeleteI KNEW someone would pick Eraserhead! Well done, sir! I found that one very difficult to get through, myself. Bicycle Thieves is going to be part of my Blind Spot series (probably in June for Father's Day). I need to see The Road - love the book.
ReplyDeleteBicycle thieves is an interesting experience, though it might help to do some research into the ideas behind Italian Neo-Realist cinema (putting it simply, a movement in Italy starting after World War II in which filmmakers started trying to make films about everyday problems; though it is a bit more complicated than that).
DeleteI have not seen any of these. Bicycle Thieves will definitely happen eventually. Eraserhead has been attempted and failed. I have never connected with a Lynch film. Not sure if it's possible for me. Maybe should try again. The Road as a novel was enough for me. Beautiful, bleak, and heartbreaking. I've never been able to do the movie.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's okay. I've never been able to connect with a Godard movie. I've never actually read the book, but to be fair John Hillcoat's adaptation of The Road was depressing enough. I can't imagine what the guy who wrote No Country For Old Men came up with in his original text.
DeleteI haven't seen any of these yet, but The Road and Bicycle Thieves are definitely on my list, and I am intrigued by Eraserhead.
ReplyDeleteEraserhead is an interesting movie, but I would advise caution going in. The content in that movie might leave deep psychological scarring.
DeleteI have another 7 Thursdays of the All in the Family Edition still, so there actually are father-daughter or mother-son themes which should be on the last Thursday of April and May respectively.
ReplyDeleteI definitely expected to see the The Road on someone's list. It's something I want to see but I'm going to have to tackle the book first.
Ah, yes. I just found them on your list. That was my fault for not seeing them sooner. Next week's should be a bit more straight forward. I can already think of several possible candidates.
DeleteEraserhead is the film that really opened my eyes to cinema as a whole...like...brilliant movie!
ReplyDeleteGreat, varied picks!
Brilliant, but messed up in quite a few ways.
DeleteI've only seen The Road. Yup it's depressing. The Bicycle Thief has been on my to watch list for years. Sad, I know. At this rate, it will likely be on Blind Spot list for 2016. I'm still trying to talk myself into Eraserhead. I love The Elephant Man, but I'm not a Lynch fan. Great post.
ReplyDeleteEven if you're not a fan of Lynch, you might still want to see Eraserhead if only just because of how uniquely bizarre it is. There's nothing I'm aware of quite like it, even in Lynch's later filmography. At the very least you'll be able to comment on whether you think it lives up to the hype.
DeleteI have always wanted to see Eraserhead because it is just so weird. I think I may pass on The Road because it sounds depressing and life can be that for real so why watch that...might be short sighted of me but oh well. The Bicycle Thieves is a brilliant film in my eyes. The simple story is so poignant and they were not "real" actors from what I read and yet they deliver great performances
ReplyDeleteWe talked about that sort of thing in my class. If I'm not mistaken one popular characteristic in Italian Neo-Realist films was that they often liked to take random people off the street and put them in their movies. It's a bit like what happened during the production of Under the Skin.
DeleteThe Road is a brilliant chouce. Well written and scripted but saddening story line. Not seen the other two yet but are now on my radar.
ReplyDelete