art/creativity

Where to begin…
First of all, yesterday’s class discussion on art and soulmates was probably my favorite we’ve had yet. As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m really interested in the correllation of eternal art and eternal love…are they one in the same? Who knows, I guess it’s up to interpretation. I also think that Serena’s view of what defines an artist is very interesting. To say that an artist cannot be an artist because they rely too heavily on inspiration but also use it as an excuse to not paint is very interesting. As I am not an artist, I’m not sure if I agree or disagree-I think it’s an interesting point that deserves some thought, though, because this means that an artist doesn’t simply paint, draw, or construct; this means that an artist must meet emotional and other criteria to fit the description. Very interesting…
As for the film itself, I really want to see the second half because the narrative is so damned funny. (What was that one line…”All of a sudden I was aware of a consciousness I had not yet experienced” or something along those lines.) …) Who talks like that? Who believes a narrative that sounds like that??? It’s ridiculous but incredibly laughable. I’d also like to note Joey’s detection of noir themes in the film…I agree to the extent that Eben’s narrative (when it happens) is detective-like, but I feel that this falls more under the classification of the old episodes of The Twilight Zone, a favorite of mine. The unnamed narrator with the straight, just-the-facts voice overs and the deliberate tone even sounds like Rod Serling! It’s like watching the old episodes but with much more ridiculous/less realistic acting and the added Eben voice overs. I feel it has some undertones of noir, but then again, by that token, wouldn’t The Twilight Zone?
Genre is a tricky subject. Anything with time travel can’t be considered to be science fiction right away, can it? I admit, this seems like it has some traces of that, but I wouldn’t classify it as scifi…I also wouldn’t consider it to be a love story, though. I don’t feel that it can be a love story if the protagonists are not in love, and I don’t feel that they are here. I feel it is more of an obsession for both; how could Jenny know that she loves him so quickly? I think it’s a fancy that they pursue, and that is what drives the story. This can’t truly be a tragedy-think about it. She dies before him in history, she dies before him in real-time. And for what? It isn’t heart-wrenching for the audience (not really)-but I’m excited to see how they execute the end of the novel in the film nonetheless.
I guess what I’m wondering is if there are tell-tale signs of a genre that should be setting off flashing lights in our minds. (Time travel=scifi? Love story=two people overcoming obstacles, soulmates or not? Tragedy=death of a protagonist to be with the other?) I feel that jennie is a mishmash of genres and it’s nearly impossible to pin it down as one, but I also feel that it doesn’t meet all the necessary criteria for even one of those.If there are genre signals, there are far too many in Jennie to decide on one, if any.