To begin, many of Linklaters film also pose the question, “how do we understand another’s subjective truth?”, Linklater’s Waking Life answers this philosophical journey through Wiley Wiggin’s dreams. There is a scene in the film where Kim Krizan speaks to Wiley about the spiritual communion one feels when there is a sense of understanding between two humans. I find this scene to be like sonny Davis’ Texas map sequence in its use of documentary style approach to the telling of the story and the context of subjective truth and one’s ability to understand another person’s subjective truth. In waking life, as Kim speaks, Wiley sits and seems to be an engaged listener. He is actively trying to understand Kim as she explains the feelings one experiences when there is a sense of understanding. The sense of understanding that Wiley is trying to feel is the same sense of understanding that Linklater is asking his audience to feel when Sonny Davis speaks about Texas. Linklater sets up the interview with Sonny by showing shots of a BBQ restaurant, then shots of a server serving a plate of BBQ. This restaurant is a place where people some together and – as we can see in the background characters – talk to each other. This gives the audience the feeling that they are about to sit down with a friend and have a relaxing afternoon eating comfort food and getting to know each other. Sonny Davis’ character is introduced and although Sonny’s dialogue seems stereotypical and may be offensive to some, it is spoken honestly and is true to his character as a Texan. For example, there is a sense of understanding between Texans when you call Houston the “carcinogenic coast”, a phrase only those native to that area will understand. Richard Linklater, acting as both the documentarian interviewing Sonny and the filmmaker who co-wrote Sonny’s dialogue, asks that the audience listen to what Sonny, and the rest of Carthage, has to say. It is through the dialogue of whomever you are communicating with that you will find a sense of understanding. In this example, Linklater is providing the dialogue in the form of a documentary interview. Although Sonny seems to be speaking to no one, there is a human connection between Sonny and the interviewer which allows both people to be comfortable and more easily understand each other.
The next scene I will be going over is when Bernie is shoots and kills Mrs. Nugent then continues to live his life as if nothing happened. However, instead of human connection leading to understanding, these scenes from Bernie and A Scanner Darkly show how there is a lack of understanding when there is a disingenuous connection between people. After murdering Mrs. Nugent, Bernie continued to be kind and generously donate money to various parts of his community, as it easier to live with guilt when those around you are convinced that you are a saint. Bernie’s ability to hide behind his kindness left the Carthage townsfolk with an understanding that Bernie has the kindest soul which could do no harm. As Danny Buck comes into the picture and attempts to convict Bernie, we see that Bernie’s reputation convinces the entire town of Carthage that Bernie should not serve punishment for committing the murder due to all his kindness and generosity previously mentioned. Danny buck, being the fair District Attorney that he is, attempts to help Carthage understand that although Bernie has been kind to most everyone, he still killed Mrs. Nugent and hid her body until it would be found – which is a crime of the highest degree. When comparing this scene to A Scanner Darkly, the main character (Bob Arctor) is an undercover cop posing as a mole inside of a drug ring. To fit the role of the mole character, Bob starts to use a drug called Substance D. He eventually gets addicted to this drug which leads to his dismissal from the police force. In the same vein as Bernie, this is an example of a character committing an illegal act and using a lack of human connection to try and get away with it. Bernie hid behind his kindness and generosity to make himself look good in the eyes of the townspeople while Bob used his scanner suit (a suit/device that makes the wearer impossible to identify) and his role as a mole to justify his drug addiction. This made it difficult for outside people to understand the nature of these characters, which therefore made it easier for these characters to get away scot free. It was not until Bernie and Bob were confronted by people who understand the nuances of decision making and that harmful decisions must be atoned for by those who commit them. It was a lack of understanding that convinced the town of Carthage to stand by Bernie at all costs, but that lack of understanding is the town’s subjective truth, so it is the responsibility of the audience member to understand that subjective truth. There can still be a sense of understanding despite the differences in opinions people have, and a way to reach that understanding is to connect to your fellow human by communicating with them. The final scene I will be analyzing to show how human connection can be a path to understanding another person’s subjective truth is when Bernie is shown at trial giving his testimony of the murder and how the townspeople reacted to the decision. We see Danny Buck present Bernie as a “calculating evil actor” while Scrappy Holmes (Bernie’s Lawyer) presents Bernie as a man who made a horrible mistake, but was too cowardly to turn himself in. Bernie is found guilty of murder and gets sentenced to life in prison which upsets the townspeople to the point where they refuse to accept Bernie’s fate. Linklater then brings us back to Sonny, where he criticizes the intelligence of the jury in fear of them convicting Bernie of murder. Then, Bernie meets an on friend at a prison visitation where the friend just assumes that Bernie can leave jail at will. And finally, the old woman at the end of the film says that if Bernie were “truly sorry for what he did, God would forgive him and that is all that really matters”. Most everyone believes that murder is a horrible crime that should not ever be committed, however, by giving a voice to the people of Carthage, Linklater shows his audience the humanity that lives within Carthage. The subjective truth of Carthage townsfolk is that Bernie was a not only a kind servant to his community, but also a loyal friend to the people who reside in that community. As awful as murder is, Linklater wants his audience to understand that the people of Carthage had a very personal and deeply intimate relationship with Bernie, which is why they were able to shrug off “mean old” Mrs. Nugent’s death as if she is of equal value to them dead or alive. This type of understanding can only come when you get direct dialogue from the people involved in a situation. Being that Linklater is from east Texas and attended Bernie’s trial in person, he can better understand the subjective truth of the Carthage townspeople as opposed to someone who is from outside of the community. By adapting this story into a film, Linklater shows real Carthage townsfolk and provides this one-way form of human connection via documentary style storytelling so that the audience can develop their opinions about Bernie based on anecdotes from the people who lived through the situation. The only way to understand someone’s subjective truth is to get them to talk about it and listen to their point of view. In Linklater’s Last flag flying, there is also an instance where hearing one’s subjective truth led to an understanding that could only have been obtained by hearing the subjective truth from the person who lived that truth. Larry “Doc” Shepherd is a war veteran who lost his son, Larry, in the Iraq war. Having also lost his wife, Doc looks to his old war buddies for solace as he grieves over his son. At the end of the film, Doc reads a letter from Larry that he wrote before he died. Doc spent the entire film trying to grieve for Larry, but after reading the letter there is a visible moment of catharsis for Doc because he was then able to understand why Larry chose to go to war and the feelings Larry had for the possibility of his death. Although this is an example of an unorthodox form of human connection, it is the only form of connection that was available to Doc now that Larry is dead. So, having read Larry’s own personal thoughts, Doc was able to understand Larry’s subjective truth – which is that it was an honor to die for his country; and the understanding of that subjective truth is what allowed Doc to peacefully accept his son’s death. In conclusion, human connection is a common theme in many of Richard Linklater’s films. In Bernie, Linklater gives a voice to real people from Carthage and has them tell their story to the audience so that the audience can connect with these people in hopes of understanding why they feel so strongly about Bernie Teide; and by presenting the people of Carthage through the lens of a documentary, Linklater cements the credibility of these people so that the audience can truly listen to the subjective truths of the people of Carthage in hopes of establishing a sense of understanding. Works Cited Boyd, Katrina G. “Greif Tragically Becoming Comedy.” Film Quarterly, Vol. 68, No. 3 (Spring 2015), pp. 48-52. Columbia College Chicago Library, https://doi-org.colum.idm.oclc.org/10.1525/fq.2015.68.3.48. Waking Life. Directed by Richard Linklater, Fox Searchlight, 2001. A Scanner Darkly. Directed by Richard Linklater, Warner Bros., 2006. Last Flag Flying. Directed by Richard Linklater, Amazon Studios, 2017.
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