I Heart Huckabees. Existentialist Blanket Theory.

Existential detective Bernard Jaffe (Dustin Hoffman) explaining to activist/poet Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman) the interconnectedness of things in David O. Russell's philosophical 2004 film I [Heart] Huckabees:

BJ: Say this blanket represents all the matter and energy in the universe, okay? You, me, everything. Nothing has been left out. Alright? All the particles, everything.

AM: What's that side of the blanket?

BJ: More blanket. That's the point.

AM: The blanket's everything.

BJ: Exactly, this is everything. OK, let's just say this is me, and I'm what, 60 odd years old and I'm wearing a grey suit. Blah, blah, blah. And let's say that over here this is you and, I don't know, you're 21, you've got dark hair, Etc. And over here this is Vivian, my wife and colleague. And over here, this is the Eiffel Tower, right? It's Paris! And this is a war. And this is a museum. And this is a disease. And this is an orgasm. And this is a hamburger.

(WELL! everyone's blogging about the same things as me. Trying to find the quote i want. and the whole thing is right here.)




"When you get the blanket thing you can relax, because everything you could ever want or be, you already have and are."


(I totally stole this quote off another blog -along with the image, when i realised i couldn't take a screen shot of my dvd 'cause Jamie's borrowed it. -also, is it illegal to do that? actually, who gives a shit.)


The quote and still image is from the film I Heart Huckabees which is 'an existential comedy'.

Albert Markovski goes to these 'existential detectives' to investigate a coincidence, but in fact he is having an existential crisis! etc. just watch the film.
Bernard Jaffe explains the Blanket Theory (i can't really get a proper explanation of it.). and the 'interconectedness' of everything.


Moving on. I really want to reference the 'blanket theory' in my work. I THINK.
because, firstly i really like the whole quote.
also the existentialist theory is interesting. -in that it's a treatment as well as a theory. (this sort of links back to my consolation towel.*)
---In the film, Albert is meant to be using the blanket concept whenever he is angry or upset or anything.
also, the blanket is a textile object - literally speaking. and i'm pretty damn into textiles.
ALSO! it's a theory that (don't quote me) sounds Eastern. ..as in slightly Buddhist. the whole nature of things being connected.
So it's going towards my wanting to meld a lot of things together. Theories are born of other theories, i suppose. i think it's the case here.

* this bad boy:

http://illhabit.blogspot.com/2007/04/cereal-bowl-theory.html