Fargo

One of the best films of the 90’s, Fargo made big noise in moviedom. Making a movie around Minnesotans is in itself a big deal. Places like Minneapolis rarely get screen time; the flyover zone is such an untouched landscape for film. Perhaps a lesson can be learned from Fargo, in which the Coens delve into characters and their relation with their environment. I mean maybe a film like Fargo can be made, with very human characters, a very realistic and believable yet horrifying plot, and an original imagery, because of its setting. Film noir in a snow-covered world is one thing, but that only scratches the surface. Fargo’s chilling string of events is enhanced not only by the white backdrop, but also by the diligence with which the film explores its people. None of these people are the walking "ideal" Cosmo-ads or the Hollywood TV-Studios’ placid-uneccentric-Jennifer-Aniston-boring-"this-is-normality"-prototype. The characters in Fargo are very close to real people: ugly, dirty, boring, discontented, & unique. Around these people, the film moves through its story, rather than a story being forced upon a film. Fargo’s grand eerieness chills my spine and ignites a blue flame in my head that reminds me of the beauty of the small things we so very often overlook and take for granted. It also reminds me of the gruesome truth when it comes down to what we people will do in order to protect ourselves and gain something. Fargo exposes the blackness of reality in a nonchalant, almost matter-of-fact style. There is a separation in this film, a fissure between the story and the film wherein the crew stands aside and lets the story tell itself and the story acts like there’s nobody watching it. This allows Fargo to float along in a brutal sine curve that exposes every extreme of humanity, from desperate viciousness to quiet and humble joy.

The opening shot, and the music, are forever entrenched in my brain as one of my favorite scenes in film history. It not only foreshadows the grisly consequences of being human but also amplifies its sadness.