Garden State: Indie AND Goodie

This week's movie is Garden State (2004), and no, it was not directed by Damien Chazelle like the previous two movies I've talked about. This one is actually written, directed, and starred in by Zach Braff (you know him best from Scrubs). 

We begin the film on a crashing plane, with Zach Braff as Andrew Largeman sitting calmly amongst the chaos, seemingly unbothered and possibly bored. We find out it’s a dream when he’s awoken by the ringing of a phone, which he ignores; it’s his dad, and he leaves a stinted message informing Andrew that his mother has died. Not surprisingly, no reaction from Andrew.

We then follow Andrew to a crappy-looking Thai restaurant in an LA suburb to the sounds of Coldplay’s “Don’t Panic,” the lyric ‘we live in a beautiful world’ darkly and comically juxtaposed against the dull concrete of LA and the even duller expression on Andrew’s face.

Garden State's subtle humor allows the film to be  dark without
getting bogged down in pessimism. (src)

We then cut to Andrew standing stoically at his mother’s funeral as an overtly Jewish aunt sings an interesting interpretation of Lionel Richie’s “Three Times a Lady,” which is undeniably hilarious. We learn from the same aunt that Andrew hasn’t been home in 9 years. When his dad says that they need to talk, he just agrees, but then leaves.

The movie up to this point has painted a grim picture of Andrew; one of the most upsetting moments is when he’s at a party, high on ecstasy, and he just sits there as “In the Waiting Line” plays monotonously. An objectively attractive woman even mounts him during a game of spin the bottle, and we have to painfully watch him try to figure out how to react. He’s completely checked out of passion or instinct.

And then a ray of sunshine appears in the form of Natalie Portman (as Sam).

src

src

Andrew meets her at a doctor’s office and though he continually tries to thwart her attempts to socialize with him, she’s persistent. She even has him listen to “New Slang” by The Shins. It’s during this moment, listening to the whimsical tambourine and seeing Sam through Andrew’s eyes, that Garden State has its first emotional moment. It’s also the first time Andrew smiles.

If you’re going to watch this movie, which I highly recommend, even more so than the previous two, I won’t spoil the rest for you like I usually do, but I will talk about the significance of the soundtrack within the context of the themes of Garden State.

First of all, this is a phenomenal soundtrack (listen to the whole thing here). Not only is every song perfectly placed and contextually sound, but the compilation as a whole reflects the theme of Garden State; it’s optimistic, yet it acknowledges that life is hard, and that life isn’t always good. Most of the songs talk about specific situations, but the way in which they are written makes them accessible and relatable to almost all listeners. And I think that’s where the power in Garden State and its soundtrack lies, in that kernel of truth, in that honest reflection of the human experience.

What do you think? Do you think it’s better to experience life in full, even if the lows are really low, than to be numb to it all? Do you like compiled soundtracks more than scored soundtracks? What movie do you think I should watch next?