In the movie Twelve Monkeys, directed by Terry Gilliam, we see a post-apocalyptic world devastated by an unknown virus that spread and killed five billion people in 1997. The survivors moved underground, leaving the surface of the earth to be ruled by wild animals. Now, in 2035, prisoner James Cole has "volunteered" to return to 1996 as part of a scientific research, in hopes that man will be able to re-inhabit the surface of the earth. His mission: to find the "Army of the 12 Monkeys" who, it is believed were responsible for the release of the virus. Throughout the movie, Twelve Monkeys we see the use of time travel in order to deal with the true nature of insanity and the concept of redemption or lack thereof in the context of limiting societal
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As seen in the references section of this paper, there are 4 scenes, which resemble each other in pairs, that are strikingly similar. In Scene 1, Cole is being washed down after having collected samples from the surface to determine whether the virus is still present or has mutated. Scene 2 features Cole being washed down before admission into the mental institution in 1990. Cole’s solitary confinement after attempting to escape from the mental institution is observed in Scene 3, and in Scene 4 Cole’s return to the future is shot at the same angle and position as in Scene 3. Caught by a perceptive viewer, the parallelism of these scenes makes the viewer think twice about Cole’s sanity and question the validity of his claims. The comparison can also be made between the panel of psychiatrists of 1990 and the panel of scientist of 2035 in scenes 5 and 6. From the number of people in the panel ( including 1 woman in both) to the positioning of the camera, the scene extended the feeling of deja vu in the movie. It could very well be that Cole is clinically inane, and these scenes are visions of his daily life, amplified and distorted by his …show more content…
Significantly, in Twelve Monkeys, individuals alone do not make change possible; rather, possibilities for change are constrained by structural and institutional power relationships that govern and enclose the events that transpire. Towards the latter half of the film, Cole abandons the idea that the past cannot be changed and attempts to stay with Dr. Railly. Cole states, “I want the future to be unknown, I want to become a whole person again. I want this to be the present. I want to stay here in this time with you.” His attempt to shoot down Dr. Goines assistant at the end of the films, further shows his abandon ideal that the past is set in stone. However, despite Cole’s best intentions to stop the apocalypse and to free himself, forces beyond his control prevent him. Near the film’s ending, once Cole has died, Kathryn – knowing that the young James Coles is somewhere in the crowd – looks frantically about for him. The camera lingers on her face as she finds him and looks tenderly at him. After a breath, she smiles, as if oddly contented about something. The camera moves steadily in, until it shows only Cole’s blue eyes – the same shot that opened the film (see scenes 5 and 6). In this final repetition, the estranging strategy of Twelve Monkeys comes full
As seen in the references section of this paper, there are 4 scenes, which resemble each other in pairs, that are strikingly similar. In Scene 1, Cole is being washed down after having collected samples from the surface to determine whether the virus is still present or has mutated. Scene 2 features Cole being washed down before admission into the mental institution in 1990. Cole’s solitary confinement after attempting to escape from the mental institution is observed in Scene 3, and in Scene 4 Cole’s return to the future is shot at the same angle and position as in Scene 3. Caught by a perceptive viewer, the parallelism of these scenes makes the viewer think twice about Cole’s sanity and question the validity of his claims. The comparison can also be made between the panel of psychiatrists of 1990 and the panel of scientist of 2035 in scenes 5 and 6. From the number of people in the panel ( including 1 woman in both) to the positioning of the camera, the scene extended the feeling of deja vu in the movie. It could very well be that Cole is clinically inane, and these scenes are visions of his daily life, amplified and distorted by his …show more content…
Significantly, in Twelve Monkeys, individuals alone do not make change possible; rather, possibilities for change are constrained by structural and institutional power relationships that govern and enclose the events that transpire. Towards the latter half of the film, Cole abandons the idea that the past cannot be changed and attempts to stay with Dr. Railly. Cole states, “I want the future to be unknown, I want to become a whole person again. I want this to be the present. I want to stay here in this time with you.” His attempt to shoot down Dr. Goines assistant at the end of the films, further shows his abandon ideal that the past is set in stone. However, despite Cole’s best intentions to stop the apocalypse and to free himself, forces beyond his control prevent him. Near the film’s ending, once Cole has died, Kathryn – knowing that the young James Coles is somewhere in the crowd – looks frantically about for him. The camera lingers on her face as she finds him and looks tenderly at him. After a breath, she smiles, as if oddly contented about something. The camera moves steadily in, until it shows only Cole’s blue eyes – the same shot that opened the film (see scenes 5 and 6). In this final repetition, the estranging strategy of Twelve Monkeys comes full