It is hard
to say who between Craig and Lotte is the most affected by the arrival of
Maxine. The helpless souls trapped in unattractive, disposable bodies, love the
same woman; they have a common need to be inside Malkovich to live life at its
fullest, which in a nutshell is, being with Maxine. They can’t think of another
solution, mainly because Maxine isn’t the sympathetic type. Thus the one and
only way to live up to her expectations is to incarnate Malkovich. The
affliction does not come from the sacrifice of their own body (they don’t care
whichever “vessel” they use, provided they have Maxine) but from the fact that
both can’t be within Malkovich at the same time. This proves the not so obvious
link between body and mind.
The sole
appearance of Maxine can be seen as the last straw that breaks the camel's back.
The already fragile and forlorn marriage lacks freshness, and suffers from the
disparities of interests between the two. The need of a possible third member within
the couple is heavily hinted at. It is safe to say that each time the plot of
the film reveals itself, something unexpected happens. It is like the whole
film was initially created from a background context, and what popped out in
the screenwriter’s mind was immediately added to the plot, unimaginable as it
could be: the 7 ½th floor, the portal, the business run out of selling “trips”
to Malkovich’s mind… (which does not seem very ethical by the way).
Another
question that arises is: would you want to be in anybody’s mind for 15 minutes?
In Donald E. Hall’s “Literary and Cultural Theory”, he states that “It is clear
that no one is fully self-aware and in control of all of the fears, desires,
and conflicting emotions that can propel actions.” As far as I’m concerned,
there’s a part of our mind that is constantly inhibited just as gravity binds
our movements, as nature limits us in our abilities. Therefore, that part has the
unique desire to break its chains and go wild.
