Most Compelling Character Study?
For those of you who don't know, a character study is defined as the analysis or portrayal of the combination of traits and qualities distinguishing the individual nature of a person.
For me, my top 5 favorite character studies are as followed...
5.) Shame. A film staring Michael Fassbender in his most provocative and powerful role as a sex addict who becomes conflicted with his empty lifestyle obsession when his emotionally devastated sister pops back into his apartment. Most of the story is told through subtle facial expressions and minimal cinematography to craft a jarringly haunting portrayal of a lonely and deeply disturbed man.
4.) Apocalypse Now. A classic amongst many film buffs as a vivid portrait of a soldier in the mist of the Vietnam conflict tasked with hunting down an operative of the green berets who has gone insane and converted a village deep within the Cambodian jungles to believe him to be a deity. The film shows a stark sense of moral ambiguity and as the film progresses, making a distinction between what the protagonist is and what the antagonist has become more indistinguishable.
3.) True Detective (Season One). An eight episode season relating to two characters' 17 year hunt for a suspected serial killer. Starting within 1995 and spanning 'till 2012, the two primary characters' mental health shows the weight and trauma of the heinous case. Taking several interesting and unsuspected twists, the real focal point is that of Rust Cole, played by Mathew McConaughey in a break-out performance as an emotionally distraught an intriguing character who particularly outgoes a very tragic aesthetic change to symbolize the inner demons he's faced with.
2.) Mulholland Drive. A particularly strange character study directed by David Lynch. Without spoiling too much, the film follows an actress who finds a stunningly beautiful woman with amnesia and swears to help uncover her identity. The film mimics perceptional dissonance by use of color, film filters, and minor sound cues crafting a film that's a hauntingly real as it is poignant.
1.) Taxi Driver. A more conventional choice amongst many is a film so masterfully acted and performed by Robert DeNiro it's hard to see Travis Bickle as a character who was written and easy to view him as an internal extension of everyone's darker mental fracture. A character so well written, the character itself is seen as an icon of cinema. It's a character dissection that needs no introduction.
So, what's your favorite character study? For shits and giggles, here is a list compiled by IMDb...
Comments
Honorable mentions go to Rebel Without a Cause, Hunger, There Will Be Blood, Locke, and Enemy. All exceptional examples of tremendous leads with intriguing characteristics that didn't quite make the cut.
Character studies are one of my favorite 'types' of movie, if you can call it that. Honestly, there are too many for me to mention, but here are just some of the ones which came to mind.
1) I'll see you're Taxi Driver, and raise you the whole 'Man in the Room' anthology. Paul Schrader wrote Taxi Driver, but later wrote and directed American Gigolo, Light Sleeper, and The Walker, as a similar character in his 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, respectively, while simultaneously reflecting the time period (70's, 80's, 90's, 2000's).
2) Le Feu Follet (1963) - Louis Malle's tale of an alcoholic who is recently release from rehab, who decides to kill himself, and goes about revisiting his old friends and neighborhoods, trying to understand his situation and potentially find any reason to live.
3) The Woodsman (2004) Nicole Kassell - Kevin Bacon plays a pedophile who is released from prison, under court order to take psychotherapy but given a job at a lumber factory. He tries to adapt to his new life, and, becoming involved with a female coworker, hopes to lead a normal life, but there is the constant temptation, feeling of stigma, and fear of people who find out, including his own sister who refuses to talk to him.
4) A Girl at my Door (2014) July Jung - After being sent to a post in a small town for having ticked off some powerful people and for being a lesbian, Yeongnam meets a young girl who is physically abused by her father, grandmother, and her classmates. While trying not to get involved in the smalltown politics, she can't help but feel for the tortured young girl, but this girl ends up developping a disturbing attachment, latching on to the only person who has ever shown her any element of care.
5) Pick-up Artist (2014) Do-Han Jeon - The disjointed stories of four men who end up going to PUA classes, though as the story unfolds, it becomes clear they are only trying to fill voids in their own lives with loveless, passionless, sex.
6) Igby Goes Down (2002) Burr Steers - The Holden Caufield of the 21st Century, Igby escapes military school, running even further from his overbearing mother, business-obsessed stepfather, machevallian brother, and schizophrenic father.
Gotta agree with you on Taxi Driver and all it's symbolism of Travis and his slope into a depressive insanity until his final meltdown.
I forgot One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and A Face in the Crowd.
Are a lot of those foreign? I've very recently started getting into foreign films myself. For whatever reason the ideal had turned me off for quite some time until I saw a good portion of Irreversible (still need to finish it, just need to be in 'that' mood). Needless to say I have A Boy and His Bike on my list of films to check out amongst others that are very poignant character studies.
One of my favorite transformations in film history is that of Travis' transformation. And the ideal of a person shifting and distorting their outward appearance as a way of further inward degradation is fascinating to me in any visual media.
And I especially love how crooked and off center his Mohawk was, I don't think it's a stretch to say Paul Schrader used that as a visual cue for the audience to further detach themselves from him as a human being.
Breaking Bad
Oh my god yes! Amazing picks man. I was gonna say Taxi Driver, but you already got that covered.
Other compelling character studies I've seen in film are:
- There Will Be Blood - Character study of a God damn sociopath! A+ film
- Whiplash - Ahh man. Miles Teller's transformation was simply amazing. We see an innocent young man turn into a sociopath. It's essentially a character study on obsession, and it looks at what the character is capable of in order to achieve it. His character is completely ruined by the end. Yes he did have a happy ending, but I fear for what's in store for him in the future. And it's all thanks to that god damn J.K. Simmons.
A+ film
- Birdman - My second favorite character study of all time. Part of the reason why I'm writing an essay on the film hehe. Michael Keaton is a shining star that is losing it's flare real fast. Funny because Keaton was perfect for the role. Ya know, because he was Batman and all that haha. The subtitle of the film is also fitting as we get to see the virtue of ignorance within Keaton's psyche. He doesn't want to be known as just as that one single identity. He wants to be recognized as a true artist, and not a celebrity. Fucking A+ film.
- Raging Bull - I sincerely feel like this is Robert De Niro's best performance. But I think Bickle's character is a bit better. Either way, Jake LaMotta is very compelling. A man that lets his aggressive behavior constantly consume him not only in the ring, but also in his personal life. It's a rather depressing movie as we see how his uncontrollable anger issues affects him, but that's pretty much why I like it. A+ film
Oh wait. You already mentioned There Will Be Blood. :P
These sound interesting, I might watch a few. When these threads pop up I always see what our resident film buff mentions and they never disappoint
Agreed with There Will Be Blood. Never have I ever seen a film that so perfectly shows the toxicity of greed to an individual and moral degradation as a direct result.
Whiplash was so good. I especially love how Andrew and Fletcher almost intertwine with each others' personality.
Have not yet seen Birdman, although I have it on my list.
Raging Bull was a conflicting specimen. On one hand, yes it is a fantastic character study of a man who is driven by ambitions far exceeding his own limitations. On the other hand, he was so unlikable that by the end I couldn't be fucked to really care where he was heading as a person.
Thanks! I think it's fair to say Taxi Driver is a pretty default film for many, but it was literally what got me into reading about cinematography and screenplays, shot composition, all that great stuff that helped make Travis even more of a landmark character.
Yea he was a despicable person. But at that point where he was crying in his jail cell kinda got to me. That tells me he kinda regrets everything he's done.
Props for the Mulholland Drive mention.
Amazing flick.
birdemic
Nightcrawler.
One of my favorites of all time.
You fuckin' got that right!
I was about to come back and say I was surprised you didn't say that above. Actually, I'm surprised I didn't say it either. One of the best - if not the best - movie I saw last year.
I think we've had this argument before, (not really an argument, more a cordial exchange of opinions) but, Nightcrawler > Birdman.
Those are some good choices. Here's two of my favorites:
First Blood - A traumatized war veteran is forced to utilize his combat skills and survive against a tyrannical sheriff and his deputies of a small town. It's an extreme and compelling portrayal of PTSD and how war can affect people.
Duel - A man on a business trip has to maintain his sanity and survive against a sadistic truck driver who is pursuing him. It's scary how nobody throughout the film can understand or help the poor guy.
Thought of 2 more:
Duel is severely underrated. It's a simple premise, but with so much going for it.