Fight Club

The Fight Club is a narrated story which follows the life of Jack, a mild mannered and timid man. On top of hating his job, Jack suffers from intense insomnia and is depressed at his inabilities to meaningfully interact with other people. Desperate for interaction, Jack attends numerous meetings held for people with terminal diseases. Through his attendance at these meetings, Jack is able to both cry and interact with people. Jack ultimately meets Marla who he soon discovers is also attending these meetings without having any illness but rather for pure enjoyment. As the movie progresses Jack’s infatuation and curiosity with Marla grows significantly. Jack soon meets Tyler Durden, a charismatic soap salesman who Jack moves in with after his apartment is blown up; destroying everything in it that jack had been meticulously planning. One night, Tyler and Jack start a fight and Jack realizes that fighting with Tyler was the most alive he had ever felt. With this, Jack and Tyler gather more men with similar feelings and create the “Fight Club.” The audience soon discovers a sex driven relationship between Tyler and Marla which seems only to heighten Jack’s infatuation with her. As the intensity and popularity of the fight club grows, so does Jack’s confusion. Destruction begins to set in as “Project Mayhem” spins out of control and Jack discovers that Tyler is merely his alter ego. The film follows Jack as he furiously attempts to find “Tyler” which ultimately leads him to witness the final destruction accomplished by “Project Mayhem.”

I found the film Fight Club to be very psychologically intriguing. Upon watching the movie, I also saw numerous similarities to the films that were watched in class. The thing that I found most interesting, which paralleled the movies in class, was the psychological confusion of dreaming versus reality. The film is made in such a way that it seems as though it could possibly be set in a dream. The nonchalant attitude of the fight club members and the fact that no one ever gets seriously injured also gives a slight indication to the dream like aspects of the film. The editing further enhances the effect of Jack’s insomnia and creates a sense of confusion among the audience which adds to the surreal feeling of the movie. As a viewer, I found myself feeling confused and psychologically tormented, almost as if I too were a character in the movie. I also felt that the narration helps to further express the psychological aspect of the film. The fact that the narration is done by Jack’s character makes the audience feel as if they are in Jack’s mind. Not only does this provide a further insight into the mind and psychological features of the film but it also provides a way for slight comic relief. For example, Jack often makes side comments about the people he interacts with, and the narration of these comments provides a humorous element to the film. This is seen when Jack speaks to Marla and the narrator (Jack) compares her to a “cut on the roof of your mouth that won’t go away.” I thought this aspect of the film gave me a better understanding of the other characters and Jack’s impression of them. Overall, I found Fight Club to be an exciting film which takes the mind on a journey through a psychologically intriguing plot.