It takes place in a world that doesn't resemble our own, and it makes no real effort to fix that discrepancy. But, then, it doesn't need to. Nightcrawler isn't a realistic story. Nightcrawler is a parable of bitter, burbling resentment, of people who think they deserve certain things just because of the accident of birth, and of a society that is simply too tired to deny them everything.
Lou Bloom isn't going to win because he's particularly intelligent, or because he's a great speaker, or even because he has a brilliant idea. He's a leech, who uses other people to get ahead, over and over again. Lou Bloom is going to win because men like Lou Bloom always win. And what's more s than that? Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all.
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Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. Jake Gyllenhaal's Lou Bloom, from the film Nightcrawler, may be the movie character of the year. Open Road Lou Bloom is a creature of the s, through and through. Related Watch Nightcrawler on Netflix right now. Next Up In Culture.
Delivered Fridays. Thanks for signing up! Check your inbox for a welcome email. There's a scene in the film in which he crosses the yellow tape and goes right into the house where there has just been a shooting. Once inside, he positions this family photo on the fridge next to some bullet holes to get a more dramatic shot.
Alexander Gitman: There are cops who relish the attention. They love that they're being filmed. It definitely boosts their ego. Then there are others who immediately have a poor attitude. They don't want you anywhere near it. Fire fighters seem to be the most pleasant about this sort of thing. They love the attention. It's easy to get really in the moment and get knocked down by these guys because they're doing their job.
Alexander Gitman: Oh, yeah. For me it was always when you take photos of something like that you feel pretty far removed from it. You're focused on what you're capturing rather than soaking it in. It's almost like the camera is this protective shield or blanket between you and the real emotions of what's happening. I look back and I know it's not normal laughs. It's beyond — you're desensitized. It's just the way you feel. If you don't have the stomach for that kind of stuff, you can't be around it.
Alexander Gitman: Maybe for the people who tamper with something to give themselves a better shot or situation. It serves as an explicit parallel to manipulating a narrative for an optic aim. Both Lou and Nina remain stagnant, permitting the unnecessary rise of body counts and public alarm to thrive in order to maximize their payout and keep viewers consumed, thinking their lives depend on it.
Not even evidence is objective. Information is victim to manipulation, exploitation, and confirmation bias. Agendas are pushed through the reframing, staging, and perspectives of television news. This is the reality of the information industry, spearheaded by television news media. In the film, white suburbia is pit against urban people of color. In our world, it can be this, or it can be left v.
News media today is moreso a slew of opinions than an objective, truthful report. In this age of global affairs and television news, context is often left unknown or debated, and Nightcrawler displays this fearlessly. For us out here in the real world, all we can do is read all the perspectives we can and try to infer that the truth is somewhere in the middle.
When people like Lou need money to survive and are unable to find jobs, they are left to their own devices, and often make immoral decisions in pursuit of financial success. Nina has been in the business for decades, but she has never experienced professional stability, always moving from station to station throughout her career. This explains why she takes Lou under her wing.
She is smart enough to know what kind of footage brings the ratings, and jaded enough not to care about how that footage has been obtained. He hires Rick Riz Ahmed , a young homeless man, to help him with his work; together, the two experience both the trials and tribulations that come with starting a small business. It is possible that both Lou and Rick have been in prison and cannot obtain employment because of their criminal records.
It is equally possible that they lack the kind of higher education that is needed to get ahead in 21st century America. As the film progresses, we come to realize that Lou is a sociopath who lacks a moral conscience, whereas Rick is a well-intended individual who cannot catch a break. Every member of society is one rent payment away from tapping into their dark side.
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