“Being John Malkovich” A mysterious work that foreshadows the “present” of identity and technology

Identity and desire, twisted and twisted

I want to be successful, I want to be famous, I want to be different, I want to be recognized, I want to live as I am. Maxine is in charge of all these desires. In the first half of the story, she seduces Craig, makes him overstep his morals, and enjoys pleasure by intercourse with Lottie, who is Malkovich, even though she learns that Craig is actually inside Malkovich. I don't resist. She inspired Craig and Lottie to deviate from their original paths, and led Malkovich to completely change his career.

In Being John Malkovich, human identity and the relationship between humans and society are depicted as inseparable from desire. Craig's workplace on the 7 1/2 floor, where the "hole" is located, is, as its name suggests, a "space that shouldn't exist." The people working in the unusually low-ceilinged office are full of unique people, including Craig and President Lester. If you look at the situation, it will start to look like a place for people who have no other place to go. Moreover, the 7 1/2 floor will soon be filled with people who want to be John Malkovich. All of them get to know, for a brief moment, what life is like as a movie actor and a fully recognized human being in society. People, including Craig, who is unable to succeed as a puppet maker, resolve their own unfulfillment by becoming someone they are not.

"Being John Malkovich" (C) PolyGram Holdings, Inc. All Rights reserved.

However, this work also reveals the complexity of identity and desire. Although Malkovich is active as an actor, he is not a top star whose name is known to everyone, and it is hard to say that he is fully fulfilled in his own right. As an actor, Malkovich's job is to play someone he is not, but it goes without saying that he fiercely resists having someone else enter into his life or being manipulated. Also, while some people want to be someone they are not, Lottie discovers a side of herself that she didn't know before because she became someone else. What's more confusing is that even the chimpanzees owned by Craig and Lottie feel uncomfortable about being chimpanzees and are traumatized.

In this work, a number of twisted identities and desires act as the source of the drama surrounding the ``hole.'' Big star actors like Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Winona Ryder, who would normally play the leading roles, appear as cameos little by little, and it may seem like a gimmick that symbolizes such a twist. Isn't that what you're thinking?

Release the oppression, the foresight of the work