Stranger Than Fiction (2006): A Humanist Adam & Eve story
Stranger than Fiction (2006) is one of the most intelligent films, I’ve ever seen. Moreover, I consider it as a remarkable and outstanding humanist film.
Plot Review
Harold is an IRS senior agent, who suddenly found himself the main character of a story; he hears the author’s narration (Emma Watson) partly.
He naturally tries to analyse and solve the situation (i.e., stop hearing the narration) which leads him to look and observe differently (though slightly) at his surrounding and horrifying realization that he exists in tragedy.
Here, his way of dealing with the situation is fascinating: he hears narration about his life, but he doesn't go for fortune-tellers, horoscopes, priests, or Chinese fortune cookies. Instead, he went to a psychologist and then a professor expert in literature theory.
Knowing that tragedies end with death (not like comedies which end with marriage), he tries to change his fate.
There are many films about people who know or foresee they are close to death. There are many… which usually end with the idea that the main character realizes that his/her life was wrong, it’s not nice to be selfish, and that’s it. But “Stranger than Fiction” is not about this type of nonsense, it’s simple, without actions. The film is about realistic and pragmatic lives. Harold is not more fortunate or unfortunate… it’s NOT about changes (e.g., realizing inner beauty). Harold’s decision/action at the end of the film is not related to of his experiences beforehand. Can you imagine any film with this type of plot? Daring and brilliant.
In the middle of the film, Harold asked his colleague that: “if you know you’re going to die, probably soon, what would you do?” His colleague cannot imagine this abstract question without having any magical power! He insistently asked: “what is my superpower?”
And about Anna, the anarchist girl who wants to make the world a better place with her cookies. The surrounding story was well-developed and a bit ironic.
A Modern and Humanist Adam & Eve story Harold’s punctual, without any false or sin or negative aspect. Everything for him is at the right place at the right time. He could follow that type of life forever (Paradise).
There is only one sight which does not adaptable to his paradise, is his morning apples which he put in his mouth! (not like him) in his way to a bus station.
Then he sees a girl, who tries to convince her to conduct the first sin: accepting a few cookies that she cooked for her. Instantly, he refused due to rules and also in his background (even his mother) never prepared for him any cookies. He always had them ready (everything was available in his Paradise, nobody went to the problem of turning flours to cookie like in Earth).
This is the whole dark irony when we see what Harold has bought for Anna: FLOURS. This is the sign that he doesn’t want to stay in his paradise any more, and want to go to earth and accept the cooked foods. Fortunately, Anna realized this nice move by him.
The disadvantage here is that life on Earth is mortal. As Prof. Hubert explained and elaborated to Harold. He has to die.
And what about modernism and human achievements? Can they save anybody’s life? Let’s find the answers with watching the film itself.
I know it is too much to ask of a Hollywood film: but I felt little atheist and humanist philosophy and thinking behind the script.
Regarding the acting, Will Ferrell, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson played very nicely (especially Ferrell). But in my opinion; Maggie Gyllenhaal's face, showed the very same face/emotions all the time, not related to the situations.
Postscript
An interesting article about this film is published in the Guardian (naturally) by Philip French. Unfortunately, the first paragraph has the tone of German propaganda in the 30s. Thereafter, the tone and article become professional.
You can download this film's wonderful script here.