I'm Not There: A Cinematic Representation of the Ambiguity of Truth and Identity

The film I’m Not There (Todd Haynes) takes a very schizophrenic approach to direction, writing, and cinematography. The idea behind this very conscious decision demonstrates a very interesting and philosophical point-of-view on the psychology of humans. The movie plays off of the common misconception that one can find any one truth. No one thing can be pinned down due to the paradoxical nature of both the public’s differing views on controversial issues and of personal identity.
This concept is made most apparent through the musician Jude Quinn (Cate Blanchett). Throughout Jude’s entire storyline, he discusses ambiguity in the way of his motives, sincerity, meaning, etc. In one scene, Mr. Quinn discusses with the British press how people have their own meanings for even the most common of words. A reporter says, “I believe we all know the meaning of “people.”” to which Jude Quinn simply replies, “Do we?” This raises philosophical questions regarding whom which social groups consider considering as equals. If that sounds confusing, stop and think. It is not difficult to understand how such a question reflects upon the time period they are referring to. Keep in mind; this is Vietnam, race riots, Civil Rights Movement, Musical revolution, etc. The idea is that as newgenerations replace the old, mind-sets change, and so do the implied meanings of words that stretch well away from strict dictionary meanings. And it all ties in with Jude Quinn’s final discussion where he explains that mysteries and contradictions are an ever-present evil of the human race that no one should ever separate themselves from. Life is not a formulaic matter and cannot be expressed in such Black & White terms
These exact same examples can be incorporated into another point made by multiple characters. The incorrect idea that anything the media says can be accepted as truth. Jude Quinn makes multiple points concerning media literacy. All of which come together on the stance of anti-commercialization of ideologies. Robbie Clark (Heath Ledger) talks about how “they took away the meaning” when referring to musicians. Ironically, he himself was the acting as Jack Rollins while filming a scene for a movie. This is a simple portrayal of how meaning is lost in the mass-media industry’s pursuit of a buck.
When you take these rather elaborate messages and take them all into consideration, you reach an interesting conclusion that there is no such thing as a single truth or identity. When it comes to any character’s identity, no one really knows who they are, wants people to know who they are, and/or where they stand on moral issues. Mr. B (Richard Gere) hides the fact that he is Billy the Kid. “Woody Guthrie” is not actually Woody Guthrie and doesn’t write songs concerning his views on the issues facing his generation. Of course, there are plenty more. However, the big red flag for the idea is when Arthur (Ben Whishaw) is being questioned by the panel. His character only really comments on the idea of ambiguity in truth and identity. The clincher is the speech on Seven Things to Do When Hiding.
Ultimately, this means that even the title, I’m Not There, literally means, when asked, people cannot have a 100% nailed-down view of themselves and the no amount of political discussion resolves any issue 100%. Now, any one can feel free to say what they want about how this applies to Bob Dylan. The main thing is that there is a deeper issue in the film, one that delves into the human psyche.

Me you and Everyone We Know

The movie "Me, You and Everyone We Know" shows us an ordinary people who connect and interact with each other through unanimated things. Miranda July shows us that people are trying to escape everyday routine by involving there life around objects. For example Christine is living a life she dreams about through her art, creating imaginary relationship that she wishes she had in real life. Same comes to Richard who compares a pair of shoes to the suffering of everyday life when he says “you think you deserve that pain, but you don’t”. More examples are found in the relationship between Robby and the women on the internet, where a little boy can say anything he wants and feel like a grown up man. Same comes to Sylvie’s treasure chest, Rebecca’s and Heathers involvement with an older man through messages on the window. Miranda July shows interactions of those characters through unanimated objects as their escape from reality. This movie shows that in our reality we need some kind of filters to help us to interact with one another.

Also there are many parallels and motifs in the movie which are very important to acknowledge. The scene when Christine is riding in the car with an old man watching last minutes of golden fish life. That shows representation of relationship between an old man and his girlfriend where he couldn’t do anything but be there with her in her last days of life. Yet the most important parallel in the movie is the scene with Richard holding a picture of a bird in his hands. Looking at the real bird sitting on the tree outside his window and the one in his hands there is a representation of Richard’s relationship being chained like the bird in a picture frame. In the end of the movie Christine helps him to let the bird free by placing it in the tree just like the real one. Which symbolizes Richard's chance to let go off his past and start a new relationship.

I'm not there

We are who we are - or pretend to be - but does anyone ever care to take notice?

Apparently the filmmaker was trying to tell the many sides of Bob Dillon when he used different actors to portray different portions of his life - even though some of the actors/portions seemed to crisscross at weird moments. I know Dillon changed up his music styles from time to time as a way of musical growth and that his fans did re-act to this change since they were unprepared for it. Thematically, it was an interesting way to show how people recognize someone as a different person since their physical appearance is different from actor to actor - even though Bob was still Bob inside and throughout the course of the film.

The beginning of the film is as confusing as the beginning of Bob's life. The film starts out with different actors saying different things in Bob's unique dialect, but each have different names. To the viewer, one can only think, 'WTF?'. And right from the start you are lost - except for the fact that the film later has a BBC reporter expose him as who he really is so the world knows who this true rebel is.

As for the arc of the film... well, it ends on the classic, Hollywood upswing - it's just fucking ridiculous. In one scene, he is with his wife and kids and in the next scene we see a later version of himself all happy - except that this happened after his divorce and losing custody of his kids. This film would have improved itself tenfold had it just stuck to a better timeline. You can edit a movie, but you can't edit life.

You and Me and Everyone We Know -- Ricky Leighton

You and Me and Everyone We Know is about substandard living in a suburban neighborhood. It attempts to show the bleak lives of people living and working in mundane situations. The bright light at the end of the tunnel being the happiness that characters try to find in their own lives. For instance, Miranda July's character is striving for someone to love her because up until now, her life has be lonely and unexciting. Richard is in a similar predicament, having just divorced his wife, he is attempting to refuel a dry relationship with his children. The little girl is fascinated with homeware because her life is so boring that normal childish games can't entertain her.
This bleakness is portrayed not only through the characters but the suburban setting itself. The set design in the film is created in order to give everything a distinct feel i.e. the solid colors of Miranda's bedroom or the emptiness of Richards apartment. The shooting strategy is uninteresting also. None of the shots in the film really stood out as being extravagant or extremely complicated. Instead the film relies on the imagery of the birds, the sun setting and suburbia in order to propel this theme.
The only issue is that while trying to portray this "real life" feel to the characters, there is also a quirkiness and absurdity added to all of the situations in the film. In the end, the film had a clear shooting plan and decent set design but the overall message was faulty in it's delivery.

Me and You and Everyone We Know

This film is very much about the inability of people to say what they are truly feeling and what they truly mean and the struggle that ensues when they try to connect with others through different methods. Me and You and Everyone We Know depicts a broad spectrum of characters who are for the most part quite reclusive, and the movie showcases what happens when such characters attempt to reach out to one another. One of the main characters in this large cast is Christine, the eccentric performance artist who makes videos that involve photographs of people to which she adds voice overs that portray them in their most true form, declaring their love, marveling at a landscape and sharing a TRUE Kodak moment. Her final masterpiece is the culmination of an elderly couple's love, suddenly interrupted by death the woman, Ellen's death. Using a picture of the Mayan ruins, Christine is able to bring closure to her close friend and Eldercab client, Michael, who wishes he was able to bring his love, Ellen, to see the historic site before she died. It is on this make-believe trip to the ruins that Michael is able to finally express his deep love in the way he always dreamed. Through Christine's art she is able to liberate herself (and now others) and create this personal utopia in which all people express their innermost feelings. In the same way, she reaches out to Richard, the lonely single father and shoe salesman. Walking back to their cars together from the store they share a moment of speculative fantasy in which they pretend they are walking through the time line of their lives, using landmarks they pass as a reference of years they'd share if they were together. Through this playful medium they express their true yearnings, but when Christine tries later on to invite herself into Richard's car, emotions clash as Richard is no longer comfortable when confronted by the seriousness of her interest in him. Richard's youngest son Robby also expresses himself through a medium when he does cyber sex in an online chatroom with a mysterious person, later revealed to be Nancy Herrington the director of the art gallery that Christine attempts and is finally accepted into. This materializes with an awkward and quite inappropriate kiss on a park bench. Richard's co-worker, Andrew, finds himself in a similar scenario in which a medium is used to communicate. He enjoys flirting with but cannot bring himself to express his sexual desires openly with two teenage girls that hang out outside his apartment and instead leaves signs up in the window that depict sexual acts that he fantasizes about doing with them. Through this medium he is able to express his true desires, but when they finally knock on his door he cannot face them. This is what the film is about: people living behind the comfort of barriers or mediums and what happens when they are broken down, when people are finally confronted head on with their desires. These are just a few examples from the film, but their are many more and Me and You and Everyone We Know is successful in commenting on this unique human condition.

Me and You and Everyone We Know--Chris Tharp

A theme I noticed Miranda July express throughout the relationships in her film is that in this postmodern digital age in which people communicate with one another through indirect barriers, we have our own sets of expectations, and we will each suffer rejection and an inability to connect with one another, but we will ultimately be able to reach someone and bring them or be brought happiness or experience or some sort of truth. Miranda July’s character, Christine, in an act of frustrated desperation, gushes her true feelings about how she feels she was treated only when she is sure that Nancy, the art curator, has already turned off the tape and stopped watching the video that she wouldn’t accept in person. Christine even mentions that the screening and critiquing process would have been incredibly awkward in person. Andrew, Richard’s coworker, communicates the grossest, most crass things to the two high school girls, Heather and Rebecca, only when he can do it through the safety of his living room window. In person, he confesses that he would talk dirty to them, but it wouldn’t be legal, and when they knock on his door, he hides. Robby confesses a weird, almost Freudian sexual desire to Nancy on a cyber sex chat room. They tell one another that they trust each other, and because Robby is so honest and unashamed in a way that isn’t threatening, it is believable that there could be trust in this anonymous relationship. When Nancy and Robby meet on the park bench and Nancy kisses little Robby, it seems appreciative and innocent. Robby’s older brother Peter has oral sex with Heather and Rebecca only after he puts the towel over his face so he can’t watch them. Life is about finding those fleeting moments of love and happiness and experiencing them knowing that things can’t go on like that forever, like the metaphor Miranda July uses in the beginning of her film about the goldfish staying alive only if the car travels at that constant speed forever. Christine’s “You” and “Me” shoes take turns going after one another, but either the timing isn’t right, or they are playing hard to get, and things aren’t as simple as just being together. The film ends on an optimistic note though when Christine and Richard are finally get the timing right.
Me and You and Everyone We Know infuses poetry with everyday life. The characters don’t behave out of the ordinary, their relationships are just abstracted because what they communicate with one another is so truthfully surreal. This surreal postmodern world is very effectively captured throughout the cinematography with the archetypal bright pink of Christine’s stickers and shoes and a number of other possessions. There is one scene in which the editing makes it appear as though Heather and Rebecca will get hit by Christine’s car as they run giddily down the street. Our expectations are set up for this, but ultimately nothing happens to either because they were on two different streets. This functions as a criticism of our propensity to only see the unpleasant and horrifying forces at work when the world is an indifferent place. I interpreted the scenes that contained birds in the film to mean that we are no less simple and free than birds are, we just complicate things for ourselves in this modern world by constructing barriers and shutting one another out.

Me, You, and Everyone We Know

Time as it relate to partnerships is a central theme in Miranda July’s film Me, You, and Everyone We Know. We bounce back and forth between couples that are running out of time, rushing time, or wasting time.

Michael and Ellen are a prime example of running out of time. The two just recently met in their old age, and already their time is being cut short by Ellen’s impending death. Richard ran out of time in his relationship with his ex-wife long before he was ready. The gold fish chase is a metaphor used in the film to accentuate these relationships that are either dead or dying. Michael and Christine try to out run the minutes to give the gold fish a longer life but in the end the answer is the same; you can’t drive at a steady pace on a straight road for your entire life. Eventually you will run out of gas or have to change lanes.

The two teen girls, Heather and Rebecca, are an example of rushing time. This to girls don’t even know how to correctly apply make up and they are already trying to loose there virginity in a threesome with some creep who lives next to the bus they take to go to and from school. The Museum Director is also trying to rush time. The Museum director is so lonely that she is ready to jump head first into a relationship with a guy she knows nothing about other then the fact that he wants to poop back and forth. The metaphor used to demonstrate the rush of time is the last image of the movie; Robby taps the coin on the bus sign and makes the sun move higher in the sky. Yet no matter how many degrees the sun moves, Robbie’s baby smooth face is still what we cut back to. Rushing time changes where you are in life, but not who you are in life.

The main couple, Richard and Christine, is a suburb example of wasting time. They push and pull at each other. “I could just walk you to your car.” Richard says before they split ways. Then when they meet up again moments later “What are you doing in my car! … You don’t even know me.” He has a chance to make something happen, and he pushes her away. Or in the shoe department when Christine lets her mind fill in the conversation Richard has with his Ex-wife. Instead of finding out an answer she flees. The best line in the movie that sums up the relationship between these two is when Christine was on her bed looking at her phone. “ We could spend our whole lives together,” she says “but first you have to call.” The metaphor in this movie that best plays to wasting time is when Christine tries to give her art work to the Museum director in her hand, but the Museum Director tells her to mail it. The assistant director even has the tape in her hand at one point, but gives it back to Christine; why waste the time going the long route when they can handle it frankly by talking to each other and saying what they need out right.

Lesson learned from Me, You, and Everyone We Know: never rush, hold on to, or waste time. Just live your life. Things happen when they happen weather you need them to happen or not.

Me and You and Everyone We Know

In short, this film is about the awkward moments, from tense silence to sheepish eye contact, that accompany the beginning of every burgeoning relationship.

Whether said explicitly, found online, or simply implied, the sexual frustration and curiosity featured in all of the relationships leads to the theme of communication playing a large role in the film. Christine hinging on the phone call from Richard, the co-worker being unable to face the teenage girls, and the museum curator are all examples of how people hide behind artificial walls while "living" a superficial life on the outside. While it would be convenient for everyone to just come out and say what they feel, that is rarely the case. Instead we are most often left to decipher ones guided actions and forced to make judgments based on them. Christine for example seems genuinely hurt after Richard kicks her out of the car. This despite the fact that they had just met and she invited herself in. Does this mean that Richard has no feelings for Christine? No, it simply means that the guy didn't want some lady he just met hopping in his car and driving with him. On The amateur videos that Christine creates there seems to be this perfect world where there are no reservations, people feel and they act as so. You have to believe that Christine was hoping for this world when she got in the car. For Richard to understand her personality and they start the long path of love and growing old together. It doesn't go quite this way, but all relationships start somewhere.

Sometimes it's an emoticon, sometimes it's a picture, and sometimes it words, all this goes to show is that there are numerous ways to communicate and express your feelings and at its core, that's what is believe the film is about.

Me and You and Everyone We Know - Sean Mulhearn

Me and You and Everyone We Know develops a steady balance between both the potential depth of various connections between characters and the meticulously constructed barriers that alienate them from one another. Every character in the film experiences some degree of loneliness, whether it be subtle or overwhelming, while at the same time relying heavily on boundaries that offer privacy and comfort.

The struggle between connections and boundaries develops into a significant motif throughout the film, which culminates in the use of intermediaries. In order for these desperate characters to maneuver through their tormenting insecurities they seek out some sort of vehicle to express themselves while somehow maintaining emotional security, if not total anonymity. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is Nancy’s insistence that Christine mail her the tape of her artwork rather than simply handing it directly to Nancy. Other examples abound, though, including the sexual descriptions left behind by the co-worker and Peter being blindfolded while receiving oral sex.

While this motif is apparent, it is only framed properly with the inclusion of the main character, Christine. Not only is Christine vital to the overall trajectory of the film as the main character, she helps shape the other characters with her own ignorance of inhibitions and sincerity. Christine constantly, albeit innocently, tests other characters’ boundaries, such as the tape with Nancy, the picture frame with Pam, or getting into Richard’s car without permission

Me And You And Everyone We Know-Mike Curcio

Michael Curcio

 

Me And You And Everyone We Know

 

            The film, “Me And You And Everyone We Know” deals expertly with relationships between people, both romantic and platonic, without creating an overbearing sense of drama between the subjects. The result is a movie that relates to human emotion but doesn’t fully capture it and because Miranda July walks that fine line in her writing, the audience benefits by not having their intelligence insulted. July urges the viewers to relate with the characters and empathize with the characters by filling in their lack of human emotion in the film with the viewer’s own feelings from personal experiences. Some viewers may find it frustrating that John Hawke’s character can’t seem to simply squeeze out his true emotions in hopes of allowing some closure in his divorce. Others might see his emotional retardation with both his ex-wife and his other “love” interest -Miranda July’s character Christine- and relate because they too have felt their communication skills to be lacking in their own life so they feel relieved and empowered to share their pain with other person even if that person may be fictional.

            Miranda July made this picture to communicate with the audience about the side of themselves that they don’t openly allow others to see. Ms. July understands that when the emotional introvert expresses his or her emotions; beautiful and awkward situations occur. One of these situations is towards the end of the film when Robby, after an entire film of wondering, finally discovers what the noise is that constantly wakes him up in the morning. He takes that quarter that the businessman is using to tap against the metal rail and then the young boy starts tapping the metal himself, slowly taking over the unofficial responsibility of the man as being his proverbial morning rooster. This moment is exclusive to Robby, but any member of the audience that has had a similar experience could relate to the boy and they could share the moment together. The aforementioned experience is what makes this film fleetingly sentimental yet highly effective in warming the human heart.

Me and You and Everyone We Know - Dan Janavey

Me and You and Everyone We Know is, quite literally, about Me and You and Everyone We Know or, speaking in broader strokes, the interconnectivity between people and relationships that fuels society. Every major character in the (rather large) cast of the film is connected to every other character in some way, either directly or through their interactions with another character. For example Richard and the two teenage girls share concurrent stories involving love, and though the characters never truly meet in the film (except perhaps, very briefly) there are both connected through Richard’s coworker and thus the comparison between their stories becomes more apparent.

Also important to note is the presence of similar motifs and themes running through each individual character’s stories. The idea of being “wounded,” either physically or emotionally is an important part of each character’s story and and, again, serves to link them all together through one common thread. This motif is symbolized physically onscreen by Richard’s burnt hand and the bandage he keeps it under throughout the course of the film, only removing it at the end of the film when his emotional wound (his pain regarding his wife’s divorcing him) has been healed as well.

Indeed, each major character in the film suffers from some kind of wound. Christine is wounded by Richard’s initial refusal of her due to his own trauma from the divorce. Peter and Robby, Richard’s children, are themselves wounded by their parent’s separation. The museum’s curator, wounded by her own loneliness finds solace in both Christine’s work and her cybersex chats with Peter and Robby. In this way every other character in the film finds some kind of respite from their wounds in the arms of another character.

Katie McMeans Me&You&Everybody We Know

Miranda July’s Me and You and Everyone We Know centers around seemingly every day people and their struggle to form relationships through various barriers.  Throughout the film, technology plays a huge role in both strengthening and blocking relationships.  For Christine and Richard, technology could be argued to hamper their relationship.  Their first meetings are honest, pure.  They say what they mean and don’t waste time.  They use the metaphor of their walk down the block as a way to express what both of them are actually hoping for.  However, it is when Christine must rely on Richard’s phone call that the progress of their relationship is hindered.  At one point Christine exclaims “Why won’t you call!? We have our entire lives to live! But you have to fucking call!” 

 

Contrasting this however, when Christine attempts to meet with Nancy the art dealer face to face she makes no success.  It is only when Christine uses her medium and the video camera to reach out to Nancy does she listen, letting Christine know through technology by calling her and saying “Macaroni.”  Nancy’s relationship with Robby as well, is only successful through technology, through the Internet.  When they meet in the flesh it is obvious that Nancy’s fantasies can only be lived online.

 

 The imagery of birds is used throughout the film as a way to show Miranda July’s  wish for how relationships should be.  The cliché “free as a bird” would be an obvious correlation to make.  By book ending the film with this bird imagery, we are shown that the characters are able to free themselves from the barriers of their relationships.

Miranda July's film Me You and Everyone One We Know was largely based overall around the last line in the film. At the end of the film the man that gets introduced is tapping a quarter on the pole as he is waiting for the bus says he is "just passing the time". I think that he plays just as an important of a part in the film as any of the main characters. One could say otherwise, but each of the relationships in this film are characterized by how they pass their time to get by in life.
One can pass the time by doing any number of things; creating art, going on a long drive, doing something that they love, sleep, being a chauffeur for the elderly, or chatting online to strangers about pooping back and forth. There is anything and everything to pass the time.
Time is one of those interesting topics, where it can go in any direction because no one can explain it. Time is undetermined by mankind, but determined by however one decides to spend it. In order for a relationship to work or not work, both individuals have to enjoy spending time together. In Richard's case, him and his ex wife were obviously not enjoying being together which in time led to their separation. However, at the end of the film and after all the awkward interactions, Richard's timing was perfect in asking out one of the other main characters, Christine. I do not even think either one of them greeted one another and exchanged names their names throughout the whole film. And that is just one example of the ridiculously odd material in this movie.

Me, You, and Everyone We Know

“I want you to know that you were loved.” It’s as simple as that. Me, You, and Everyone We Know is a movie about love if you want to put it simply. The scene in the car with the fish is just a glimpse of what the director wanted us to really look at. This is combined with the equally paced scene in which Richard is watching the bird, rather enviously, as his marriage comes to an end. He is first displayed as a man who has lost love. We can see his distress, and we can feel the tension. We see just how violent being unloved can be when he lights his hand on fire. He enjoys it for a few seconds and then it burns him severely. That shot in which he was pounding his flaming hand into the ground was a demonstration of how godless and desperate a person without love can be.
It was not a beautiful film, but it only existed to broadcast the message of imperfect humans needing to feel like they’re perfect. You could never love somebody face to face. You just couldn’t. For one reason or another, you were never really able to look somebody in the eye: you had to look through a mirror, talk through a cell phone, or be seen on a video in order to expose your soul to someone. When the flaws of loveless humans came into view (losing the boys, the fish on the car, or yelling at Miranda’s character to get out of the car), the editing sets a faster pace, and even the soundtrack of the movie seems to disturb you in a way. What I liked about the movie is that it didn’t ask why things were the way they were, but it showed envy to things that can: the portrait of the bird. It’s a feeling of freedom that seems to shake each character in the same way: I wish I could be free to do what I feel.

Me and You Everyone We Know by Miranda July isn't meant to be viewed as a classic three-act structure containing a compelling protagonist, exciting twists and turns, and a blockbuster, climactic ending. Rather, it is an endearing, comical, yet weirdly tragic character-driven piece intended for the audience to seek the deeper meaning of it, instead of what's on its surface. There are several symbolic themes and motifs evident throughout the film, which help the audience better understand the message Miranda July is trying to get across to us. The most recurring theme is the fact that all of the characters, while not all in close relation to one another, are dealing with extreme personal issues. And more importantly, they have trouble communicating these issues to others, hiding their reality from the public and storing away their deep, dark secrets.

The issue of hiding oneself is evident in the film. For one, the relationship Richard has with his children, Robbie and Peter, lacks communication. They only express their feelings to him by singing a hymn. They channel this need for communication through music. Richard's coworker exemplifies this, also. His deepest desires involving the two teenage girls would be seen as taboo by society, so he writes them dirty messages on his window. And even Peter and Robbie's obsession with internet chats supports the notion of concealment, showing us that technology can be utilized as a front. Peter even tells Robbie that it could be a man on the other end. This is why it's a shock when we find out that the art director, Nancy, is the creep chatting with them. She hides this sick and twisted persona behind the computer screen. Miranda July's character, Christine, is the only character who wishes people would express their feelings. She lives vicariously through other people's photos in her performance art. Because of her odd personality, she doesn't fit into society as well as the others and comes off a bit strong for Richard. She is actually the most sane one, almost serving as the other characters' conscience, reminding them to live life to its fullest and say what you mean.

The motif of birds is consistent throughout the film, as well. Perhaps July wanted to use it as a way to show the characters' deepest desire to break free from their burdens of everyday life (i.e. the bird is carefree and without restrictions). And finally, the final scene of the film offers great insight into the meaning of the film. When Robbie discovers that the noise he's been hearing every morning is a man tapping a quarter against a pole, he contradicts what Richard says earlier in the film about children not having any control over their lives. Robbie taps the quarter and believes he's controlling the sunrise by doing so, which defies what his father said.

As we discussed briefly in class, Miranda July's film Me and You and Everyone We Know can be construed to be about several different things. We discussed a wide range of ideas including relationships and the importance of communication, as well as Miranda July's commentary on modern art. All of the these ideas are relevant to the context of the film. However, I feel that the more poignant themes in this film are ideas about relationships and communication as well as the ideas of simply "passing the time."

The relationships among the characters in Me and You and Everyone We Know are quirky to say the least. Like often in real life, the characters in this film are just looking for a companion to connect with because a successful relationship can bring happiness in life. But Miranda July's commentary on communication complicates this fact. The relationships in this film, like between Heather and Rebecca and the coworker, and Robbie and Nancy, are intimate but only when they are behind a barrier. The coworker describes what he would do to Heather and Rebecca sexually, but only by writing on pieces of paper and hanging them in his window. Robbie gains Nancy's trust and their relationship blossoms, however, only through instant messages online. Everyone in this film is looking for someone to connect with or "know," but like in most cases, is afraid to reveal their true, intimate self. As for the theme of "passing the time," I felt like Miranda July was commenting on how we spend our time during and in between relationships. This is highlighted in the final scene of the film, when Robbie wakes up to discover the sound that he's heard every morning. He wanders to a bus stop to find a man tapping a quarter on a metal signpost and when Robbie asks him what he's doing, the man simply replies he is "just passing the time." The sunlight illuminates Robbie's face as if he has gained some great knowledge and Miranda July summarizes her themes through this character in this moment: that as humans struggle to connect and know one another, in the meantime, we simply just pass the time.

Miranda July’s film Me and You and Everyone We Know seems to be about people who are looking for meaning in life while trying to pass the time.  Before the opening credits are played in the film, Richard, who is recently separated from his wife, decides there should be some type of ceremony for his sons, so he pours lighter fluid on his hands and lights it in front of his sons’ window and ends up severely burning himself.  A great deal of the film focuses on Christine and her performance art, which seems to be an avid hobby of hers as well as a search for an idealistic vision of love. The close ups used of her performance art help the audience to enter Christine’s world.

The secondary characters in the story also seem to do be doing something to pass the time, whether it’s Nancy thinking she’s talking to a potential mate on the internet or Heather and Rebecca who are beginning to explore their blossoming sexuality. There is a great moment when Heather and Rebecca take turns performing oral sex on Peter and the camera shows Peter looking at a picture of his family when his parents were still together. It seems to convey a sense of loss of innocence.  

The final scene of the film is especially poignant.  Robbie is awake early to hear what the clicking from the outside is and sees a man waiting for the bus, banging a coin on a sign. He claims he’s just “passing the time” and hands the coin over to Robbie who imitates his clicking. The sunrise and this line seem to convey it’s a new day and everyone is just trying to get by. 

At its core, Me and You and Everyone We Know seems to be about communication and relationships in the digital age. Or rather how these relationships are evolving and changing, for better or for worse. Miranda July barrages her viewer with images of relationships between apparently distinct characters at different phases in their lives, each with its own dynamic. A key message the film seems to have is that anonymity, the kind of anonymity that was pioneered in the digital age with the advent of the internet and the cellular phone, changes the way in which we interact. This is seen both in the relationships between Robby and Nancy Harrington, and in the relationship between Heather and Rebecca, the teenage girls, and Andrew.
The interactions between Robby and Nancy seem to be a more direct approach to the subject matter as they are conversing via the internet. Through this you get a more candid view of these two people. The idea of pooping back in forth if said in a casual encounter in a bar or some more conventional social meeting would be unthinkable. But because of the anonymity this sort of interaction entails it frees people up to say things that they never would have said in any other circumstances. It is a double sided idea in this case. On one side you have a small child who seems to not quite understand what he is saying. But on the other hand you have a grown woman who seems to be expressing some sort of secret sexual fetish that she never would have confided in anyone else without this type of communication. Whether or not this is a positive or a negative seems less clear. But it does seem that Miranda July sees some sort of strange beauty in this sort of relationship.
Another thread in this story that shares this theme is the relationship between Heather and Rebecca, the teenage girls, and Andrew, the shoe salesmen friend of Richard. When these characters first meet Andrew refuses to say what he would do with the girls sexually because of the nature of the interaction. It is too direct and confrontational. So in the style of his time he writes it on pieces of paper and posts them on his window. This is the same idea as in the relationship between Robby and Nancy. Andrew can only say these sort of taboo sexual things to these young girls through a non confrontational medium. These are things he might in a regular social interaction think about but never really say, but because he can not be seen paired with these words, in his mind, he is more comfortable saying them. Of course when the girls finally knock on his door to come and lose their virginity to him he immediately drops to the floor and hides. Miranda July seems to be saying that maybe it is better for us not to act on these sort of animalistic impulses because perhaps that’s all they are, dirty, private, fleeting impulses.