It's interesting that now we as a class start creative nonfiction, since I've recently absorbed myself in thought over a work that distinctly stretches the idea of "nonfiction": "The Social Network." Directed by one of my favorite directors David Fincher ("Se7en," "Zodiac," etc.), with a screenplay written by Aaron Sorkin of "West Wing" fame, it in essence is meant to be an ensemble "docudrama" about the founding of Facebook, focusing itself primarily on creator Mark Zuckerberg and spurned cofounder/former friend Eduardo Saverin.
It's interesting primarily because the movie itself doesn't make much of an attempt to slave over accuracies. Sorkin himself stated "I don’t want my fidelity to be to the truth; I want it to be to storytelling," and the abundance of sex, drinking and drug use present throughout the movie (though almost always alongside Napster founder Sean Parker) makes that deliberate truth-stretching clear. Not that factual events or behavior aren't present in the movie itself, as Zuckerberg's erratic behavior and lack of social nuance can easily be seen through his awkward TV interviews and embarrassing drunken blog posts, and Sean Parker himself was actually arrested for cocaine possession.
Whether the smaller details are true or not however matter little, since the movie itself does such an amazing job creating complex characterization out of those real-life figures. Zuckerberg, despite his display of borderline sociopathic behavior throughout the movie, manages to remain sympathetic due to his intense dedication to his work, while his roommate Saverin's perceived lack of commitment to the project is counterbalanced by his own feeling of betrayal towards Zuckerberg ultimately removing him entirely from the company. It stretches facts consistently but in a way, it's admirable to see a semibiographical work that, while not relying strictly on facts, attempts to focus itself more on mood and truly in-depth character interaction.
This is a interesting topic. You don't mention your name in the post so I'm not exactly sure who it is but I like this. I have not seen the movie "Social Network," but my brother has and I've heard that it is pretty good and hopefully I will see it soon. I will not say that I am a facebook geek, but I do spend plenty of time throughout the week on it, learning information, talking to people and just browsing to see what is new. I like how you mention "the movie itself does such an amazing job creating complex characterization out of those real-life figures." To me this means that the movie takes something real and makes a more concrete description of it. This is excites me because I am anticipating seeing the movie and I like movies that relate to actuality.
ReplyDeleteJaaziah Bethea