My Dinner with Andre
I think that this is a movie which captures conversation between friends very well. I see a lot say that the movie is just Andre speaking and Wallace just nodding along but I don’t think so.
The title of the movie itself, “My Dinner with Andre”, puts us in the shoes of Wallace, a man who is quite passive and somehow, afraid of living and clawing out of his comfort zone. A feeling which I assume most of us can relate with. I like to think of the movie as a conversation which I am having with Andre. If Wallace exhibits too much of his thoughts and beliefs, we will be unable to freely insert ourselves into the conversation.
Regardless of that, a conversation need not be in jut words. A widening of the eyes, wrinkling of the forehead, scrunching of the brows, and a soft smile gently eclipsing the lips— can these also not convey emotions and opinions better than words may be able to? We can understand very well what Wallace thinks of the myriad stories which Andre seems to have come with. Thus, I would disagree with people who claim that the movie is a one-sided conversation.
Numerous times I caught Andre saying things which I had thought of as well independently, and it is comforting to watch the thoughts which I have had but never shared be present in a movie.
The core reason why this movie is a favourite of mine is that it is one which makes me feel thankful for the people with whom I am able to share similar experiences and conversations with. To me, this movie is something in which I see my dear friends and myself. It is a movie about conversation, about the exchange of ideas and beliefs amongst two humans close to each other.
Lastly, the ending scene wherein Erik Satie’s Gymnopedie plays is simply beautiful. The scene, to me, shows Wallace realising how quickly he has aged and oddly enough, he has passed time unchanged while everything surrounding him has undergone various transformations. He is finally awake from a slumber which existed unbeknownst to him. This is where Wallace takes birth again, and here, he is akin to a cicada in spring.