Morvern Callar,
directed by Lynne Ramsay, is sometimes seen as a questionable example of growth
within the main character, Morvern, for most audiences. But first shown as
dependent on a dead boyfriend, Morvern gradually faces her life and grows from
it. In the scene from 1:31:15 to 1:33:19 Morvern allows herself to finally
embrace the change and growth that she has been experiencing.
Arguably not the most sympathetic character,
Morvern still portrays her growth through the action of leaving her whole life
behind and facing it head on in the ensuing club scene. Morvern leaves Lana in the bar with only the
excuse that she is going to the bathroom. Morvern’s dependency on others seen
through her relationship with her boyfriend and her friend Lana ends abruptly
with her unceremonious departure from the bar.
Sitting
at the bus stati
The
club scene that follows Morvern’s run to the train station is the main evidence
for her growth. The scene in the night club that appears earlier in the film
shows her being lost in the darkness and the white noise of the music. But when
Morvern is back in the same club in the final scene of the movie her face is
much more visible, she has her own soundtrack, and she is looking confidently straight
ahead. This change represents how Morvern’s life is her own and she has taken
control. Although her boyfriend may linger in the dedication to her new life,
she is only living for herself with money as no object.
The
song “Dedicated to the One I Love” goes on to sing about how the vocalist
wishes to have his or her lover say a prayer when they are apart. The notion of
praying and the repeated lyric, “this is dedicated to the one I love,” hint at
how Morvern sees her rebirth as never losing the reason for the forward movement
but still being able to move on.
Many
may see Morvern Callar as a simple thief who took the advantage of ownership that
a suicidal boyfriend gave her, but the woman who dominates the screen head on
and hair back is far more than the small act of thievery she performs. Morvern’s
dead boyfriend does not only give her ownership over his novel, it also allows
her to take ownership over her own life. Morvern Callar, someone without any
chance of forward movement being stuck in a dead-end job, must grow to accommodate
her new independent life. It is not only her life that is transformed by the
death of her boyfriend, but herself as well.
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ReplyDeleteI do agree that Morvern will eventually have to pursue a path that accommodates her own independence and truth, but I don't think this moment or instance is revealed in the movie. I do view her as a stagnant character. I think in order for her to experience any growth that she'd firstly have to confront what's happened to her boyfriend head-on, and maybe even "why"; however, it seems that's been suppressed or compromised with her discarding of the body rather than providing a proper burial. I don't think she ever comes to terms with her boyfriend's death in the film. Instead, it appears she remains trapped in this psychedelic consciousness, mainly represented by the music playing, even until the end.
ReplyDeleteI did not see much growth in Morvern. She was not a coming of age character because she handled her boyfriends death immaturely and was very emotionally unstable. I felt that Morvern's boyfriend made the decision to kill himself, so that Morvern could start a new and better life without him. At the same time, Morvern's boyfriend seem to desire glory through his book, which makes no sense because he has died. I agree with the comment above; Morvern should have confronted the death of her boyfriend rather than discarding the body. Yes, her life is transformed, but she does not grow. What she does is mask her mourning with a vacation, her own 'burial" for James, sex with the hotel guy, and by selling the book. All of these decisions where a product of her mourning, not coming of age.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post and thought it was very specific and descriptive. The idea of Morvern's dependency is not something I thought of or necessarily agree with. I didn't really see her as the dependent one in any situation. She appears to be the leader in her friendship with Lanna and the only aspect of dependency I could see was that she lived in her boyfriend's apartment. Throughout the film Morvern seems socially inept and works to distance herself from others as much as possible. This could be caused by grief from her boyfriend's death but I believe she has always been this bizarre isolated individual.
ReplyDeleteI think her hair being pulled back is a huge factor to this scene, just as you mentioned. It reminds me of how Sinéad O'Connor shaved her head because she wanted her audience to focus on her music and not her appearances. We can see the similarity to when Morvern is in the club and we are supposed to focus on her development.
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