Zodiac depicts the hysteria and press coverage over the Zodiac Killer murders that took place in the 1960s and 70s across the state of California. The infamous killer slayed at least five people, while claiming to kill many more. Thus, the movie was born and it was a work of art. Zodiac is truly haunting without being grotesque or supernatural. I watched this clip before inserting it, and it made me look over my shoulder:
Gyllenhall is excellent in his role as an investigator into the case, Robert Graysmith, (who authored a book about the entire ordeal, which I highly recommend you read), to the point where he portrays the true obsession that develops. This is where the film becomes what you don't expect it to be. Instead of being a historical recounting of the Zodiac murders, (it is still very historically accurate, to the point of not even including the first two Zodiac murders because there were not any witnesses) it presents itself as a case study into obsession. And as we know, with obsession comes a lot of eccentric, oddball behavior. The greatest example of this obsession inside Gyllenhall's acting comes in this scene.
Biiiiiig spoilers here, so watch the film beforehand, and enjoy the commentary below on camera shots. Keep in mind, this exact scene is detailed in the book and happened in real life:
However, let's get to the actual psychoanalysis of Zodiac, where I believe there are characters that are specifically portrayed (even though they are actually real) that represent the shoulder angel and the shoulder devil, or the Freudian id and euper-ego. These are the characters of Paul Avery (a fellow journalist at the paper Graysmith works at) and Melanie (Graysmith's girlfriend and later wife).
Again, even though this character is real, I believe that Fincher intentionally writes the character of Paul Avery to be the daring, gun-slinging, rogue side of Robert Graysmith. Paul Avery is a loud, brash, arrogant, but determined journalist who wants to get to the bottom of the cause just like Robert does, but obviously has different means. Whether he realizes it or not, Avery's actions encourages Graysmith to go the extra mile and feed his obsession (even though Avery somewhat gives up toward the end of the film). Avery is the devil on Graysmith's shoulder. This would represent Graysmith's id, seeking to get to the bottom of the case no matter what.
Then comes the complete other side of Graysmith's psyche, which I believe to be Melanie, his girlfriend and soon after wife. Melanie is constantly bugging and poking Graysmith to keep Zodiac away from the kids, especially when his investigation gets deep enough to pose a potential harm to their family. Not only that, but she also often reminds him that he is becoming so obsessed with this investigation that he's neglecting her and his children. Melanie is the angel on Graysmith's shoulder, and would represent Graysmith's super-ego.
In the end, Graysmith emerges in the middle of the two. While he still remains dedicated to the investigation, he receives closure in knowing who the killer is based on the evidence he's compiled.
I highly recommend giving Zodiac a watch, especially if you're into thrillers. The historical accuracy is spot on, the acting is brilliant, and the production design is some of the best you'll get in a movie of this genre. But, the beauty lies in the psychoanalysis of Robert Graysmith, and how obsession can drive any of us to become someone that is truly not ourselves.
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