Hamilton

Yesterday's viewing of Matthew Porterfield's Hamilton was a provocative experience for me. As I watched the majority of the film, I was engaged by the obscurity of the character relationships, dysfunctional situations, and melancholy disposition of all personalities. I don't think there was one instance of laughter in the entire film! Nothing seemed to tie together until one particular scene: the church scene. Throughout the film, I watched Joe, one of the characters, ignore his mother, depend on vices, and fight responsibility, unable to see how these traits contributed to the plot development...but they were in fact THE driving force of the unfolding plot. Although the majority of the relationships did not require more specification, one relationship did need defining: between Joe and his girlfriend. It was not until the scene where Joe's previously introduced girlfriend gets up with the crying baby to comfort it did I realize what Joe was running from, or perhaps fighting. He was a young father, uncomfortable with where he got himself in life. His girlfriend was probably not the girl for him and he is probably not emotionally mature enough to handle the burdens of fatherhood. Particular scenes supporting these assumptions include Joe's constant smoking instead of taking on responsibility such as putting away the groceries, his roaming to the bar to drink and smoke, his late night video game distractions, and his apathy towards his baby crying, invoking his mother's silent disapproval.

Joe's relationship with his mother is quite fascinating. His mother seems to express disappointment in Joe's situation, but also disappointment in herself for being essentially a failure at being a mother. She doesn't even attempt to speak to him. All communication is accomplished through looks of disapproval, awkwardness, and sadness at the current state of affairs. Their relationship represents the teen angst phenomenon that has gone too far. Joe has made mistakes that teenagers often fall victim to, such as smoking or teen pregnancy, but his mother has alienated him too much beyond repair, at least in the segment we witness.

An observation brought up at the end of class regarding the different age groups being representing really fascinated me. The entire spectrum of life was represented from babies, small children, teenagers, young mothers, older mothers, and finally, grandmothers. This indicated that perhaps Joe's struggles with manhood may have been a driving force in the film, but a comprehensive examination of all stages and roles of life was also an important plot structure.

The last scene of Joe and the younger boy riding bikes was a conflicting yet perfect ending for the film. Was Joe being presenting as still being a boy, riding his bike with young boys, or was he being representing as a parent? A parent whom would soon be teaching his own boy how to ride a bike? Maybe the scene was implying that despite Joe's struggles, he would be able to overcome his personal conflict and be a successful parent. On the other hand, the scene could have been magnifying his will to stay young and manifesting his immaturity that comes with being a young adult, still desperately clinging to the last threads of youth. Personally, I think that dichotomy was the intention of the filmmaker.

One final thought I would like to discuss is the film's aesthetic. I loved it. To me, the film's life quality was what brought the film's impact home for me. To this moment, I'm not sure of the date of the film or what time period was being depicted. For me, it resonated as the early 1990's, the same time period where I was growing up as a young child. The primitive nintendo system, the clothes, and the aesthetic of the cars, buildings, and technology all brought me back to a small house in the Rosholt, WI countryside, swinging on our family's swingset in the backyard in neon stretch pants as my dad returned home from work in his giant brown Oldsmobile. There was a breaking point were I was completely enveloped by this medium, and the swingset scene accomplished it. Beautiful work.