Existentailism assingment

Response # 2 – Louis Malle: The Fire Within

This was a French drama film, from 1963, and was directed by Louis Malle. This movie was about a man who had depression and he was a recovering alcoholic. He wanted to commit suicide but decided to see his friend one last time and to see if he can give him a reason to live or help him somehow to see the world in a different perspective.

The title of this movie was very interesting stating that the protagonist’s depression was inside of him and there was something inside him that made him be this way. He had a date written when he would take his life, that was very unsettling when I was watching the movie to have a date in mind when one wants to end their life, he was determine to end his life.

There was a scene in the movie where he is sitting in a café looking at people and drinking. The scene that he was looking at was happy, the music was depicting what was going through in his mind at that time and that he was disturbed by looking at everything around him and he was drinking, and later left.

I found this scene very depressing because it was a long scene where no one was talking and the music was also very sad, which showed the protagonists inner thoughts.

In the film, there are people that care for him like Lydia but as he was depressed he could not find the reason to live the life that he was living. I thought this was a depressing movie and it actually made me sad after, and I was upset myself after watching the movie.

The depression within the protagonist was the most powerful thing in the movie and that seemed to rule everything that he was doing in the movie. I have days when I am depressed myself, but to be so depressed that one thinks for reasons for living in very sad.

One thing that I kept asking myself while watching the movie was if there were a different ending to this movie, how would it have played out. When someone is depressed, and wants to commit suicide, what are the ways that one can change that persons mind?