The Machinist

~ I am convinced thoroughly, by purely myself and my own will, that 3am is the perfect time watch movies. Not active enough for my brain to demand I stand up and dance and sing. But not yet deadened by the need to sleep that I can not simply stay still and watch 2 hours of some movies. And interestingly enough, speaking of my insomnia, the movie I watched this night was exactly about the subject. The Machinist opens with the sounds of drills, lathes and chatter amongst the smoky dim lit rooms as tools cut away and metal give way to the human element of this film, our protagonist; Trevor Reznik. A thin and tired looking man (Christian Bale lost almost 30kg of weight for this role), Trevor seems distant and detached from his life, whether with his co-workers, waitress or with his lover, he doesn't seem to be all there. His frighteningly thin physique is shown and noted several times, and dismissed by him as if it is the norm. The film makes sure to show several surreal scenes and create a general feeling of unease in the audience before riding back in on a happy note with a cute family moment. And at this point the plot of the entire movie is revealed if you pay attention. But even when you do understand what the background motivations are, you are left watching to see the slow descent into madness by Trevor as he navigates through the events of the film of both the past and present.~