Jun. 25, 2004 - 8:17 pm

cover
Jacob's Ladder (1990)

Colin had some big urge to see this movie the other day and Keith and I for some reason got randomly interested as well. we all caught up to watch it yesterday evening. we hardly ever do that any more over an old movie. we did that a lot in high school. i remember getting together at someone's house to watch certain movies that we had never seen before like The Graduate (1967), A Clockwork Orange (1971), and Fargo (1996). those were good times.

Jacob's Ladder focuses on the experiences of a man who seems to be having hallucinations in his waking life. it seems to somehow be tied to his experience in Vietnam where he was almost killed as well as to his current and past relationships with women and his son who was killed in an accident. his entire life seems to be flashing before his eyes and it keeps getting jumbled together so much so that it doesn't make sense any more. it's like a dream. actually a nightmare in some instances. he begins to see things that aren't really there. demons, faceless people trying to kill him, and those he loves turning evil. he starts to even question whether or not he's even actually alive any more. he might possibly be in hell.

Colin did a good job in comparing this to Mulholland Dr. (2001). it's sort of along the same lines. you don't know what's real and what isn't, you also lose track of the past and present, and at some point the film makes you realize that for a moment, those things don't even really matter any more. it takes a talented director and cast to perform that task, but it's done splendidly well in Jacob's Ladder.

i would definitely say that i liked the movie, but i don't know how many times i would be interested in seeing it again. it's very abstract and is more of a visual/sensory experience than anything else. it's a mystery in a way, but not one that has any definite answers for the viewer. those mysteries can be frustrating but fulfilling at the same time by pointing out the inability of our minds to answer certain questions. i like it because it makes you think, but doesn't necessarily make you feel helpless.

was my explanation of this movie confusing? well, the movie is as well, so it's in good company.