the robber

I just came back from seeing another NYFF flick with my two favorite movie critics. Based on a true story, the robber is about a champion marathon runner who happens to also rob banks.

when the movie started i was very tired and restless. i couldn't stop fidgeting and yawning until i gave in - took a mini nap during a quiet scene. i woke up two minutes later refreshed. (sometimes you just need to take the edge off).

perhaps it was due to the fact that there isn't that much dialogue in the movie that my mind had room to wander - because i ended up thinking about a lot of things over the course of my viewing (once i woke up).

i thought about running and how much it has, in the past, served me in symbolic ways - the lessons it teaches me about myself, about the power of endurance, the ability to push your own limits and the benefits of hard work and perseverance. the protagonist of the film is nothing if not a dedicated runner - even trains when he is in prison. then again, what else is he going to do in prison?

i thought about the lovely contrast between all the quiet/slow scenes and the fast/loud/running from the cops complete-with-drumming-soundtrack scenes. it made me think about dance and how much i miss making it.

i also gave a lot of consideration to the leading character. despite being a bank robber and eventually even killing at least one person, i found myself liking him quite a bit (or at least rooting for him some how). he (seemingly) had no real reason to behave the way he did - he just couldn't help the compulsion. i felt a great deal of empathy/sympathy (don't really understand the difference) for him. he didn't know how to stop what he had started. he also didn't know how to express any emotions (didn't smile once throughout the film - even during the love scenes). and yet, i trusted that he did have feelings, they just weren't readily accessible to him. i believe this was confirmed in the final scene of the movie - which was nothing short of beautiful.