MovieChat Forums > Nightcrawler (2014) Discussion > "Sociopath" is a "reductive label"?

"Sociopath" is a "reductive label"?

posted 8 years ago by ApeLieUproar
5 replies | jump to latest

Read this in Wikipedia:

In writing the screenplay [Dan] Gilroy tried to steer the audience away from labeling Lou as a sociopath, calling it a "reductive label".[12] In the end Gilroy wanted the audience to realize that "that the problem wasn't Lou,... The problem is the world…the society that created Lou and rewards Lou."

Society is to blame for Lou assaulting the security guard and stealing his watch? Yes, Lou is otherwise rewarded for his misdeeds but that doesn't absolve him of being part of the problem, nor does it preclude him being a sociopath (which he demonstrates himself to be in every scene). Also, the film shows a very small sample of society, so I think the film does a poor job of illustrating how society is the problem. We don't see the perspective of TV viewers so we just have to take the movie's word that gory crime scenes and accidents make for the most popular news stories.

Thoughts on the film in general: it was well-filmed and well-acted but it left me feeling rather empty. I know the bad guys get away with their crimes but I feel this movie is rather half-assed about it. Why have the cop character who's not fooled by him at all and even accuses him of murder if you're just going to essentially shove it aside and end the movie? Shouldn't this idea have been explored a bit more?

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La-bibbida-bibba-dum, la-bibbida-bibbi-doo

[–] TxMike 8 years ago

Without either agreeing or disagreeing with your remarks let me share what I saw yesterday on Youtube.

It is an approximate 12-minute video taken from a 2nd or 3rd story window, of a busy intersection in Rio, site of this year's Olympics. The "action" were a group of kids, maybe 11 to 16, mostly shirtless, continually circulating among the people on the streets, targeting particularly tourists, snatching and running away with valuables, cell phones, necklaces, whatever. They were from the poor section of Rio, it was their way of earning money.

So I ask, were they predisposed in the womb for that kind of activity or is it a result the Rio society that created these juvenile crooks? They are real, Lou is a fictional character.

..*.. TxMike ..*..
Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes not.

[–] ApeLieUproar 8 years ago

Rio may have created them but that does not absolve them of any responsibility.

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La-bibbida-bibba-dum, la-bibbida-bibbi-doo

[–] KingCobra686 8 years ago

Well Lou's success comes from his nightcrawling, not from his minor bicycle and watch robberies. Society has zero tolerance for those, but they were very heavily rewarding his news videos. If people werent interested in these sensational crimes, there wouldnt be a market for his stuff.

[–] ApeLieUproar 8 years ago

The point is he was that way before he glommed onto shooting news footage. And, for that matter, he didn't suffer the consequences of his thievery either. Also, the bike theft is what enabled him to buy a camera.
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La-bibbida-bibba-dum, la-bibbida-bibbi-doo

[–] TheManInOil 8 years ago

I don't think what you're saying really contradicts him. Yes, he's sociopathic, but to dismiss his story as one just about that would be a mistake. The story isn't about his issues - it's about how we've reached a point where someone like that thrives in our culture.

As for the cop, the whole point is that her concerns are not relevant. Our society doesn't care about justice - it cares about sensation.

I think you're just looking at it from the wrong perspective. I think the story satisfies your ideas as much as it does those of the filmmaker.