Saturday, November 2, 2013

Sociopaths in film: Warm Bodies

I watched a movie recently that had some fun parallels to sociopath and empath interrelations and the possibility of a "cure" or change. The movie is Warm Bodies (instant video) and it's really worthwhile to watch for sociopaths and friends of sociopaths.

The zombie character feeds on humans to survive. He's a little conflicted about it, but also says that he doesn't have any feelings or remorse. He doesn't dream and feels very empty. The only time he feels alive is when he is eating brains and can vicariously live through them ("I don't want to hurt you. I just want to feel what you felt, to feel a little better, a little less dead."). The zombies don't live by the human rules, they live by the law of the jungle (from the book "There's no rule book for the world. It's in our heads, our collective human hive-mind. If there are rules, we're the ones making them. We can change them whenever we want.")

The point of the movie is that you don't really know what people are capable of doing, both bad things and good things. There will always be those that insist on their survival at all costs. The zombie version are called "bonies" ("They call these guys Bonies. They don't bother us, much, but they'll eat anything with a heartbeat. I mean, I will too, but at least I'm conflicted about it."). The human version are called... well, human ("This is a corpse affected by the plague.  It is uncaring, unfeeling.  Corpses do not think.  They do not bleed.  They are incapable of remorse." . . . .  "No, you know what is happening, Julie? What's happening is that everyday there's more of them and less of us. They're not curing themselves. We're their food source. They are not becoming vegan."). The more reasonable ones in the movie, both zombie and human, are the ones who try to see the other's viewpoint and learn to work together. As the movie says, working together with your natural mortal enemies is a little scary, but "What wonderful thing didn't start out scary?".

To end with a quote from the book the film was based on "There is no ideal world for you to wait around for. The world is always just what it is now, and it's up to you how you respond to it. . . . No praise, no blame. Just so."

14 comments:

  1. Lies of omission: Oops I am dating 5 at once.Oops: I don't really go to school. Oops: I don't really have grants I owe. Oops: I didn't finish my core classes.Oops: I didn't really say I was going to post your pictures at your kid's school. oops: I wasn't really going to call the police in the Holiday.
    Which is better? Having no feelings or to be burning and seething with hatred???

    You got it going on baby.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww.
      Your cute little brain had a meltdown.
      Mmmmm, brains

      Delete
  2. Yep. It did. And it is burning!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I wouldn't equate sociopaths with Zombies. Most sociopaths LIVE
    and experience pleasure, even if it's only at the expense of others.
    They don't know what being a member of the living dead is.
    I offer myself as an example.
    I am a 55-year old virgin, who is afire with lust, rage, and regret
    towards the opposite sex. I know at this stage, with all my social limitations, it's
    never going to happen. Yet I still "live" (?) If I was a Jeffery Dahmamer
    or a Ted Bundy, I'd have lived a much shorter life. But at least I
    would have lived.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh no, you have never engaged in sexual intercourse, your life is incomplete.

      You are considered dead by the rest of society. It must be true.

      Delete
    2. poor baby :)

      have you thought about paying for it? it might give you confidence to pursue romance with others.

      also are you being realistic? stunning nubile model types may not be a realistic option - no matter what the porn videos tell you.

      Delete
    3. bundy and dahmer didn't "live". living isn't being ruled by urges excreted by your broken brain. like dogs mindlessly humping the couch leg. that's not living. that's being a flesh machine that's compelled to satisfy its hungers.

      really living is when you are the one in control, not your urges. that's when you are free.

      Delete
  4. Haha... I so identified with this movie too! My friend who i saw it with saw me in it as well! XD... Narcissism!

    ReplyDelete
  5. They're zombies in the sense that they're perpetual fuck-up's.

    They can't provide for themselves in a natural way, so they must resort to stealing and feigning so that they can continue their parasitic lifestyles.

    The narcissism is nothing but a self-defense mechanism in their minds, they have to overcompensate this way, you see, because a natural human being would no doubt off itself if it were to realize what pathetic vileness it was hosting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If these days being a fuckup means plowing forward when others stumble due to arbitrary rulesets and constructs, I think we'll take it.

      Delete
    2. Anon - It's a surprise that more Empaths aren't offing themselves more often.

      Delete
  6. I also found James Hunt, in the movie Rush to be a good example of a sociopath.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rope offers a nice glimpse of a sociopath couple, (as does SWOON), but most horror films I find offer a metaphorical overview of sociopathy-werewolves and vampires, or SCANNERS-Cronenberg is good on the existential side of psychopathology-CRASH (book and film) offer an example of creative psychopathy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've been meaning to watch this movie, actually. It just hopped to the top of my instand queue.

    ReplyDelete

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