Keyth also wrote his views on "The Words." Please visit his blog and decide who drew it best. Below is a rendering of my response to the movie.
http://keythnotallure.blogspot.com/
Who Drew it Best?
What is a word, and what is the
power of words? Recently, I saw the movie The Words, which provoked such
questions. As a writer and creative person, I was drawn to see this film after
viewing the trailer. While there are many movies about authors with their hand
in the cookie jar such as Wonder Boys and A Murder of Crows, the
unique take on this idea that The Words provided makes it a worthwhile
investment of time and money.
The
movie starts with one of the main characters, the writer (played by Dennis
Quaid) reading his book to a large audience. The story he reads transitions
into the narrative, which presents the trials, struggles, and challenges of the
protagonist, Rory. The narrative begins as the audience would likely expect.
Rory struggles to start his writing career, and just at the moment when his
frustration peeks, he discovers a gem of a story in a bag his wife bought him
in Paris. Inspired by the transcript, and due to desperation coupled with a
miscommunication with his wife, he gets the book published in his name. After
that, his career is made. He establishes a name for himself, living the life he
always wanted to and knows he deserves. Who cares if he wrote it or not? He
asks himself. He has arrived, and he looked good while doing it. He was able to
support his wife and himself as he had always felt he should, and he finally
made his father proud. Best of all, he had achieved a legitimate career as a
writer. The cost was relatively small in terms of his mild ethical loss, and
the reward was larger than life.
Eventually,
an old man who actually wrote the words would tell him there is a cost to pay
for stealing his life. The old man informed him that he took the words and now he
must live with the pain associated with them. The old man did not require money
or recognition. His only wish was to relieve the pain that the written words
Rory published as his own had caused him. He wanted forget how once words were
once more important than repairing a relationship with his wife, and he wanted
to move past the pain of losing his daughter suddenly.
Rory
became consumed with guilt, and soon the price he paid for success became too
expensive. Now Rory wanted a discount or a rebate of some kind. He insisted the
old man provide him with an answer to this cruel riddle in which he found
himself trapped. However, the old man wanted to be done with the past; he had purged
himself of the pain by sharing his story with Rory. The old man likely knew the
road to inner peace must be navigated by the person behind the steering wheel. Nonetheless,
in an act of mercy, the old man gave Rory the benefit of his wealth of wisdom.
He told him that life is more important than words, and advised Rory to
prioritize happiness and those he valued over dwelling on past mistakes. Otherwise,
the old man said, he would soon notice his life had passed him by. Rory heard
him, but we are not told the end of the story. Instead, the movie transitions
back to the author’s life, which makes it fair to assume the author’s life,
paralleled Rory’s life. The author of the book talks to a graduate student
about the ending and the moral consequences of the story, in a scene that reveals
the author is still haunted by his obsession with words. It seems the author
must find inner peace on his own.
Please click on the link below to view the trailer.
