Magnolia (1999)

I have now seen Magnolia at least 4 times over several years. It is a unique movie, in that each viewing provokes new reactions, while solidifying older observations. It is a multilayered, deeply rewarding film experience. But it is a movie that seems to demand your participation like few other movies do. I always knew Magnolia was a great movie, but I have never been sure I could explain why. I think I have gotten closer and would like to share some observations.

The first time I saw Magnolia was during college. I turned it off part way through Tom Cruise's first Frank T.J. Mackey sequence. Frank Mackey is a self help guru who prances about on stage showing men how to score through emotionally manipulative means. He is never physically or verbally subtle about his intentions. At the time, I felt that it was too uncomfortable and I turned the movie off.

I later learned more about the movie and felt like giving Magnolia a second chance. This time, I was sucked in. So much of the film, specifically Cruise's character, made sense. It is one of few movies I feel thoroughly justifies its crasser leanings. There is a reason the man is perverse, but the movie doesn't praise it or let him get away with it.

It also proved to me something hardly any other film has been able to: Tom Cruise can be a really great actor. Watching him interact with his near dead Father is convincing and brutal.

The third time I became more aware of the technical end of things: The long, elaborate tracking shot which rivals Scorsese's Copa Cabana scene in "Goodfellas," the inundation of music, and the precision of the writing. I read up on some of the symbolism, watched for specific numbers to appear throughout the movie, and found it to be even better than my previous viewing.

I participated in watching the movie.

Now I have seen it a fourth time. During viewing #4, many more things became visible to me. My observations are listed below in detail, so beware of spoilers.

First, I noticed that Magnolia is a movie told in movements. Each movement is closely accompanied by specific music (which never repeats itself later in the film), weather conditions, and technical differences. The only thing consistent between each movement is Aimee Mann's voice.

It almost feels like an opera. Movement 1 is introduction, with a thoroughly gripping set up of characters and themes. Movement 2 is where everyone slowly falls down. Their facades begin to crack. Movement 3 shows the characters heading into (and arriving at) rock bottom. Movement 4 is the crash. Everything breaks, secrets are exposed, wounds are wide open. Movement 5 is a movement towards redemption. Each character begins to sense it. They don't necessarily move up - that would be disengenuine. But the fact is that they look up. That's all P.T. Anderson needs to show us, and that's all we need to see.

Watching Magnolia in this way helped me to experience it much differently than in any previous viewing. I felt like I had a road map.

A major theme (or gimmick?) of Magnolia is the multiple characters story lines. Unlike "Crash," Magnolia's characters are more difficult to connect. I finally saw far more clearly how they are all connected in this viewing. Consider sequences such as the one where the old man is saying his last, bitter, grieving words about regret yet the camera is entirely on another character the whole time. He is narrating the other characters thoughts and feelings as much as expressing his own. Or consider the future that awaits the brilliant child game show contestant. We can see his adult counterpart living his life should the child continue on being dominated by his openly abusive Father. Even if the characters never all end up in the same physical space in the movie, the occupy similar territory in other ways.

Thematically, I am convinced Magnolia is a movie focused on masculinity. Notice that the driving narrative predominantly revolves around men. Anderson focuses thematically on men and Father's in nearly all of his work - Remember "There Will Be Blood" and it's reliance on the role of oppressive Father? What about the role of Fatherhood in Anderson's debut film "Hard Eight"? Magnolia is consistent with this theme.

The roles males play in Magnolia is quite diverse - we have a male nurse, a male chauvinist, successful men, Father's, husbands, a "good" man, and children. It is not just that these roles exist in the movie on their own; they all seem to be quite purposeful. I think the biggest role of the movie is the role of a Father. Consider each character - Frank T.J. Mackey and his Father, the Father of the cocaine addict, or the quiz kid's present but emotionally tortuous Father. The literal and emotional absence of Father's in Magnolia appears to contribute to the majority of what happens in the movie. We see how families suffer at their greed, lust, and emotional absence.

There is more - the narrator is fixed on the line about the past not being through with us. As a therapist who largely subscribes to a classic Family Systems therapy approach to treatment, this is refreshing. I believe we all play out roles from our past in our lives today. Birth order, emotional roles, and triangled communication are examples birthed from our families of origin. It affects intimacy, attachment to others, and personality. Consider again Frank T.J. Mackey: He had to deal with the loss of his Mother and the emotional absence of his Father. He does not know, nor had he likely ever known, intimacy. He knows sex, but he does not know love. These are patterns and themes that his past gave him as an adult. Is it any wonder that he makes a business out of it?

Magnolia is a long, dense movie. It takes its time, and it demands your participation. I still eagerly await my next viewing of it - each time I've watched it with someone, we talk fruitfully at the end about it. There are still things about it I don't get - the frogs being one of them (anyone have a theory about this?). But, hopefully these thoughts can provide you with some clarity about the movie.

I am curious for those who have seen it what about the film you enjoyed most? What themes did you pick up on that resonated with you?

Questions for Counselor's:

1. What role does family history play in your work with your client's?

2. What character would have given you the most counter-transference?

3. What type of a client might you encourage to watch this film? To what purpose?

Questions for Viewer's:

1. Which character did you identify with the most? In what way?

2. Can you think of a role you played (or still play) in your family? How has this role impacted your relationships today?

3. What character bothered you the most? Why? Do you identify with them in any way?

4. Consider the line "we may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us." Do you believe this? Why or why not?

5. Consider the abusive Father and his brilliant son and where their story line ends. What do you think of the son's confrontation? The Father's response? Is there a family member whom you've ever thought about confronting? If so, what do you hope it would accomplish?

6. What sequence was the most memorable to you?

7. One character comments that he has a lot of love to give, but he wants to have a place to give it. Have you ever identified with this statement?

8. Forgiveness appears to be a big theme in the movie. How have you experienced forgiveness in your own life as forgiver? What about forgiven?