Yea, he's totally a genius... crazy how I heard some bozo howling at the moon about how Nathan is the "King of Loneliness". Nonsense. I expect to see a Centerfold of this #dreammaker in Vanity Fair or even the Diarrhea Times (sounds like a gross gag but it's great and there are tons of dolphin facts).
Nathan is the craziest person on the show. He is insane. The good thing is that he is also a genius and has this as his outlet instead of serial killing.
This description of him reminds me of him in the episode of Nathan For You where he tests a random guy from craigslist's dopamine levels without his knowledge before and after hanging out with him
I went to the bar that Nathan recreates in The Rehearsal and the feeling of surreality was something I've never experienced. I felt like there could be a follow up episode of the show about the fans like me who show up there and giggle and take pictures and order the "Nathan Fielder" cocktail. It felt like I was part of the joke.
What the hell, how?? I live in Portland and I didn't know about the bar obviously until the season aired and I heard the bar was removed by then. Did you just walk by randomly and see it?
It’s wild. I unknowingly without any knowledge of the plot watched Synecdoche New York for the first time shortly after getting into a Nathan Fielder kick and binging Nathan For You and The Rehearsal. My media consumption is starting to show patterns. Without Nathan’s guidance, I probably wouldn’t have appreciated the genius of SNY so much.
You're the 3rd person I've seen make the comparison (other than myself), I'm glad there's this much overlap between the audiences for those pieces of media
@@debrachambers1304 I'm a big fan of Kaufman so I kept comparing the two a lot as well as I was watching the rehearsal! I also enjoy Sasha baron Cohen's work which might lack a few layers of complexity but is also about a farce of what is real and what isn't.
@@katyacore Nathan Fielder and Charlie Kaufman are both Jewish and both of their mothers are social workers (both of Nathan's parents are actually, but for Charlie it's only his mom)
When he had the actor move in with a pair of actors to mimic the situation of the person he was studying, I knew where it was going, and I wasn't surprised when Nathan then moved himself in with a pair of actors acting like the actors that the actor Nathan was following, but I still lost my shit when it happened. Brilliant show!
Nathan is fantastic, love that HBO has smart enough people to let him do his "crazy" ideas. Its everything i ever wanted to see. What a brilliant review and video!!Thank you very much for this!!
@@alexcoyg3281 Also check out "Painting with John." It's just John Lurie reflecting on his life and telling weird stories, while he sometimes paints. HBO seems to have made the show just on the basis that Lurie's older show "Fishing with John" (which is amazing) has become a cult classic. Thank you, HBO.
Since it aired, I have been obsessed with The Rehearsal. Hours have been spent trying to extract an understanding from the absolute insanity that Nathan Fielder created. Thank you for making it even more clear!
Same here! There’s a lot to discuss and delve into with The Rehearsal, and even some in Nathan For You (even though that show was mostly a comedy). I both love and hate how complex it is loll
I'm glad to see you going into what The Rehearsal says about reality and reality media. I've seen some other reviews that just wrote as if the show were a straightforward reality show, which I think misses the mark.
Completely, I like that it's open to interpretation but for me the whole thing was acted/scripted as a satire of reality TV. Everything he is doing in the show to plan out 'The Rehearsal', he is also doing off camera to make the actual show if you get what I mean which makes it even more ridiculous and clever. Strong Synechdoche NY vibes, glad to see it mentioned in this piece.
As others have commented, you’ve provided an excellent analysis here. The shot of Willy Wonka hugging Charlie Bucket, mirroring Nathan’s final scene, calling back to the dialogue about Wonka in Episode 1, is all that anybody wondering about ‘Remy’ needs to consider. Tom McCarthy’s ‘Remainder’, Charlie Kaufman’s ‘Synecdoche’, W G Sebald’s ‘Rings of Saturn’, David Shields’ ‘Reality Hunger’, Ross McElwee’s ‘Sherman’s March’, Joshua Oppenheimer’s ‘The Act of Killing’, Friedrich Nietzsche’s ‘Ecce Homo’, René Magritte’s ‘This Is Not A Pipe’, Miguel de Cervantes’ ‘Don Quixote’, and Jon Wilson making risotto. A dream within a dream.
It's funny because Nathan in himself is a character that exists outside of the show, that is one if the best at blurring the line between "what is this guy like outside of his work". And while we usually have no problem doing that with others, a fascination even (especially when you see all that market around gossip news of actors), Nathan is somebody I don't want to know about outside of his work. He managed to perfectly inhabit what he does, making you doubt of everything he shows you. He is the first who made me wonder "ok what's real": reality is the true show in The Rehearsal
“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” Philip K. Dick Quote I couldnt stop thinking about during the first episode. Ive been telling my friends to watch this by saying Its like Charlie Kaufman movie was turned into a s"%tpost. Still its the best summary I could come up with.
Wasn't that guy who went crazy and thought Romans were coming to execute him for being a Christian because a pink laser shot him in the head from a satellite called VALIS?
Fun fact about the milligram experiment. The guy cooked his books. It was actually very very common for people to refuse to do the final shock. I'll source my citation as from Humankind a hopeful history but i knew from my own schooling
It was Australian psychologist Gina Perry who investigated Milgram's data and writings and concluded that Milgram had manipulated the results, and that there was a "troubling mismatch between (published) descriptions of the experiment and evidence of what actually transpired." She wrote that "only half of the people who undertook the experiment fully believed it was real and of those, 66% disobeyed the experimenter". She described her findings as "an unexpected outcome" that "leaves social psychology in a difficult situation." Published as PERRY, G. "Deception and Illusion in Milgram's Accounts of the Obedience Experiments". Theoretical & Applied Ethics. (2013) p. 79-92. ISSN 2156-7174.
I loved everything about this show conceptually and artistically but I just hope someone follows up later with Remy. I hope that sweet baby turns out okay
His grandma has been reply to posts on Reddit and has said he's fine. www.reddit.com/r/TheRehearsal/comments/wtrkh1/heres_remy_doing_just_fine_and_a_few_other_random/
@@m_a_k_e_n_n_a Of course we all got worried, but it is normal for young kids to get very attached to someone so quickly (and it is normal for them to forget about it just as quickly). And the most important thing is that his mother seemed to be a nice and caring person, I'm pretty sure he will be fine.
I only just noticed this but at 15:00 when Remy (as Adam but not really) says 'i love you Daddy' THATS when Nathan knew IMMEDIATELY that he went too far because you notice his response puts HEAVY emphasis on him calling remy ADAM when he says 'i love you ADAM' back to him and i swear u can see the 'real nathan' break thru for split second
@@InvisibleBully9496 tbh its impossible to know but i dont have any reaason to think he's an ACTUAL sociopath, he seamed genuine imo, and only in the moments involving Remy/Adam etc which werent staged unless that kids a goddamn prodigious actor lol
@@thatJAWNraps for us yeah it's impossible to verify but the trend of people like this show they don't really have remorse. I believe he's happy with the outcome of what transpired
This video is actually SUPER fucking deep, when you start to weigh out some of the implications, and observations on behavior shaped by culture/peer influence. Really really thought provoking, thank you!
If you haven’t completed the project yet, I would also highly recommend Super Eyepatch Wolf’s essay on it. It takes a slightly different tact, but is just as revealing.
I think the final scene and the line “No, I’m your dad” is very much the confirmation of Nathan’s realization that the rehearsals are not real. If he would’ve said “oh yeah you’re right. I’m your mom,” it would’ve basically admitted that his whole speech about the validity of emotions and the falsehood of The Rehearsal would have been an act, but him doubling down here shows that he’s not going to take back what he said because he was right. His refusal to take it back shows that he sees himself as a combination of himself, the dad character, and the mom. He has been able to see from others’ perspective and acknowledges the validity of others’ experiences even if we cannot understand them
Fantastic video, Thomas! I absolutely love this experiment of The Rehearsal. The same philosophical questions you pose here I also felt during the watching of the show.
As always, Thomas, amazing video essay on this subject. I’m so glad you’re out there doing the work you do, helping to transcribe the feelings and reactions we have about these things. Honestly, you are the arbiter of seeing and viewing. I’m a subscriber forever.
Thanks for this. I actually just finished watching the Rehearsal a couple of days ago. I've been chewing on it on and off again. To your points about reality show participants and how they act on shows versus real life, I've been trying to explain that to people since The Real World came out. Its so obvious to me that the producers were manipulating people into situations but some people want to see it as real life. There was a great, if very lurid show that was underwatched about exactly this concept called UNReal. I recommend it to anyone wondering about the big reality shows. The creator worked on these shows as a producer before making UnReal. Her experiences clearly were not positive but extremely revealing.
same reason why first few series of Big Brother are so different, those people went in not knowing how they 'should' act, they were aware of cameras but you got a much more organic experience...when you got to BB10 for example, the people going in wanted to be reality tv stars and already knew all the tropes of a reality tv contestant.
I haven't even watched the video but I love that you have watched the rehearsal, I love and follow your account for a long time now and I respect your opinion and value your insights. This is gonna be a treat, I can tell 🥰
As a guy who lost his father by a car accident, I can relate to the child that did not have a father in real life. But for me, this happened at age 11. I knew the concept of loss, of death. I knew how to handle it even though I was still young. I also had trouble accepting any other man who came into my family's life, even though I needed a Dad and did not know it. This was because I did not want a replacement for my father, I wanted my actual father. Yet for this kid, he craves and needs a Dad. It does not matter to him that it is a replacement as he doesn't even understand that side of it yet. For him, it's gaining back something he never wanted to lose. Sadly, this now sets up the premise that Nathan was unaware of. He might have known he was faking but the kid has trouble grasping that. He only knows there is a new dad. So now he loses yet another Dad in his young life. Sure, it's fake and short-lived but it's still a loss he feels a second time for real. Yes, this made some realism come into play for Nathan that is present somewhat in reality television. He also needed this because he can get past the fake side of "The Rehearsal" situation. He knows he isn't what the show makes him. However, that is why he needed the kid without a father for real. Now HE is the viewer of real, literal reality. Which he now has to deal with, wrestling with the issue of his own ethics and morality legit. His overall show presents a version of Nathan playing a character. Although, ironically in an episode about "Reality TV" that is often fake...we see the most real side of Nathan.
I never thought of the SNY comparison, but I saw that movie back in 08 and it is one of the very few movies that is seared so deeply in my brain. There is something wildly uncanny about that movie that makes it stand so far out from just about every movie I've ever seen. This comparison gives it a whole new layer of meaning. Great analysis here, thanks.
I think a brilliant way he was able to capture "real" people was making part of the premise the actual "rehearsal" itself. I don't doubt that that's how a person would actually act if they were in an experiment where you act out every possible outcome of a real life scenario
This all mirrors a Borges story (mentioned in Simulation and Simulacra) where a forgotten civilization were such diligent and precise map-makers, that they made larger and larger maps, until the map was the same size as the place that it represented.
I think where Nathan went wrong with the gold-digger was that the misdirection was too on-the-nose and over the top. He was literally digging for gold in the misdirection. My working theory is that he was too dense to realize what happened at first and had a genuine reaction on set. Later when he told his gold-digging girlfriend what happened she likely explained to him how Nathan set him up, and he became embarrassed/insulted and then cut contact with Nathan.
Nathan was fucking with the guy for being anti-semitic. Nathan's a comedy writer with a staff at the end of the day. Nathan's company Summit Ice has a lot of resources if you want to learn about why fighting anti-semites by tricking them into changing a stranger's diaper is important.
It's not said in the show but there's an obvious time jump between that moment and when the guy fails to show up after, because most likely that's right when covid lockdown hit and everything got put on hold. People are all wearing masks by the time he comes back and it's likely the dude just went and had the conversation on his own rather than waiting months for the show to allow him to.
@@john_smith_john This notion would not explain many things, like the motivation to cut contact with Nathan instead of just explaining intentions due to covid/production restrictions.
@@YaBoiBigNutz Kiarostami is one of the great filmmakers of all time. Why would you assume one of the most famous movies ever made is not well known outside of some other youtuber's recommendations?
@@YaBoiBigNutz Because it's obnoxious that someone would assume an highly relevant film would only be known and referenced because of some movie of the week youtube popularity. Culture vultures chewing up and spitting out crap takes as if they are the first to discover an internationally recognized classic.
Well done. I saw Derren Brown’s The Heist and Synecdoche, New York when they came out and saw the similarities with The Rehearsal during its run. I felt manipulated by Nathan while watching The Rehearsal, so it was effective. Most media is meant to be manipulative.
I think it's interesting that just as it becomes hard to know whats real and whats not as the show goes on, it's kinda almost reflective of Nathan's general character. We equally dont know how real his character is, as he kind of blurs that line as the show goes on. It seems like this is something truly representative of his character, and really enriches it through this show. It feels like it was done out of true passion and dedication to the art
I remember when I watched this show, I thought the first episode was the most interesting, because it seemed like the main guy got into a really deep, connected place with his friend when he opened up to her and she accepted him. It was truly a wonderful, heartwarming, vulnerable moment captured on screen where he seems to forget what's happening and go deep with his friend. As the show went on, I got more uncomfortable and especially when the little boy was cast. I knew once a small child, like under age 7 was involved, that it was a whole different ballgame. Kids that age do not really understand the difference between real and imaginary. They essentially live 100% of the time in hyper reality. Kids this age will often lie because they don't actually understand what "true" and "real" means. They aren't lies so much as just another story about what is happening around them. This child in The Rehearsal clearly lived in this space and it was so heartbreaking to watch Nathan bonding with him, not totally understanding the implications at first. I still struggle with the ethics of this show too. As a side note, there is no world where I thought, "I wonder if someone would make a video that references the rehearsal, Love Is Blind and Synecdoche, New York?" all content I have recently viewed and enjoyed, but here we are. Weirdos who think way too deeply about what it means to be human by watching high art and trash TV. ❤ Thanks for making this thoughtful essay.
FINALLY SOMEONE POSTING ABOUT THIS! It drives me CRAZY how quiet people are about this show. EDIT¹: THERE'S EVEN DERREN BROWN THERE?! WOOOOOOOW EDIT²: After finishing The Rehearsal I thought a lot about Derren Brown, so it's pretty cool to see that. The point is that what is reality and what isn't simply doesn't matter. You can view it as entertainment and distance yourself from what you're watching, or you can see as an art form, and become part of it. Then, reality doesn't really matter, because your perception dictates what it is and isn't.
I watched the first episode and took it pretty much at face value, because even the more ridiculous parts seemed entirely plausible to me. (I know Nathan Fielder is known for playing up a persona, but it’s I’m talking about about the logistical implementation of the episode.) Even though I was extremely entertained, I decided not to watch any more, specifically because of the part where they let the participant believe people had been killed in a shooting. I felt that, and only that, crossed an ethical line. Even though “it’s days like these I curse the Chinese for inventing gunpowder” was hilarious.
Excellent. Excellent video Thomas Flight. Your videos continue to pull me, both at a psychical level and at the level of entertainment. I especially appreciate the pace. At a time when so many are trying to cram every word they can into every second, there's a patience to your commentary that makes it easy to relax, engage, and reflect. Thanks.
I was working in a coffee shop a few years ago in Newport Beach, CA, when I see the Taxi Cab driver from Nathan For You come in, but he was there to deliver a package, not to get coffee. It seemed like he was working as a courier. I sheepishly walked up to him and told him I recognized him from the show and asked if I could get a picture with him. This is when I realized the show wasn’t fake. The man was so surprised that I knew who he was, at first was shocked that I would recognize him, second he repeated “Nathan” to himself before he realized who I was talking about. It seemed like he had no idea how big of a thing the show was or possibly that it was a show? But he was super kind and we got a picture together. It left me wondering how much is actually told to the people on the show while it’s getting made, but also feeling sad for the guy because he 100% did not get paid well enough for that amount of exploitation.
Hey, Thomas :) I don't think I've ever left a comment on one of your videos, which, now I think about it, seems absurd given how many of them I've watched. I just wanted to say that I love your videos, I really do. Your style, the succinctness of your diagnosis/dissection/evaluation ability, the fact that you always choose such interesting subjects to talk about, and the vibe you've managed to cultivate over time; all of these qualities and many, many more, raise the level of your content far above your peers and make it just such a pleasure to experience anything you make. I don't want to spend too long telling you how exceptional you and your videos are, as it becomes redundant and starts to detract from the sincerity of the message at some point; but suffice it to say, you're amazing at what you do and RU-vid is lucky to have you. We're all lucky to have you, man. Anyway, you take care of yourself and keep on making these. Much love from England.
With regards to never question the premise, I'm pretty sure this is a parody of the phenomenon in the sense that the premise is OBVIOUSLY flawed, and Nathan happily highlights this implicitly, just not explicitly.
My impression of this show is that it is just a fictional series that is constructed to appear to be a reality show. Nothing is real in it. In fact I recognized one character (the overnight security guard who always sleeps) from an episode of of "Nathen For You" from years earlier as a different character.
Now you’re adding a whole other layer on top of something already so unbelievably complex that I don’t think would be possible. Like how would you even explain something like that to the people who decide to green light the show or not. And all the extra micrologistics of making the “real moments” seem genuine. There many very real seeming moments (too many to think of) that they would’ve had to pour a ton of extra resources to make it appear genuine in more way than one. Are you sure these two people don’t happen to just look alike? They would also have to be much younger in Nathan for you than in the rehearsal. And even if that is fabricated (I wouldn’t put it past him) I don’t really see how that little side gag that’s something very easy to pull of invalidates the rest to be just fiction.
One thing I don't see people mention, is Nathan for You, and many other reality shows, really probably do have to do rehearsals and make flow charts and scripts. When Nathan is proposing a ridiculous idea to someone like "tie weather balloons to heavy people so they can ride horses", I'm sure he's not just winging it. They figure out, how do we say it to not upset them? How do we say it so we have multiple ways we can cut it? If they seem opposed, what do we say? I'm sure they might even do a fake interview with crew from the show to figure it out. He can improv, but the way he improvs can be more or less useful when editing a TV show. When you get into potentially more expensive or difficult ideas, like walking a tight rope, I'm sure they do real rehearsals too. Of course none of this happens to the crazy level of detail of the show, "The Rehearsal", but it connects to the manipulation inherent in the medium. If they spend a bunch of money on a Dumb Starbucks, and the coffee shop guy backs out, they need to figure out a way to still do the episode and have it connect to the original plot. They aren't just going to waste a bunch of money or make a boring episode where nothing happens. I'm sure this kind of planning, along with Nathan's personal anxieties or struggles is where the inception of the show comes from.
I once was filmed with my child at a child psychiatry department. They accused me of not interacting enough with my child, but I knew I was being filmed and felt very uncomfortable and inhibited.
4:50 maybe I'm wrong but Nathan WANTED Kor to be put into that final situation. For Kor to realize he spent all this time to end up in the scenario. Only to realize in the moment that everything he did, the time the "rehearsal", the scripts! Then in the moment it all meant nothing. The real rehearsal was for Kor to explain the premise of the show
I love Nathan for you. But any real fan can admit that the rehearsal probably didn't go as planned. And Nathan ACTUALLY wasted a bunch of money. BUT he definitely hit the ground running with a few points in the season. Angela's potential partner, Adam's actor being attached, and the Jewish woman. All great side stories.
@@SW-zb6bfI mean with something so volatile as real people instead of actors I refuse to believe it’s possible for it to have gone any other way than just “running with it”. If they tried to stick to some plan this thing would’ve gone straight into the ground so I don’t think they did and to me it’s beautiful this way.
I loved this, I only came across you’re channel a couple of days ago and subscribed, now my finger is poised over the bell. We seem to have similar tastes and interests so the depth in which you analyse films and programs holds my attention. As a side note, I noticed something vaguely interesting about my RU-vid habits while watching this. I mostly watch 5 to 10 or maybe 15-minute videos on RU-vid but there are some RU-vidrs that I will gladly invest much longer in watching. I saw the thumbnail for this video a couple of days ago and was just waiting for a moment when I had the time and right mood to watch, the trick is that I just saw Nathan in the thumbnail and “The Rehearsal”, it was only after I started watching that I recognised your voice and that this wasn't just an episode of Nathan For You or some special by Fielder of which I would happily watch a longer video of but a Thomas Flight video of whom I’m realising that I don't mind watching longer videos from. There is something odd about how I apply my attention to videos on RU-vid compared to platforms where the programs are nearly always 30mins or longer even though it’s all just video. In part I think it might be the waffle that happens on RU-vid, where people pad out videos just to extend their watch time even though the subject and their insight doesn't warrant it. Someone like Captain Disillusion fills his videos with quality that belies his platform, experience and low subscriber count. A less obvious RU-vidr who can often hold my interest in spite of the subject nature being flimsy, is Drew Gooden. I can generally tell by the subject if I want to watch or not and he takes a very balanced approach to what is seemingly superficial nonsense. Then there are more obvious RU-vidrs that create solid longer videos* like Derek from Veritasium. *I struggle with the new way of using the word “content”. I get it but it often crosses the line into something else and I don't like where the word is going, ie. Content as the stuff contained within as opposed to “my content” which is a thing in and of itself. Enough rambling.
I also subscribed, having come here from the Metamodernism episode and I also thought about Captain Disillusion. In this new attention economy, it's reassuring to see that even though the bar for long-term content is set so much higher, there are still creators who crash through that bar. It also tells me that my brain's attention span isn't necessarily so fried that I can't consume anything longer than a wikipedia article - but it's that for me to do so, it has to be _good_ enough - and that's getting rare. Brevity is a boon, and we understand its value. But millions of people have no trouble sustaining their attention for 37 minutes if it's Thomas Flight or CD (or Gotham Chess! There are different ways to pass that bar)
Not enough people acknowledge Synecdoche, New York. It's my personal favorite film of all time and I heartily encourage anyone with any curiosity to see it.
That cliche music video was what helped throw my perception further out word, like existentially and just kinda b like ya every Insta “photographer” just compiled one another. A lot of life is so similar it’s like we’re all living the same shared experience. Kind of awe inspiring and kind of bleak for those who copy others. At least some are trying to truly be creative original
Man I remeber when Nathan Fielder was doing skits for the Canadian tv show 22 Minutes. They were called 'Nathan Fielder, On Your Side' and he would interview people with his blank stare approach. Weird to see him with his own show.
I think the show *unREAL* showcases (although far more over the top and targeting reality gameshows) a lot of the techniques used to “subtly manipulate” participants.
Great video, Thomas, but I have to point out, for future reference, that "simulacra" is plural for "simulacrum", so saying "a simulacra" is like saying "a horses" or "a cheeseburgers". It's not a big deal, but language processing is instantaneous and involuntary, so anyone who can hear the error is immediately pulled out of the video for a second or two.
I am so hoping you get around to a full rundown of Synecdoche. That is one of my all-time favorites, and I only have one friend who actually likes it too. It is such a parfait of irony and earnestness, I think it doesn't click with a lot of people because they think it is being mawkish or self-pitying. Really, it is a celebration of living life, just told through the POV of someone who takes 80 years to realize how to really do that.
I had watched this and wanted to talk through it. This video scratched that itch. I loved the connections to Synecdoche, New York and others. Great video!
i come back to this instead of watching the show… certainly smells like simulacra. EXCEPTIONAL vide as always, loved returning to this more than the first time! (and i loved it the first time) please keep it up 😅💚
to your point, myself, my friend and many othes online didnt notice that in the first ep nathan never actually admits the truth the the REAL Kor only the fake one but the editting is so seamless too its hard to catch
After finishing the show, I got confused. I had never watched Nathan Fielder before. I watched the whole show thinking everything was fiction, everything was acted in a mockumentary kind of way. Now, it turns out that some of it was actually real?
I'm grateful to my bachelor's education for a lot of things, but the thing i value most is the ability to distance myself from ideas and practice reflecting about how i am choosing to view them within a specific lens. I prefer to enjoy reality tv show from a lens of observing the decisions of the creators, the way i was taught/practiced to view all media. enjoying reality tv without this lens can be silly and fun for a while, but i'm grateful that's a line of thinking i have available. basic reality tv shows are just not enough stimulation otherwise haha... i liked survivor a bit. but i always hated how the story told was always contestant vs contestant, often at the expense of deliberately concealing contestants vs premise (or producers/structure/audience). some of the challenges looked authentically brutal and life threateningly dangerous and were always heavily downplayed in the editing and narrative. that's why i like shows like the rehearsal, it's more for my mind to chew on and digest later. meanwhile i couldn't stand to watch a video about the character motivations of reality tv people. at one point in my life I was still developing the ability to read peoples' expressions and understand their motivations, but watching and rewatching a show like the office (which is what i did) that provided a well-acted, well-written simulacra of reality was more rewarding to me than choppy editing of reality tv people.
Before the wonderful Synecdoche, NY (hi Charlie K!) there was the novel "Remainder" by Tom McCarthy. IMO, a weak novel, but the idea for both Synecdoche and Rehearsal is in the book. It's sort of worth reading it if you, like me, are a fan of both Kaufman's movie and Nathan's show. Both of these are executed much much better and wiser than McCarthy's novel but still...the idea is McCarthy's initially. To me, Nathan is basically another Kaufman---ANDY. When Andy died, there were legions of people who thought it was part of his act. Nathan is cut from the same cloth, imo. I personally believe that the entire Rehearsal series is absolutely fully scripted, but it's fun to also think otherwise. IT's just that I see Nathan as a very bright comic/writer who would want every tiny little thing about Rehearsal controlled. In its desire to sell itself as "reality show" The Rehearsal is basically giving us a "how the sausage is made" look at how "reality shows" are created (and scripted, really). So basically The Rehearsal is meta-meta-meta to God knows how many levels. A very great work and I"m glad HBO picked it up.
Great Video! Was waiting for you to talk about The Hunk from Nathan for you when you were discussing the idea of playing a role when you know you’re on reality tv
Unfortunately I cannot scroll down all the comments and probably someone has raised it already, but did you watch Michael Almereyda's 'Experimenter'? This is one of my favorite films (which is not supported by many people I've recommended it to, maybe because it doesn't contain the cinematic language they expect to see) and it's because its intonation. Peter Sarsgaard plays Stanley Milgram in a strange way - I'm somehow able to see both character and actor as a human being who is reflecting his role and expresses his personal attitude towards the topics of the film at the same time. Also its deconstructive theatrical approach (when, for instance, you're put into Solomon Asch's apartment but you see just some furniture and greenish dollar-like backdrop with a photo of the real apartment) obviously suggests it's not more then a look over some real-life character and the authors has no intent to put you into his skin or create a feeling of observing true events. And albeit the whole picture is constantly playing with this untrulliness and juggles with all kinds of simulacras, the main core of it - Milgram, his topic, and the life itself - seems to be revealed as it is in fact, without constructing any additional sublevel of itself. I think it is because even though you sympathise the character and feel touched by some events that are told, you in fact sympathise with the themes and abstract emotions you then inhabit in your own realm so this transition is done consciously, not in metamodernistic way you have described in your other video (you're aware it's a story but you like this story), but in, let's say, brechtian way (you see the play but this play correlates with your experience and self-reflection). Maybe I overestimate this and go too far in my idea, but it worked with me in relation to his other work, 'Hamlet' with Ethan Hawke, which is impossible to perceive as it is - Shakespeare text amidst modern New York - but as you analyze it more it gives more and more emotions, and his 'Trance' works the same way. Actually, I haven't met it in any other works, even of great artists, so far
Going back to 'Experimenter' I would call it a rare example of extreme ethical approach, in a sense of both not creating a subbubble of false true reality and addressing the viewers as conscious beings with experience
I haven't had the experience personally, but I wonder if that whole situation with Remi connected with the guys who have had a failed relationship with a single mom, specifically one with younger boy(s). That's what it made me think about, anyway.
Just finished watching The Rehearsal for the 3rd time (lol get a life right) but the show is so fascinating on an extreme amount of levels that I can't help myself. It explores a whole venue of thoughts that is just mind boggling. I will say though the episode where they basically broke that man over his inheritance and involving multiple actors and scenarios kind of broke my heart. He seemed like a good natured person who possibly had some sort of substance abuse problems (why his family probably wasn't in a huge rush to give him the money in the first place etc) and bringing the grandpa in, finding gold, to only be told he died etc while knowing it was a simulation was too much for him to handle and why he ditched the show and lead nathan to a carnival of "fun, clown" for tasty treats that he was unable to find him at and his phone magically died, forever. lol. I think this is what changed the show slightly, as nathan realizes I probably just made a gigantic mistake and not really was the result he wanted, made him aware that by doing this kind of thing is playing with fire. It's all highly intelligent and for the 14th time fascinating but even I would have felt terrible after that and really all the episodes of the show you kind of get that feeling. You come to a realization that we all just want the same basic common things in life and even though we act strange at times these things still effect us on a massive level. We are social animals and that's the only reason he's able to toy within this subject matter. I love the show but that particular episode in my eyes went way too far and started entering psychological torture. It was the only thing about the show I did not like. In a lot of ways it was like punching down on a guy who was already tortured and antagonizing him about it to the point that he ran off the show! Nathan I don't think intentionally did this, but probably due to expenses for building the set and the ultimate outcome had to air it. But if you really think about it you could also argue it's Nathans way of saying FU to that guy, when he dropped the anti-semitic references multiple times. I would like to imagine Nathan is above that and far more intelligent to fall into that trap, but it's right there in front of our eyes. I'll still argue they aired it because of the costs from the set, the production costs, and the promotional money that likely paid for a lot of it via Raising Canes slammed into our faces the entire episode. The entire show is disturbing but not from nathans perspective usually from nathan setting up OBVIOUS scenarios that these people all fall hook line and sinker for (most importantly the simulated mother) Just willing to do any and everything at all costs because she is being paid to do nothing and to live in a house she could never afford with an opportunity that hit like the lottery for her. But that guy in the 2nd or 3rd episode the raising canes one was way too much.
Thank you for a great video! I think the show is really interesting, but I find it hard to really put into words w h y it's so interesting. So it's great to hear such a reflective analysis to help understand what's going on. Always looking forward to your videos!
