Being John Malkovich remains one of the most peculiar and bizarre cinematic experiences ever. Using the viewpoint of being able to inhabit John Malkovich’s body, it examines the ideas of manipulation, betrayal, and obsessive love. Time travel may be a well-known movie idea, but transferring your consciousness into another person’s body is quite another. As strange as the idea may be, the movie is even stranger. Spoilers ahead for the Being John Malkovich movie’s narrative and conclusion.
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Being John Malkovich: A Summary of the Story
Dr. Lester is who? What does he have to do with Mertin?
Actually, Mertin has been shifting his friends’ and his own mind from one body to another for generations. He is the one who constructed the Mertin-Flemmer edifice with the gateway. He constructed the Mertin-Flemmer tower to hide the gateway he previously discovered. He has been hopping from one body to the other since the 1800s. Dr. Lester’s belongings are his newest acquisition. His next stop is John Malkovich, and he intends to bring along a large group of his buddies. The best time to switch to Malkovich’s body is around the time of his 44th birthday. This explains why his room has a John Malkovich museum-like aesthetic.
John Malkovich: Who is He?
John Malkovich, a well-known actor, has previously portrayed a jewel thief. Yeah.
Craig And The Portal
Craig, a puppeteer who is out of work, lands a position in the administration of an odd business that is housed on the second floor of a Wall Street building. He discovers a tunnel below a filing cabinet that gives him the chance to spend 15 minutes as the well-known actor John Malkovich. He can experience all of Malkovich’s senses and feel what Malkovich experiences throughout this time.
The idea itself is left purposefully unclear; magic is presumably involved. In addition, the metaphor of the tunnel represents how perceptions, thoughts, and experiences connect the minds of all people.
A New Company
Suddenly, Maxine, a coworker with whom Craig has a crush, learns this truth. They intend to cash in on this notion by selling customers the opportunity to spend 15 minutes as John Malkovich for the low price of $200. Craig’s wife, Lotte, one of the first users of this commercial body-switch possibility, is very fond of Maxine.
Lotte and Maxine
Maxine also has feelings for Lotte, but only while she is inhabiting Malkovich’s body. Malkovich is compelled to meet Maxine because of Lotte’s possession and is attracted to her because she is attractive. Through Malkovich, Maxine and Lotte start a peculiar romance.
Maxine and Craig
Craig holds his wife at gunpoint out of jealousy and then convinces Maxine into having sex with Malkovich when Craig takes control of him. Craig quickly figures out how to manipulate Malkovich and maintain his control indefinitely because he is a professional puppeteer. Also, this means that they are unable to continue their business of renting Malkovich’s mind. When they have access to Malkovich’s bank accounts, who needs that?
Malkovich inside of John
Earlier, when Malkovich still had a chance to exert control, he followed Maxine and learned that they were paying people to pretend to be John Malkovich for 15 minutes. As a result, he went within himself. Everything in this scene is Malkovich, and all they say is “Malkovich,” which makes it really bizarre.
The Puppeteer Starts His Job
Malkovich is completely under Craig’s control when he starts dating Maxine and shifts his allegiance from Lotte to Maxine. After several months, Maxine is now expecting a child. Now, this child was created during Maxine’s encounter with Malkovich while Lotte was in control of him. Maxine therefore believes that Lotte is the parent of this child and not Malkovich or Craig.
Dr. Lester’s Scheme
Craig-Malkovich makes the decision to give up acting in favour of popular puppeteering, and he finds great success. Criag needs to get out of John Malkovich’s body since Dr. Lester (Mertin) and his friends have been waiting to take over his body. Craig finally caves in order to save Maxine after being kidnapped and threatened.
The Peak
Sadly for Craig, Maxine and Lotte decide to get back together and decide to raise the child on their own. Malkovich causes Craig to lose his renown, and when he tries to use the portal again, Malkovich’s daughter has already materialised, trapping Craig’s consciousness inside Maxine’s child.
After successfully assuming control of John Malkovich’s body, Dr. Lester and his friends are seen giving Charlie Sheen a place in Maxine’s daughter, their upcoming vessel.
Being John Malkovich| The Resolution Described
A Being’s demise John Malkovich witnesses Lotte and the new vessel—a reformed Maxine—fall in love and raise Maxine’s child together. The awareness of Craig and John Malkovich, however, is lost forever. Craig is imprisoned in the mind of Maxine’s daughter, and Malkovich is powerless within his own body. The daughter of Maxine [and Malkovich] is ultimately identified as the next vessel and given 44 years to live before having her mind permanently hijacked.
Being Someone Else| Being John Malkovich
Living as John Malkovich is simply a surrealist interpretation of the universal human yearning to assume other identities. Today, we can do this through simulations and video games, but the outcome is still different. Becoming someone else—especially someone who is well-known, wealthy, and attractive—is the cherry on top and the reason Malkovich was chosen in the first place.
Whether future technology will make anything like this possible? Everything is possible, after all. The 1980s movie Brainstorm explores the idea of seeing the world through the eyes of another person from a scientific perspective. While it’s unlikely to walk inside a tunnel, augmented reality technology might be utilised to abstract all the intricate parts underneath. Even though the average individual might not understand what coaxial cable is or how to utilise it, they can still access high-speed internet. Another movie that played with this idea was Odd Days.
Actually, it’s you being someone else instead of you.
A social and anthropological aspect of someone else is something worth talking about. Nobody really wishes to be someone else, it’s true. They desire someone else’s good beauty, wealth, notoriety, or courage while being true to themselves.
No, you want to be yourself within Brad Pitt’s body, not the other way around.
No, you want to be yourself with his resources; you don’t want to be Bill Gates.
No, you want to be yourself with Mike Tyson’s fighting prowess, not the other way around.
Finally, Craig switches from acting to puppeteering as soon as he takes over Malkovich’s life. The first thing Craig would do if he were John Malkovich is something that John Malkovich would never do.
Identifying as John Malkovich and gender
Albeit in a bizarre way, Charlie Kaufman’s 1999 film addresses gender identities and gender fluidity.
Lotte
When Lotte enters Malkovich’s consciousness, she feels what it’s like to be in a man’s body because she appears to be happily married to Craig. She decides right away that she wants to be a male while also falling in love with Maxine.
Maxine
Maxine is drawn to Lotte as well, but only after Lotte has taken over Malkovich. Do you have any idea what it feels like to have two people stare at you with complete lust and love through the same pair of eyes, she asks as she continues, “?” Only when Maxine thinks Lotte is inside John Malkovich’s head does she enjoy having sex with him. Having said that, Maxine [at first] isn’t interested in having a close, sexual relationship with a woman.
The Child
She insists that the child is Lotte’s, not Craig’s, even though the baby is actually Malkovich’s because he was the one who had intercourse with Maxine. Say what? Every character in the movie uses poor Malkovich as a vehicle. Simply because they snatched Malkovich’s corpse doesn’t make the child biologically Craig or Lotte’s. Yet he ends up with the short end of the stick since Dr. Lester (Mertin) and his friends take control of his mind while his consciousness is pushed back. Despite what Lotte and Maxine think, the girl is Malkovich’s, and because of that gene, she will be Dr. Lester’s next vessel (Mertin).
The True Puppeteer in Being John Malkovich
Finding the genuine puppeteer is one of the movie’s most intriguing elements. Although Craig is the professional puppeteer and as such is able to exercise a far higher amount of control over Malkovich’s body, one may contend that Maxine is the true puppeteer.
She is the only character in the film who is aware of the tunnel and chooses not to utilise it from the outset. Why? Since she doesn’t require it, that is. She arranges a date for Malkovich and Lotte without going through a tunnel. Maxine uses deceit and seduction to manipulate Malkovich, Lotte, and Craig’s behaviour.
She mentions the idea of controlling Craig as he dominates Malkovich when she first learns about the extent of Craig’s power. She says it feels like playing with humans when she makes him dance like a puppet (like a puppeteer would) (something she does all the time).
Even her “change of heart” at the film’s conclusion is hidden by a complex scheme that “the system’s” creators could never concoct without her.
The truth is that there are individuals like Maxine who are puppeteering actual living individuals without having to physically hold the strings or pass through a mystical tunnel. Maxine is likely the true instigator, despite the fact that Craig is made to appear to be a more malicious character.
Craig is punished, but Maxine is given the chance to live happily ever after. Furthermore, she will probably be able to continue using her puppeteering skills for the rest of her days because they are not in any way related to the tunnel or Malkovich. Having said that, karma will eventually catch up to Maxine’s daughter in 44 years.
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
The purpose of Being John Malkovich is unclear. What is the real point?
Identity, reality, and the quest for purpose in life are all topics covered in the film Being John Malkovich. The movie explores themes such as what it is to be fully oneself, the constraints and difficulties of perception, and the human condition through Craig Schwartz’s character and his experiences with the doorway into John Malkovich’s head. The desire for fame and the power dynamics between those who have it and those who don’t are other topics that are covered in the film.
What message does Being John Malkovich convey?
Being John Malkovich has several messages, but the key one is that changing who you are wouldn’t solve your problems. Even if that someone else is a wealthy, well-known actor, the problems will still exist in some capacity.
The film investigates the notion that our sense of identity is created and shaped by our experiences and surroundings.
The Illusion of Control: The movie makes the argument that we often have no real control over our circumstances and are at the whim of forces that are outside of our comprehension.
The Search for Meaning: The movie’s characters are looking for a sense of direction and meaning in their life, but they are constantly unsuccessful in doing so.
The film makes observations about the desire for popularity and how it affects people’s lives and identities, particularly when they ignore the sacrifices necessary to achieve it.
What served as Being John Malkovich’s inspiration?
Kaufman originally intended to make a film about a man who falls in love with someone other than his wife. Then he added a few ideas that he thought were funny (the seventh floor, Being John Malkovich, mind control, etc.). The narrative developed in the most unexpected ways as a result. Kaufman also took inspiration from his concern with the nature of consciousness and the idea that people might access and influence the minds of others. It makes sense that Kaufman went on to develop the screenplay for the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which explores the importance of memories and events in shaping who we are.
Get Out: Is it a continuation of Being John Malkovich?
The characters Maxine Lund and Missy Armitage played by Catherine Kenner are thought to be the connection between the films Get Out and Being John Malkovich. Although this theory is only valid in hindsight, Jordan Peele likes it. It would be absurd to refer to it as a straight sequel, but if Peele so chooses, there is room to expand this universe. Each of the movies has a clear ending and is a superb piece of art on its own.
How did Being John Malkovich make John Malkovich feel?
Being John Malkovich was the title of the play from the beginning, and no other performer appeared in it. Malkovich was flattered but had no choice but to accept. He still takes pride in his part in the picture today; after all, how many performers can say that their name appears in the movie’s title?
Was he intended for Being John Malkovich?
No, John Malkovich was not the main subject of Being John Malkovich. Malkovich was chosen to play the lead part in the film, which is a fictionalised version of himself. The character’s name is also John Malkovich, which gives the movie’s themes of identity and reality a layer of meta-commentary. Malkovich’s acting in the movie earned positive reviews, and he has acknowledged that the unique and innovative plot of the project appealed to him. Having said that, I believe the movie would have been scrapped if Malkovich had turned down the part.
Finale for Being John Malkovich
Being John Malkovich is a remarkable piece of cinematic art. It explores human weaknesses and yearnings using surrealism settings and components. As a result, it serves more as a case study than as a form of amusement, yet it is nevertheless a dark comedy that is highly entertaining and stimulating to the mind.
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