The Fisher King
Jack Lucas is a famous radio host who hosts a program in which he interacts with listeners, who come to him night after night to solve their problems. It is the starting point of the plot of The Fisher King .
One night, one of those listeners, after listening to Lucas’s advice, walks into a bar and murders several people. Then Lucas, who feels guilty for the act, retires from public life. Years later, after a drunkenness, he tries to commit suicide …, but Parry, a homeless man, crosses his path to avoid it.
The Fisher King , an unforgettable film
We are facing one of the best films of the nineties. Its virtues are easily identifiable, both in the purely cinematographic elements and in the exposition of moral and ethical factors of great substance.
In a first encounter, The Fisherman King can be confusing, delusional and even overwhelming, but it is one of those works that improves with each new vision. The nuances and his high spirit are his main virtues.
Terry Gilliam’s film ( 12 monkeys, Brazil, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ) is an amalgamation of feelings. Throughout the footage we will find love, hate, failure, friendship, redemption. .. a whole collection of sensations that is present in our day to day, to a greater or lesser extent.
It is risky to try to capture so many emotions in a film. But it’s this bravery that makes this movie great. It is an emotional roller coaster, if you will allow me such an expression. That said, don’t confuse boldness with effectiveness. Guilliam exposes and proposes, but without losing sight of one of the essences of cinema: the show.
A story for reflection
The fisher king entertains and amuses, but the ability to make us reflect is part of his nature. The film presents us with a man who fails, sunk in the past, but who decides to help and understand to redeem the faults that made him fall.
Gilliam’s script oozes self-improvement in every line. Yes, it may seem like a somewhat exaggerated improvement (the English director’s universe is marked by bombast), but, being art, any license is allowed to get the message across. Another thing is that we like the way we do it.
The role of friendship
The history of cinema is full of titles whose main axis revolves around friendship. Why? Well, because it is one of the key elements of the condition of being human. Without friendship there is no love and, without friendship, kindness and generosity would be applicable only to third parties. These are just a few reasons why our ability to relate and interact is part of our most primary feelings.
One of the reasons we seek the approval of another person is that we see ourselves reflected in them. On this occasion the plot presents us with two erratic individuals, who have several elements in common: lives marked by dramatic episodes, social isolation and depression. One hides behind alcoholism, the other in destitution.
The help that the protagonists receive is, a priori, different : Lucas’s is based on the love of his girlfriend and Parry’s on the compassion of the man who lets him live in his house. But it is the people who make this support possible, they are the indispensable ingredient.
Redemption
Another issue raised by The Fisher King is that of redemption. It is a spiritual redemption, not a material one. Lucas helps Parry to erase the marks that the past has left him, thus trying to start a new life. Parry, in turn, sees in Lucas a new hope, a sign that life can once again be a path with more lights than shadows.
Keep in mind that help is almost always reciprocal. When we help a family member or friend, we are achieving two purposes: helping ourselves (our self-esteem grows) and placing the seed of goodness in our neighbor.
