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'Foxcatcher': Wrestling Of The Egos

29.01.2015 18:27

Don't be fooled: “Foxcatcher” is not a film about the sport of wrestling. Well, it is, but it is so much more than that.If Aristotle were alive, he would anoint this film with the best tragedy of 2014 certificate, for such a colossally dramatic film of the human condition couldn't have been made with.

Don't be fooled: “Foxcatcher” is not a film about the sport of wrestling. Well, it is, but it is so much more than that.

If Aristotle were alive, he would anoint this film with the best tragedy of 2014 certificate, for such a colossally dramatic film of the human condition couldn't have been made with more style and precision.

Director Bennett Miller's film had its world premiere at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and has then moved on to garner five Oscar nominations -- including best director, best screenplay, best actor and best supporting actor -- and the nominations are well-deserved.

Meet Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum, who ups his game in every new movie he acts in) as he goes on stage with an Olympic gold medal around his neck and starts talking about the importance of honor and American values. You would think he's at a Yale alumni meeting, yet it turns out that the speech he's delivering is addressed to primary school children in a small Midwestern town.

Even worse, it turns out that his older brother Dave, also an Olympic gold-winner, was booked by the school and their disappointment at getting Mark instead is not suppressed. This is the lonely, overbuilt, taciturn Mark's life -- a second best to his extroverted, generous and kind brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo).

It is more than evident that Mark is frustrated by his position in life, but it's even worse when during wrestling practice Dave forgives his brother's weaknesses and childlike anger. Will Mark ever be a good enough wrestler, or even more importantly, a good enough person like Dave?

The 1988 Seoul Olympics are approaching and all the younger brother wants is to train and become the “real champion.”

In comes John du Pont (Steve Carell offering one of his greatest and deadliest performances), heir to the billionaire du Pont family fortune and a wrestling aficionado. Du Pont brings Mark to his glorious ranch in Pennsylvania, shows him the wrestling training grounds he has had built and named “Foxcatcher.”

Du Pont is a master manipulator and knows exactly which buttons to push: “Mark, don't you want to be great? Don't you want to fulfill your potential? Why don't we, together, uphold the good old American values of honor and change to society?” Such big and inspiring words are enough to convince Mark that du Pont might be the right coach and father figure he is looking for. But monstrosity will ensue.

The eccentric du Pont's benevolence and ambition to succeed by bankrolling the American wrestling team's path to the Olympics might not so much stem from his sincerity and love for the sport, but to prove to his disapproving mother (a wonderful Vanessa Redgrave) that he is so much more than a privileged blue-blood and can actually achieve something in life with his own devices.

However, du Pont's dealing with the blue-collar athletes around him, specifically Mark, is slowly revealed to be a power-hungry man's desire to control and satisfy his ego by toying with them via his almost-psychotic whims. A gun revealed in the beginning of the second act is a signal of the atrocities to come.

The tragedy of how initially Mark accepts this power hierarchy is based on his own insecurities and lack of psychological insight to deal with it and, most importantly, the fantasy that du Pont will help him outshine his brother.

Yet, perhaps du Pont only wanted Mark so he could eventually steer Dave into the team?

When Dave does finally arrive thanks to du Pont's huge check, the triangular relationship between the men will get even more complex. Mark cannot accept Dave's presence, yet he realizes it is the affable Dave who is the true Zen-master coach who can guide him; and while Dave is happy to be close to his brother, he cannot swallow his pride and grow to accept that a rich man can buy his integrity.

Du Pont, meanwhile, is on the brink of realizing that he isn't anything more than a glorified sponsor -- a huge smack to his ego.

The sequence during the world championship is spectacular, not only in its revelation of the personality and motivations of the three men, but also in highlighting the competitive and brutal nature of the corporate mentality behind professional sports.

This isn't new ground for Bennett Miller, for his “Moneyball” was also a brilliant film that delved into this theme.

This is a classic tale of a power struggle mixed with a smattering of the effects of an Oedipus complex, where some men have deep-seated father issues that can drive them to the very depths of insanity and violence.

But beyond that, “Foxcatcher” is a gritty portrayal of how the class divide and systematic meritocracy do not provide acceptance for those who cannot make it into the “top one percentile.”

EMİNE YILDIRIM, İSTANBUL (Cihan/Today's Zaman)



 
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