Objectionable Material- Tape

When Mr.Maretzki first started playing the movie Tape I was really concerned because it seemed so boring and anti-climactic what with the entire shoot taking place in a dingy hotel room and the cast totalling three people. As time went on, however, I was more worried that I was going to fall asleep! However, the minute that Uma Thurman walked into the room I knew that things were going to get good (too bad that it was half way through at that point). Anyway, I decided that I want to answer 2.75 of the 4 questions!!

***"As you watched the film, how did you identify each character, did their identity (as you perceived it) change, and why?"
and "Assuming that in any relationship between two people there is some balance of power, where did you see power shifting, and what caused it?"***

I think that the character, Vince, played by Ethan Hawke, definitely did not change character-wise but did experience a change in his control of the situation. He went from being in total control of the situation to being in trouble and at the mercy of the plot line by the end of the movie. The reason that he wanted Jon Salter to come visit him was so that he could get a confession out of his friend and present a tape recording to the suppossed "victim" Amy Randall. The coyness of his character, who hadn't matured since high school, persuaded Jon to come clean with the story of what happened the night of graduation (?). Vince was able to nag Jon into confessing a crime that he didn't really commit=total control! He dominated the first half of the movie with his trickery as well as his childish, annyoing, yet captivatingly dangerous lifestyle. Vince's chracter did not change in character, appearing desperate when the movie opened and remaining desperate when the movie closed. It seemed as though the intention of his actions were to screw everyone over and ruin their lives. Contrary to his plan, the arrival of a strong and resolute Amy Randall spoiled his nefarious scheme. When Amy Randall arrived, you could sense that there was going to be a shift of power, simply by the way she walked, talked, and reasoned. Amy had a very powerful character and you could tell that she was very good at thinking on her feet, often taking command of the conversation by focusing on her opponent, Vince's, weaknesses. She went at him like a starved dog, biting the neck of his argument and bleeding it to death! Even as Jon tried to confess the validity of the suppossed date-rape experience, Amy was unstirred, faithful to her original stance that it had never taken place. Her strength of character helped to lift Jon out of his backed-into-the-corner position and revive his self-respect. I was amazed at her resilience as well as her ability to change the minds of others--her character was unwaning and unaffected by the silly plot of Vince. In my opinion, Jon was the victim of both Vince and Amy throughout the story, never gaining the upperhand in both his actions and his interactions with his two friends. He did not have enough dignity to fall for Vince's plot and needed Amy to wretch him back to real life by convincing him that what he thought happened did not happen. It appeared as though he gave up pretty easily and was constantly on the defense--even when trying to tell Amy what happened ten (or however long ago) years before. His character change was barely noticeable because I had perceived him as being a weak person from the beginning of the movie. The only evidence of sustainability that I saw in Jon was his willingness to accept his fate after Amy called the police. Once again, Amy was able to take control of both men and expose their characters as human beings. Through that convincing maneuver we were able to get the sense of a character change in both male characters. Obviously Vince proved himself to be a coward, flushing the drugs he had lived by for too long, while Jon decided to stop running from his guilt and come clean.

***"What does Tape reveal to you about males & females?"***
This may seem like a silly answer but the movie showed me that men are always vulnerable to women. They may think they have the cajones in the beginning, but when the big dance comes, they are often proved wrong. Amy was a great example of a working woman who knew what she was doing and had the means to control the situation. There is nothing more dangerous than a smart, ruthless, lawyer woman! :) jk!

R-