Adaptation.

You are what you love, not what loves you. A truly fantastic film. The meta execution of having this film be about Kaufman’s experience adapting the film you’re watching following his writing of Being John Malkovich is phenomenal and is one of the most unique concepts I’ve seen in film. The acting is absolutely amazing as well, with the best Nicolas Cage performance I’ve ever seen as timid Charlie and outgoing Donald Kaufman. Along with this, Chris Cooper’s performance as Laroche is great, as well as Meryl Streep’s performance as Orlean. The camera work and cinematography is pretty basic but extremely solid and doesn’t hurt the film in the slightest. The flashback sequences (Darwin, beginning of Earth, etc.) were particularly enjoyable as well. The film is also thematically rich, with exploration of ideas such as passion, writing, and isolation. The theme of passion is explored through both Orlean and Kaufman, as both of their lives are transforming through their passion or lack thereof in many instances. Kaufman can be seen being overcome by self-loathing throughout the film through his own passion for writing. As for Orlean, her lack of passion acts as a driving force for her story, as she actively seeks something to be passionate about while seemingly ignoring her passion that she has for her writings. Along with this, the theme of writing is explored mainly through Kaufman and his struggle to adapt the book into a screenplay. One scene that stands out in particular is when Charlie is speaking about how he wrote himself into the script, while Nic Cage is in this movie where Kaufman actually wrote himself into the script. This extremely meta moment adds so much and helps show the realistic background for the theme. Lastly, the theme of isolation is explored through the dichotomy of Charlie and Donald, as their differences in social life exemplify how isolation and connection can affect one’s self image and motivations. I loved this film. The concept is unique, the acting is phenomenal, and the film itself is deeply thematic. The way the stories of Kaufman and Orlean intertwine over the course of the film is fantastic and helped bring the story together in the end. Overall, this is a perfect film and it has completely transformed my outlook on storytelling in film and media as a whole.