James White Movie
In yet another tale of nihilistic Manhattan depravity, James White depicts a rowdy, restless, and agonized young man in the crutches of dealing with a world that quite simply does not give a damn. The self-destructive tendency of James, at first hinted when the film begins and then slowly but surely collects damning evidence, shows the underbelly to megalopolitan life. A life which, despite living footsteps away from thousands of people, is lonelier and barren than if it were dropped in the center of one of Earth’s vast deserts.
When an emergency arises, is there anyone there to help? Of course we have seen the pageantry of solidarity when New York has been shell-shocked, but that is when a crisis hits every citizen. What about the continually recurring emergencies that happen every day to citizens far and wide? Ambulances and firemen will walk passed completely apathetic strangers to rescue and resuscitate a life in crisis.
But perhaps the ability for a civilization to aggregate such masses of strangers is a sign of strength not weakness. But then a paradox emerges as it suggests the rural community of tight-knitters which comfort and support themselves as pseudo-families, i.e. communities, is weaker; clarity emerges when we ask which form of organization produces more criminals and self-destroyers like Mr. White. And yet, it is unfair to deem the megapolis as absent of community. No doubt the religious support themselves as they always have. It is simply that an effort is required among the city-dwellers to form such a community. When everything one’s heart desires can be had by exchanging with complete strangers as can be had in major metropolises, the humanity of dealing with a fellow man is erased; everything becomes mechanical and material. The bond of kinship is incomparable to supporting quote family businesses like in the scantly populated lands hours away from the city. Even the commendation of creating family units is devalued. And we can see how painful the consequences are with the encounter of James White.
His father was absent from his life, which is easy to do when one can hide among the masses averting any sense of shame and humiliation from behaving so badly. His mother, the only one he relied upon it seems, in the meantime developed a serious form of cancer. His support of her slow walk to death reveals very sensitive sore spots on his soul. Perhaps the feeling of complete abandonment inflamed; perhaps his whole life of feeling abandoned and alone is the cause of his utter recklessness and hostility toward others; instead of maintaining modesty and therefore civility, he utters out obnoxiousness, scarring the ground wherever his feet step. He has, simply put, no love in his life, which would quell the bitter pills everyone has to swallow. James White then brutishly shows us the demand to create love to avoid being shipwrecked by fate.