What is an Existential Movie?
Occasionally, people have asked “What is an existential movie?” or “Aren’t all movies existential?” For a long time I resisted answering this question since it often reflects an over-simplistic or lazy understanding of existentialism which offends most more disciplined existential thinkers and could be answered by many other pages on this site. However, if one were to do a search of existentialism in non-academic settings, one could easily come to the impression that existentialism is related to a number of gothic or cynical movements. This confusion appears to be related to the romanticizing of existentialism by individuals who identify as Gothic. Because of the increasing confusion over what makes something existential, I decided to give in and answer the question.
Of course, no one owns the definition of existentialism and, in a postmodern world, it can easily be argued that if language is socially constructed then this understanding of existentialism is valid. To a degree, this is fair; however, one must divorce the term existentialism from his historic and philosophical roots to accomplish this. This tends to sensationalize and trivialize existentialism and one must often question the motives for doing so.
Let me demonstrate through a brief history lesson. The idea of existentialism comes from the idea of the study of existence or what it means to exist. This, however, is the starting point. If one were to go no deeper in their thought or the study of existentialism that this, then all movies, and all thoughts, are arguably existential. However, let’s consider the implications of this. If this is true, then the word is utterly meaningless and we just as well discontinue its usage. Again, it seems to reflect more of an intellectual laziness as much as anything.
If we continue in history, we see that existentialism has become associated with particular ideas and ways of living which have emerged from the writing of Pascal, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Sartre, among others. Through this, several important these have developed: freedom v. responsibility, death and human limitation, interpersonal isolation, meaning v. meaninglessness, and human subjectivity, to name a few. Although existentialists do not agree on the answers to these questions or givens, they generally agree that these are essential questions of what it means to exist.
Do all movies deal with these themes? Maybe, depending upon what level of trivialization you are willing to accept. In my view, clearly the answer is “no.” I am confident that most, if not all, people who approach existentialism with seriousness would agree with this answer. So when someone asks “Aren’t all movies existential?” first, check to see if they are just trying to sound intelligent or trivialize existentialism. If so, there is little use for the conversation to continue. If this question is approached with seriousness, then it may be best to place existentialism in its historical and intellectual context to answer the question.
So what, then, is an existential movie? It is a movie that deals with themes of existential literature seriously. I would also point out that it is very possible to deal seriously with existential issues through humor – take a look at Barber Shop and I Heart Huckabees, for example. In Barber Shop, the issues of meaning and relationship are dealt with on a serious level in the context of a humorous movie. I Heart Huckabees does a great job of reflecting two very different poles of existentialism in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek manner which is very humorous. Keep in mind, existentialism is not as dark as many of the Gothics try to make it out to be.
Let me close by mentioning briefly how I add movies to the list of existential movies. First, I do not add any movies that I have not watched. I receive a number of recommendations, but do not add them unless I have seen them. Second, I always do an analysis of the movie in accordance with the central existential themes which have emerged in the existential literature. Third, I consider if the movie has given a significant focus to these issues or only dealt with them in passing. I will often ask, could a serious discussion of this movie help to illuminate deeper understanding of existential themes? Fourth, I consider if it is a good movie. Not all the movies on the list are necessary ‘good movies’ in my mind, but, at the very least, there are portions of the movie which deal with existential themes that are well done.