Table of contents:
Video: We Watch The Film "Motherless Brooklyn" Together With A Psychologist. Orphanhood Syndrome - Reviews, Society
The film "Motherless Brooklyn", met with curiosity by the audience and did not disappoint them. Firstly, the popular Edward Norton, known in Russia, first of all, for the films "Fight Club", "Primal Fear", "The Illusionist", acted as a screenwriter, director and actor at once, making his old dream come true. Without the support of major film studios and serious funding, he squeezed the maximum possible, detailed and large-scale recreation of New York of the 50s. The viewer, as if on a time machine, finds himself in another era. And "stars" such as Bruce Willis and Alec Baldwin starred just for free, as a sign of support.
- Motherless Brooklyn. USA, 2019
- Director: Edward Norton
- Starring: Edward Norton, Gugu Embata-Ro, Alec Baldwin, Bruce Willis
Secondly, the main character, detective Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton), is not a superhero and handsome, as is usually the case in American detective films, but a strange and touching person suffering from a rare disease - Tourette's syndrome. This syndrome leads to nervous tics, obsessive-compulsive behavior and other "oddities". The main person who is annoyed by this behavior is himself, which is why Lionel disparagingly calls himself a "freak".
At the beginning of the film, his oddities can cause surprise and irritation in the viewer, but then human qualities come to the fore: kindness, decency, reliability, devotion, nobility … And the initial surprise and irritation are replaced by sympathy and sympathy for the hero.
The idea to endow the main character with Tourette's syndrome belongs to E. Norton himself: in the novel by Jonathan Letham, on which the film is directed, Lionel is healthy. And the Tourette's syndrome shown on the screen develops tolerance for people with developmental and mental disabilities, helps to see, first of all, a person as a person, and not these very “features”. And treat with understanding and empathy.
Thirdly, the film is distinguished by a well-chosen musical accompaniment, and music always has a deeper effect on the psyche than the visual series - these are the laws of evolution. First, our distant ancestors got hearing, only then - sight.
The title of the film hides a double meaning. Brooklyn is a New York borough where action takes place where the poor need protection from developers. And "Brooklyn" is the nickname of the protagonist. He was taken from the orphanage by detective Frank Minna (Blues Willis), struck by the boy's tenacious memory. The boy grew up and became a faithful assistant to Frank. After the murder of the mentor, Brooklyn seemed once again orphaned. Sincerely grieving, he begins his own investigation.
Both Brooklyn (both the neighborhood and the protagonist) are orphaned. They are alone in difficult circumstances and need help, protection, but do not give up.
About Orphanhood Syndrome
Orphanhood syndrome is a psychological phenomenon, and quite common, because it does not always depend on the presence or absence of parents. Psychological "orphanhood" can be in complete, prosperous families. And even in families with overprotection.
A child with the so-called "orphan scenario" feels abandoned, lonely, unnecessary, insufficiently protected. They don't pay attention to his true feelings, needs, desires. The environment is not interested in what he really is, parents can see their projections in him, make him the container of their ambitions. The "orphan" lacks attention at all, or the "orphan" receives the wrong attention: demanding, critical. The reason for the orphan's scenario is a lack of unconditional love and acceptance. As a result, the child develops a feeling that he is alone and abandoned, even if he has parents.
What are the consequences in adulthood?
Infantilism, being stuck in childhood, searching for a “good parent” in others. In her contacts with peers, and even with younger people, the “orphan” builds parent-child relationships: either by becoming a symbolic “child”, or compensatory trying to be a “parent” for others.
Lionell, the hero of the film "Orphaned Brooklyn", was a real orphan as a child and grew up in an orphanage. And in adulthood, he behaves like a person with an orphan scenario: unconsciously looking for guardian parental figures. The symbolic "parent" for him was the murdered Frank. And Lionell grieves for him not only as a friend and mentor, but also as a father.
In the course of the action, Lionelle meets a heroine for whom he has tender feelings - the mulatto Laura. This is a woman of precisely the maternal type: she is caring, protective, accepting.
Because of Tourette's syndrome, Lionell finds it difficult to build relationships with women: he admits that he had sexual relations with women, but none of them stayed at night and slept next to him, he did not have a heartfelt closeness. And Laura becomes the first woman who accepts him with all the oddities: they cause her tenderness and a desire to take care.
There is a scene in the film in which, at the very beginning of their acquaintance, Lionell-Brooklyn and Laura are dancing. From embarrassment, he gets a nervous tic, he is embarrassed even more, but Laura gently strokes his head and says that everything is in order.
Their relationship is not more like a partnership, but a parent-child relationship. And in the happy ending of the film, perhaps Brooklyn has finally found a symbolic mother and ceased to be an "orphan".
