As we slowly move to what we hope to be a return to normalcy, in the absence of any newly released and appealing movies, especially allowing for the limited seating capacity in the theatres, I found it interesting that a continued search through streaming services should result in something remarkably pertinent to the situation.
In & of Itself, currently streaming on Crave, has received widespread critical praise. Perhaps equally significantly, in a number of ways it seems to symbolize the current COVID crisis which has taken over our lives.
First of all, the film is a cinematic version of a successful Broadway production – reminding us all of the sad loss of live theatre for well over a year. Many of us have welcomed streamed versions of plays, ranging from Hamilton to Live from the National Theatre. In fact, as directed by Frank Oz, In & of Itself is a mélange of several performances, designed to intensify the impact of the performance of the central performer, Derek DelGaudio.
DelGaudio is foremost a magician of enormous talent. With dazzling virtuosity he performs sleight of hand, causes solid objects to disappear, and amazes audiences with apparent mind-reading. Many of us have been looking for just this sort of distraction from the boredom of isolation.
Moreover, DelGaudio wraps up his act by challenging the audience to ponder a question many of us may have asked ourselves during this period of enforced reflection: “Who am I?” And here I find myself less than enthusiastic about the film.
Somehow he finds significance in a story about Russian roulette, which he then uses as the springboard for the philosophical aspect of the show. Unfortunately I found the invitation to self-reflection decidedly pretentious. The very title In & of Itself seemed to have little to do with anything at all. Indeed, I was tempted to think that DelGaudio had taken a leaf from Stephen Potter’s hilarious Lifemanship approach to life and come up with a title which was “boldly meaningless.”
As the film progressed, I was eager to see more of the illusions, which continually left me agog as to how he was able to perform them, while I found his conjectural ramblings increasingly tiresome.
In fairness, many have found DelGaudio’s musings worthwhile and relevant. Not being one of their number, I was reminded how most of the endless hours of self-reflection during the pandemic have left me back where I started. In short, I have come to the realization that I long to resume my former life, though I am far more appreciative of what I have in the past taken for granted.
As with so much else in the last year, I have welcomed the distraction of entertainment. I certainly didn’t need DelGaudio’s inflated musings, though, to get to appreciate the values that the Church teaches me.
In & Of Itself certainly offers entertainment, but, at least for me, its philosophical concerns are redundant. Others may well find them helpful and worthwhile. As with everything else during these challenging times, we have all reacted in our own way.
However, I am sure that we all agree that a return to “normalcy” will be most welcome. It will be wonderful actually and really to go back to the theatres!
