#50 Punch Drunk Love - P.T. Anderson's Love Letter to the Emotionally Inept

Raw emotions make some people uncomfortable. The characters in Magnolia, though surrounded by a web of others, exuded an unmistakable loneliness. Some found this unfiltered portrayal of pain embarrassing or even tedious. I found this departure from Boogie Nights' wide-eyed distance brave and refreshing. In Anderson's latest film, Punch Drunk Love, Adam Sandler plays another loner. Barry Egan is an average Joe with a mile-wide crack in his well-being. We catch up with self-made businessman as he ekes out a living in the San Fernando Valley. He's a decent, albeit socially troubled, guy who lives alone and occupies a space half a degree off from the real world. Anderson's inspired camera work and sound design miraculously aid the viewer in feeling Egan's distance from the world. In once scene we see Egan standing at the curb. A car approaches quickly but silently in the background. Only when the car is upon him do we hear the sudden, deafening roar of wind and engine. When confronted with Egan's seven sisters, the screeching chaos of a family gathering paired with frenetic camera work helps us understand and even condone Barry's sudden bursts of uncontrolled violence. As a sketch of a disenfranchised loser, this film would be merely interesting. P.T. Anderson's completely believable gift of love to Egan in the form of the elven Emily Watson elevates the film to another, more sublime level.