Magnolia

Special film. So so special. I've not finished his filmography yet, but I think I'm ready to call Paul Thomas Anderson a genius. This is astounding film-making. With the poster and the caption for this film, setting up an incredibly complicated film with many characters, I was preparing myself to pay extra attention so I didn't miss anything. I was expecting it to be incredibly important how all characters connect or eventually come together. And early on, it was definitely overwhelming the amount of storylines this was going for. However, taking me longer than it should have, I realised I was completely missing the point of this film. They are meant to be incredibly different people. On the surface, a lot of them aren't meant to have common ground or similarities. And I realised half-way through, the storylines won't ever come together, but they aren't meant to either. The reason the characters connect, the reason this all works as a whole film, is due to the human themes of loneliness, regret, forgiveness, grief, and just the need for human connection. In my opinion, there are three storylines to follow, with many characters in each one, exploring many of the themes I mentioned above. They’re all intertwined both thematically and narratively, but I think I've found the best way to split them. Due to how brilliant I think this film is, and how difficult it is to fully comprehend the emotions of every single character, I'm going to dive into complete detail about the themes and the storylines of them. First, there is the group/storyline of Frank Mackey, Earl Partridge, Linda Partridge, and Phil Pharma. At first, you see Frank Mackey as a hilariously moronic character. The slogan 'Respect the Cock' that's repeated multiple times, is just very funny. Deeply misogynistic of course, and you get to understand how tragic and deep rooted Frank's values actually are as the film goes on, but it's hilarious nonetheless. Earl Partridge, who is 'on his deathbed' being treated by Phil Pharma, is the father of Frank Mackey. Earl Partridge emotionally abused Frank as kid and then left him and his terminally ill mother alone. Frank's mother dies, leaving him unnurtured, and with a runaway serial cheater for a father. As you learn this, and specifically in the unbelievable interview sequence with Frank Mackey, you start to feel sympathy for him and understand why he's developed such damaging values. He becomes an entertaining but ultimately heartbreaking character, someone with deep rooted trauma and anger at his father, but also someone feeling deep sadness, seeing his deeply flawed father die. It's one of the most painful scenes I've ever watched. However, on the other side of Earl Partridge, you have his 'trophy wife' Linda, who is open about her use of Earl Partridge for money. However, as the film goes on and as she fully understands the gravity of her husbands illness, she has a revelation about her actual love for him. She experiences immense guilt for her actions, is longing for forgiveness for herself, but also feels genuine loneliness. The loss of Earl Partridge exposes a large gap in her life, one that should be filled with fulfilling human connection. Both Linda's grief for Earl Partridge and deep loneliness, and Frank's trauma and painful reconciliation with his past, is so emotionally impacting. It's heartbreaking, but also so beautifully human. And having Phil Pharma, a compassionate and kind person, as the final element of this story, is brilliant. He is essentially the calm in the storm of pain and grief, trying to reconnect these broken people, even it causes them short-term pain. This story is the best for me and one that I just can't get out of my head. Second, you have the story of Jimmy Gator, Rose Gator, Claudia Gator and Jim Kurring. Jimmy Gator is an older game show presenter with a terminal illness. He's coming to the end of his life and is trying to reconcile with the decisions he's made in his life. First, he's an adulterer and has to reconcile with his wife Rose, that he's cheated on her multiple times. And second, he has to reconcile with the implied molestation of his own daughter. He says he doesn't know if he did in one of those final scenes, but I take that as him not being able to admit to himself the awful things he's done. With his daughter Claudia's rejection of real human connection, you can see (similar to Frank) the childhood trauma that has majorly affected her in adulthood. Claudia's relationship with Jim Kurring, and her not being able to open up or try and build something with him, and Jimmy Gator's reconciliation with his actions, makes for an excellent look at forgiveness, trauma, and healing. Third, you have the story of Donnie Smith, Stanley Spector, and Rick Spector. Stanley Spector, a child genius who is the star of the game show presented by Jimmy Gator, is pressured and emotionally abused by his father Rick, leading to his eventual breakdown on the show. He's both financially exploited and emotionally tormented by his father, again linking to the commentary on childhood trauma experienced by both Frank and Claudia. However, in this case, seeing the harmful acts while Stanley is a child, rather than seeing the trauma it causes in later life, is not only incredibly painful to watch, but it gives a whole new perspective to the other two stories involving parental abuse. And adding further depth to that, is the story of Donnie Smith, an ex-child genius. He similarly has a traumatic childhood, and was also exploited by his parents on the show (they took all his prize money). Seeing his loneliness and journey to try and take back control of his life, despite the memory of his stardom as a kid, is really interesting, especially when compared to essentially the younger version of him, Stanley Spector. How the frogs raining ends up connecting him and Jim Kurring towards the end perfectly encapsulates the films the themes of coincidence, but also the need for proper human connection. How those three stories are intertwined both thematically and narratively, is some of the best story-telling I've ever seen. The performances are unbelievable. The structure is so ambitious but works so well to tell each story with the care and timing that it needs. How the music is used, especially in the first half, is some of the best use of music I've ever seen. The songs last so long and continue from scene to scene, just constantly gnawing at my brain for such extended periods. It's such ground-breaking film-making. I can't quite believe that a director would both attempt this sort of film style, but also pull it off to this incredibly high-standard. Paul Thomas Anderson, as I said, is a complete and utter genius. Couldn't recommend this any more.