Robyn’s Blog

In his own way, Errol Morris is attempting in his films to bridge the gap between ourselves and “the other.”  In the above quote, the German philosopher Hegel is saying that once we understand that we are separate beings from everyone else, we try to resolve the alienation we feel by various types of synthesis.  Eye contact is one way which human beings are able to connect in spite of the physical space between two people.  As we talked about in class, when you make eye contact with someone, you are literally seeing yourself in their eyes.  Figuratively, eye contact allows you to get a glimpse of another persons inner thoughts and feelings as they simultaneously catch a glimpse of yours.  Perhaps you see in them a reflection of what you are feeling, a reflection of yourself.

Errol Morris uses to Interrotron as one method of fording the separation between people.  He provides a more direct connection to the person that is being interviewed.  He creates a synthesis between himself, who his is interviewing, and his audience. But the interrotron is not the only method that Errol Morris uses to try to eliminate the other.  His whole movie making process seems to revolve around making connections–showing that we can find ourselves in everyone else, and in everythingelse.  In Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control, Morris connects four completely unique people and ideas.  In his seemingly random images and pieces of the movie, Morris somehow ties it all together.  I think that he wants us to see that it doesn’t matter who we are–we can discover all we ever need to know about ourselves in everything else, all the otherness around us.  Or at least, I think he tries.  But the interrotron isn’t a perfect way to connect, just like all the random things in his movie don’t perfectly match.  But I guess the important thing is that he is trying, just like everyone else.

 I might read this post later and disagree with everything I just said, because I do that sometimes–but there, that’s what’s in my head right now.