To live like a monster

There has always been a tendency in American cinema to dig deep into the crevices of the philosophy and psychology of the human mind. The turn of the 21st century marked a pivotal point in the maturity of American cinema; films like "The Machinist" (2004), "Adaptation" (2002) and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004), as well as their psychoanalytical content, reflected on how the mindset of Americans became egocentrically tormented in a time of economical and political panic.

The dawn of the 20th century was the nurturing era of filmmaking as a form of art or persuasive tool. For example, "Birth of a Nation" (1915) is known for its subjective view on African American history and the American Civil War. In 2004, Americans were trying to filter through the facts of the Iraq War; the cinema of the time reveals an ideology of this state of internal and external conflict.

Like "Birth of a Nation," many other motion pictures have become landmarks for different states of being in history. "Shutter Island," (2010), "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" (2009) and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (2010) provide an introspective look at the power of the mind and its effects on the body.

These movies take place in settings from post-war America in the mid 1950s and modern day London, England, to contemporary American suburbia. The result of 60 years of global miscommunication is what is seen in the tragic downfall of these characters. Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), Tony (Heath Ledger, Colin Farrell, Jude Law and Johnny Depp), and Nancy Holbrook (Rooney Mara) are the respective characters in those movies who experience the loss of their sanity and control due to seriously grim mental conditions.

In "Shutter Island" Teddy Daniels, although severely and dangerously intelligent, has lost his mind after the death of his wife. His ego insists that he is a Marshall on investigation at Shutter Island to uncover what could unlock the secret behind the world's great wars. Daniels' life story is revealed to him, but only by means of digging deep into the history of the island and ultimately coming to terms with a brutal reality. He is an island unto himself, a metaphor that is carried throughout the motion picture.

Daniels' inner reality is a world consumed by vengeance; but as he unfolds the layers of his mind, he realizes that he is his own enemy. In order to avoid the horrible truth and sins of his past, Daniels represses his memories. Like many, he resets his mind in an attempt to hold on to the memory of his beloved wife.

Tony, the thrifty and charming philanthropist, like Daniels, dooms himself to tragedy. Tony is unable to cope with the many facets of himself that he observes deep in Parnassus' imagination. After running inside Parnassus' mirror, Tony is forced to accept his multiple personalities and their timely flaws. It is hard not to love his irresistible character. He is the definition of Casanova; he wins over everyone involved in Parnassus' traveling sideshow. However, as the movie progresses and Tony changes form, he shows himself and the other characters the more unattractive, grueling sides of him.

In "A Nightmare on Elm Street," repressed memories transform into a fatal outcome for the main characters. Like Daniels and Tony, Nancy Holbrook and her friends must suffer for their parents' sins. As the nightmare comes to life, Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley), pulls a group of teenagers from their physical reality into his horrific world, where he can reap their souls.

Holbrook meets Krueger in her sleep after already having witnessed her friends lose their lives to his sickled hands. Every murder she witnessed was a result of the lies and actions of her and her friends' parents. She must fight to stay awake in order to defeat or outsmart Krueger. She is only able to defeat Kruger after admitting a shameful truth.

Daniels, Tony, Holbrook show how a person can collapse internally and externally under extreme traumatic conditions. Movies are memory markers and historical monuments in terms of how they explicate the human condition.

Teddy Daniels, for example, is one model of the result of austere events and crimes committed. Although his will and intent is righteousness, he becomes uncontrollably haunted by himself. Tony becomes so entangled in his lies and unorganized memories that he is forever lost in the depths of infinity, also known as Parnassus' imagination.

Nancy Holbrook realizes that she has been living a lie when the past catches up to her in the form of an undead psychopath hungry for her soul. It is sometimes hard to distinguish what is real and what is imaginary.

However, these three motion pictures somehow encapsulate a mentality mostly prevalent in this decade of the 21st century. Motion pictures, as a medium, are types of reflections and personifications for human ways and ideals. How the mind functions is a daily miracle, sometimes difficult to comprehend.