Cast:
Peter Sarsgaard...............Richard Longman
Molly Parker..................Florence
Mel Gorham....................Roxanne
Jason McCabe..................Calacanis
Carla Gugino..................Jerri
Balthazar Getty...............Brian Pivano
Pat Morita....................Taxi Driver
Shane Edelman.................Vladimir the Porter
Karry Brown...................Lap Dancer
Alisha Klass..................Pandora Stripper
Lisa Newlan...................Porn Site Woman
Travis Miljan.................Dog Owner
Jerry Sherman.................Old Man
Robert Lefkowitz..............Motel Manager
John Lombardo.................Gondolier
Directed by: Wayne Wang
Written
by: Ellen Benjamin Wong
Running
Time: 1 hour, 26 minutes
While
known as perhaps the most alluring of physical pleasures,
sexual intercourse seems to hold a much tighter grasp on the
human psyche in the way it is perceived - from early male
adolescence when it is viewed as a seemingly unattainable
enigma (for normal adolescents, anyway) to later adolescence/early
adulthood when the act takes shape as the most thundering
declaration of one's love and devotion to the later years
when sex is a more pleasant diversion from life's day-to-day
troubles and routines. Wayne Wang's "The Center of the
World" is the story of a young man trapped in the second
of the above stages, even though financially he's set for
life; and a young woman who was catapulted into the third
stage very early on and who is aware that once the third stage
is penetrated, there's no going back.
Richard
Longman (Peter Sarsgaard, in a fine performance vastly different
from his frightening turn as the vicious boyfriend in "Boys
Don't Cry") is a computer whiz whose expertise in the
field has facilitated his status as a twentysomething millionaire.
In this internet-friendly society, Richard has carved a place
for himself in "the center of the world" as he calls
it, referring to the power and one-click-away influence captured
by those well-trained in the intricacies of the information
superhighway. He has attained the prestige of his competitive
field, yet has a difficult time inhabiting it. Richard has
the power, he has the money, and he has a great deal of spare
time as we learn he owns eighteen percent of a highly successful
computer business. Yet he spends his days locked away, his
fingertips dancing across the keyboard as he masters a computer
game while a pornography website stimulates the pixels of
another monitor. Only when he meets a mysterious young woman
in a local coffee shop does his interest in something not
attached to a modem become aroused.
Her
name is Florence (Molly Parker), and she tells him she's the
drummer in a rock band, which she is. But she also conveys
her means of breadwinning - as an exotic dancer. Richard is
immediately captivated, and dangerously smitten. His naivete
is a curse, unbeknownst to him but clear to the audience.
He makes her a proposal: he will pay her to accompany him
to Las Vegas (another self-proclaimed "center of the
world") for three nights. Naturally, she has reservations
about the offer:
Florence:
"I don't do that."
Richard:
"What?"
Florence:
"F--- for money."
Richard:
"Why do you talk like that?"
Uh,
'cause that's what it is. But Richard doesn't quite understand.
Or his lofty occupational status doesn't provide him with
the cognizance to comprehend how belittling his proposition
is. The above exchange clearly tells us all we need to know
about the two personalities, and hints to why the "arrangement"
won't end good. However, Florence eventually agrees (to her
own iron-clad terms) because she does after all need the money.
So, they pack their things and head for the bright lights
of Vegas.
The
story doesn't contain a plot so much as it engages in an observation
of human nature. A great deal is conveyed through the actions
of those involved as opposed to their words. Director Wang
("The Joy Luck Club") masterfully balances the two
diametrical perceptions of the same event as the two young
strangers embark on an unwitting collision course with the
most delicate human emotions bracing for the blow.
Richard's
occupational status renders him more as a stranger in a strange
land than a financially omnipotent tycoon. He's indeed rich,
but not pompous. In fact, he's actually very sensitive. He
nurtures and he dotes but unfortunately accompanies it with
expectations that will never be fulfilled. When he makes Florence
the offer, he does so with an unusually eager fascination,
like a kid whose eyes are catching their first glimpse of
a porn magazine. Sure, the offer is demeaning, but he doesn't
see it that way. He will ultimately be a victim, but a victim
of his own narcissism. Sarsgaard skillfully captures the character's
naivete engulfed beneath his glossy coat of wealth.
Florence
is clearly the more perceptive of the two, and is protrayed
by Molly Parker as a woman whose quite comfortable with arousing
a customer's libido, so as long as genuine feelings aren't
raised as well. She senses the potential emotional catastrophe
immediately after hearing his offer, but goes along for the
money. Soon she does find herself falling for him, but doesn't
allow herself the burden of exploring true love; perhaps because
of an occupational code of ethics, but I also think because
she senses his naive attitude toward sex and realizes the
danger associated with it. At one point, she's accused of
being emotionally hollow and frigid to which she responds
indifferently. That's her safety net. And she's right. One
can judge all they want, but it's far less dangerous to be
frigid than it is to associate sexual intercourse with a quixotic
perception of self-worth, as Richard does.
When
hearing it described, the film seems like it would play in
a very predictable manner. Yet somehow Wang and his writer,
Ellen Benjamin Wong are able to construct the story in a fascinating
way that effortlessly makes its points without belaboring
them. The movie sort of sneaks up on you in plain view. It
does contain scenes of flashback and even one that is a flash
forward, but I never felt like I was in the dark. The film's
true genius lies in its ability to allow the audience a level
of comprehension of the characters so intricate that I never
felt the need to judge them. There are no heroes or villains
here. Just realistic, complicated personalities. To demonstrate
how emotionally vacuous intercourse is to her, Florence at
one point sits before Richard, her legs diverge and she begins
masturbating - an act of autoeroticism not accompanied by
embellished bouts of pleasurable moaning, but isolated and
perfunctory. One can certainly perceive it as being cold-hearted
and distant, but it's also a lesson this kid needs to learn.
The humanistic spectrum is loaded with complicated thoughts
and emotions. How grand it is see a movie that is equally
complex.
Copyright 2001 Michael Brendan McLarney
Critically
ill
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