Groundhog Day: How this movie describes the raising of
awareness and the reflection about the self.
This movie contains
an existentialist aspect. Indeed, it deals with absurdity, as well as anxiety
and fear, and also with the achievement and the consciousness of the self. It
raises interrogations about the meaning of existence. The main character, Phil
Connors, is falling in a time loop and can’t escape. During a period of
approximately 30-40 days, he wakes up every morning at the same place and on
the same day: the 2nd of February. This fantasy comedy film brings
some philosophical questions about time, such as interrgations about the way
one behaves, selfhood, consciousness and the meaning of being.
An eternal cycle:
absurdity, misunderstanding, and despair
Being stranded in a
specific space-time during a month is not only absurd, but also really
frightening. It might provoke a deep misunderstanding, and a feeling of
despair. It is, first of all, an oppressive situation in which the main
character (Phil Connors) is totally powerless. It seems really hard for him to
concretely recognize his impotency. There is no way he can escape and he knows
it. That induces a feeling of despair and a feeling of doubt due to
incomprehension. Moreover, Phil Connors seems to suffer from loneliness. He has
to face the situation alone since nobody believes his story. The main point is
the fact that his personal perspectives are completely changed: he has no
future. He can’t plan anything, since he’s stuck in a loop. His
misunderstanding, loneliness, the inability to explain the situation or to get
out of it and the impossibility to look to the future have a significant impact
on his behavior and mind. 
Several
steps in the reflection about the self
In front of his hopeless
situation, Phil Connors has several reactions. At beginning, overwhelmed by
despair and trying to get out of February 2nd, he denigrates the
society and all its rules. He begins to drink a lot and is tempted by hedonism:
this way of life and his urgent need to leak out leads to several suicides. But
death doesn’t liberate him, and even if he dies every day, he always comes back
to February 2nd. During the movie, he proceeds to a self-reflection
and as a conclusion he tries to adapt to this monotonous everyday life. After falling
in perversity, depravity and pleasure, he chooses a healthier way of life. He
decides to take advantage of the situation, seeing it as an opportunity to have
time and freedom. He thus goes ahead learning to play the piano, speaking other
languages, being involved in charity organizations and societies, helping
others. Therefore, he goes through three steps during the movie: first, the
temptation of hedonism, then suicide and despair, and lastly, altruism and wisdom.
Groundhog day is thus an existential and moral
story. It arouses many questions:
--> How would we react if we didn’t have any future?
How would humanity behave without a goal, or at least without the illusion of
having one?
--> How time and freedom may influence the way we
think and the way we act?
--> How does the individual go through the way of
awareness and consciousness by himself?
I disagree with you about your sentence “The main point is the fact that his personal perspectives are completely changed: he has no future. He can’t plan anything, since he’s stuck in a loop.”
ReplyDeleteIndeed, I would say that he hasn’t future if he couldn’t remember his day, and was imprisoned to live this day without knowing what he did the day before. It’s not the case, since he knows what he did, and wants to realize some projects in the following days. He has a future: his life is the only thing which is important to have a future. Possibilities that we have in our life are to make us experience adventures, and to make us improve our skills. Phil Connors is going to do this, and is going to realize experiences which he didn’t imagine before. This infinite day allows him to play the piano very well, but experience Death particularly: what a strange and frightening event! Yes, granted, but an inestimable real-life experience! He can do all humanity is able to do, and it permits him to catch his real self. In fact, I think this movie is a nice show to reach the objective which is perceived as impossible for Kierkegaard: find his self. It is what Phil manages to do, by being a better man who can understand people and elements which surround him.
So, don’t be so pessimistic with Phil: with the long long long day, he can have his future in his hands, and realize it in the best way there is ;)
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ReplyDeleteFirst I'd like to say I totally agree with you Quentin. He does have a future because he manages to stop the loop in the end. If he couldn't do it whatever he would try to do, it would be a lot more arguable. And even more arguable if he had no memories and would just keep doing the same things every day.
ReplyDeleteThe whole film is related to existentialism as the character has to live according to his self if he wants to go on. But it has flaws, like every films of course. Here are some thoughts I have on the films:
- Firstly, existentialists would say it is impossible to find your self as it is a surd. Kierkegaard says it is totally impossible. Admittedly, he obviously didn't think that one could actually repeatedly live the same day either. But can we really avoid absurdity just like that ? Is it really that simple ? Is it because he thinks it is the best day he ever had or because he actually experienced it (i don't know if you'll get my point here)
- Secondly, let's pretend that because he keeps experiencing the same day, he knows he's doing the best thing he can in the end, he prevailed over despair because he has no fear of the consequences of his actions anymore. But what about the other days ? Actually, if one wanted to avoid absurdity, he would have to repeat each of his day until he finds the most suitable way to live it. To me the problem is not fixed.
- The film is too focused on morality to be existentialist. It's a bit complicated to explain but I'll still give it a try. You know, in the movie, the character couldn't break the loop when he was misbehaving. I understood that it is not the character's self, but still I'm disappointed about it. In existentialism there's no wrong or right: there is just what you are, what the others are and how both you and the others construct your existence. He could have broken the loop by killing someone begging for it - it's just an example. Nonetheless, I liked the way he did pay attention to the others and began to create an ethical relation with the others. He did what he did because he had obligations towards the others as well - and the others expected him to do things right. That's what I said that he could have killed someone begging for it: otherwise it would just be murder and you would not have an ethical relation, only an aesthetic relation to it. Once again, I hope you'll get the whole point :)
*That's why I said
ReplyDeleteGood point about Morality !
ReplyDeleteHow can we know that doing a lot of good actions was Phil's true self, and then his subjective truth ?
Such a proposition entails that everybody is intended for being a nice and kind person. Unfortunately, I don't believe in this phantasmagorical conviction...
After reading this post, I took the liberty of searching up just how many days was Bill Murray's character stuck in the weird space-time hiccup of Groundhog's Day? One site said it was a little over 8 years, but in order for Phil to have mastered the piano and the other feats, he would have had to have been stuck for 34 YEARS. That is such an intense realization and thus I agree with your assertion that he had no future. How can bonds be formed with other people in this situation? Yes, he had time to acquire tangible skills that related to him on an individual level. But the ability to love and to advance relationships (familial, platonic and otherwise) or to advance in a career, to go about the daily motions that constitute human life would be insufferable. If anything, I am surprised that he did not go crazy. This film is reminiscent of Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray, however the main difference is that Dorian Gray had the fortune of interacting with other people and seeing that progression of time. Although the downside was his unnatural inability to progress physically in conjunction with those he befriended or loved. The parallel situations of taking up hobbies and interests in order to create a distraction from the mind numbingly endless stream of time that lies before both Dorian and Phil ask the question of whether that secret human desire to live forever (barring the certain restrictions in both situations) is ultimately worth it. And that is an existential question.
ReplyDeleteThis manifestation of human desires allows us to take a peek into the long term consequences of our wishes and desires and yet it leaves us with no satisfying recourse. To want to live forever, but to be trapped in one 24 hr time period, is insanity and equal to death. But the torture of continuing on, for 34 years, shakes me to my very core.