Why "Literally Me" Characters Are So Important 

It’s nice to see the kino corner review movies that are literally about my life

The masculine urge to say "literally me" when you see a picture of Ryan Gosling

My friends be like: "You changed man". Of course I changed, a new Ryan Gosling movie came out.

>drive up to girls house to pick her up for date >messages her with just "here" >she comes out of her house and to the car >tries to open door >left it locked on purpose >she gets in >monotone "whoops" > it's okay she says as her foot crunches a 4 week old bag of chipotle >it fucking reeks > "it's kinda messy in here" > I wait 4 seconds before responding >"yeah I didn't clean" >puts the car in drive >still haven't made eye contact >puts toothpick in mouth and whips out phone >screen is cracked to shit >she notices my Ryan Gosling wallpaper as I go to spotify and play "sigma radio" >"where are we going?" >I wait four seconds again, still haven't made eye contact >"...chilis"

I will never not be amused by the fact that Robert Pattinson is now primarily regarded as a guy thing.

It's crazy how "The Batman" gave us two "literally me" sigma characters like Bruce Wayne and the Riddler lmao

I like how girls pick the baddest girlbosses in cinema who rule the world and say "She's literally me" but when it comes to guys, they pick the most vulnerable men who are against the world and are suffering greatly and say "He's literally me" Like bro that's literally me

The funny thing is that Taxi Driver inspired me to finally get my driving license which helped me to get my first job after 3 years of being jobless after graduating

personally I relate to and look up to the literally me characters because they are suffering from internal struggles and are alienated from society, but they decide to do something about that and it's really motivational for me. obviously I'm not about to shoot my local McDonald's manager for not accepting my sigma bucks from alpha land, but I'm motivated to do something with my life to stop the alienation of my inner struggles

Still smiling ear to ear because of the term "Sigma Cinema"

charming + lonely + doesn't give a shit + have a sense of lifestyle + violent = literally me

Simply put, "Literally Me" characters gives us a sense of relatability, so we can feel less alone in this wicked world

I think you nailed it on the head; the common theme all these movies have in common is alienation. Specifically loneliness - all these characters feel like they don't "fit in" in society and are without partners or even real friends to share their struggles with. Even the ones that seem to have a social circle (e.g. Patrick Bateman) find it superficial and still have no one to lean on.

I feel that the vast majority of people start off being ironic in their admiration and relation to these characters, but upon further examination and conversing with others online, they come to unironically relate in many a manner.

In Blade Runner, I relate to Joe's plight. The search for purpose and the promise of being special. As well as the reality that you are nothing. We don't have the same experiences and I don't see myself in the character. However, I can understand his existential hell

Gosling had always been literally me. But my friends and I had a conversation about: If Hollywood made a bio pic of you, which actor would they use to play you. And we came to the conclusion that Ryan Gosling looks the most like me. Ever since that conversation, I now feel an even closer bond to Gosling. He's Actually Literally Me.

I started watching Gosling films as a joke and they ended up being very endearing to me. Granted, I haven't bought a scorpion jacket.

A farmer who hates city slickers? Literally Sneed

i binged fight club, nightcrawler and driver the other day and came out the other side mentally broken

Consider it a blessing these characters are finally being publicly related to on a humorous level. It’s possible we all need examples of characters we can relate to while also observing why we shouldn’t be like them, and remembering how morally we’re not capable of completely becoming them to begin with. These relatable examples are actually supposed to help us improve as human beings (until Ryan Gosling puts a new movie out then the cycle restarts)

I love films like this, they're basically the men's equivalent of chick flicks, despite never seeing myself in any of the protagonists. I wonder how useful the "literally me" tag is when analysing them.

Oh hi sir, what personality would you like today? we got: Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, if you're feeling a little... bold and spicy. Ryan Gosling as Officer K for moody nights. Also Ryan Gosling but as the Driver for real human beans. Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom if you feel like grinding. Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker if you feel like society has let you down. Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden, perfect for when you forgot to take your pills. Michael Douglas as William D-Fens, hits just right when you're frustrated at everything. Willem Dafoe as the lighthouse keeper if ye're craving some lobsters. Robert Pattinson as Connie Nikas if you're planning on seeing your brother. Uh and who could forget the classic, Robert Deniro as Travis Bickle, if you have some... bad ideas in your head... Go ahead, pick your poison.

Can’t believe nobody commented on his syncing of the script with the scene at 3:18 😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

"There's something about you, it's hard to explain, they're talking about you boy, but you're still the same"

I remember watching all of these movies and thinking "holy shit that's literally me" and now it's unironically a joke. Why is this so fucking hilarious to me?

Travis in Taxi driver was inspired by the real guy who shot Democratic presidential candidate George Wallace, and it in turn inspired the dude who shot Ronald Reagan. The inspiration for Travis also inspired the new Joker, who quotes some lines from his manifesto in the movie.

the news of joker 2 being a musical kinda gave me hope that they aren’t just doing the dumb dark brooding shit as the answer, they’re genuinely taking his mind state to where it needs to go

So a lot of the "Literally Me" films, I really enjoy a lot. I find them to be great stories with very deep and relatable characters that feel like they could be real people. However, I have never seen one of these films and reacted with, "That's literally me!" or "I feel the exact same way that this character does!". I can usually sympathize with the characters and understand their inner conflict based on the setting and presentation of the story, but I've never felt like I can empathize with the character since I have never physically, emotionally, or mentally experienced what that character is going through based on the events they are personally experiencing within the story. My perspective, "Literally Me" films are just usually incredibly well written and well told stories with very realistic feeling characters, and I can enjoy that, but I've never felt like I could ever personally relate to the characters. If others can feel like that when they watch these types of films, that's really cool, and I'm glad you are able to connect with these films on a deeper level. It's just, they are not "Literally Me".

I’m literally Patrick Bateman, Walter White, The Joker, Riddler, and Robert Pattinson Batman all wrapped in one

"For amy femcels out there, I got you covered." This had me wheezing

Travis was the first “literally me”character I connected with, so much so that I gave myself a mohawk and doing started busting out pushups and pull-ups all throughout the day.

When you have so successfully become literally Ryan Gosling that even your family is afraid of

oof, seeing live action Spike Spiegel when you are talking about the "corporate talking point" hurts so bad man. anime Spike is also another great example of one of these types of "literally me" characters.

Despite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage.

I've seen all the movies except Buffalo 66, I paused the video and watched it then came back and honestly the movie brought me to tears It was really artistic and emotional Thank you for bringing it to my attention Can't recommend it enough

you exposed me to a multitude of my favorite videos,, buffalo '66 was amazing! thanks so much kino

I think Louis Bloom from nightcrawler is the best example of litterally me charackters because of how realistic he is. Hes not so crazy like patrick bateman, hes not so deadly like the joker, he is just a psychopath in society and its scary af

My theory is that anyone who says that any of those characters are literally them are actually just George Costanza.

Thank you for making this video. I watched taxi driver last night for the first time and couldn’t believe how much I related to what he was going through, the sadness of the ending and how much the saying men are human doings not human beings is a part of my life.

Waiting for Ryan's role in Barbie girl. Kens literally me.

For me, these films tend to hit a sweet spot between wish fulfillment and thoughtfulness, grittiness and romanticism. Maybe we relate to Ryan Gosling in Drive, or Tyler Durden in Fight Club, etc. but let's face it, most of us average schlubs are just not that cool or good looking, (or not even the same gender, in my case). Nonetheless, movies like these are appealing because they help ease the pain of living in such an isolating and chaotic era. It's cathartic to watch people on screen who are "literally us" and yet also embody much of what we wish we were in dark ways. I only hope that Hollywood doesn't see the popularity of these types of "Sigma Cinema" films only as an opportunity to crank out pandering, copycat garbage, thereby flooding the "genre" with mindless, edgelord porn. My problem with the Joker (2019) movie was that it walked right up to this line, but was saved by good acting and timely thematic elements.

Ngl Tyler Durden and the Narrator are both of my "Literally Me" people because of how interesting to me it was and still is. Also Fight Club was my first movie into the Literally Me movement

the final dialogue about media dependency and social disconnects is just so spot on

Amazing! Thnx for video! Now I understand deeper this theme

Your monologue at the end was on point, definitely the most important piece in understanding why these characters resonate so strongly with young men in the 21st century.

I think you just made me realize why I watched Blade Runner 2049 so many times as I have. In a weird way I want to be Officer K because he found something that gave him purpose and something to die for and he chose to do it. I like that much better than what I have now. I want to chose to make my life mean something.

Frankly, I had a much easier time connecting with Arthur in Joker than with Travis in Taxi Driver. I never quite got the connection between Travis' motivations, that being his loneliness and disgust, with decisions like attempting to kill a politician.

3:17 is some masterful editing... I love that you sinced what you were saying with Patrick Bateman... It even furthers your point, by making it "literally you"

Glad you name dropped Battinson near the end. It’s the first time I’ve watched a capekino and felt like I was watching literally me, very refreshing.

Tyler Durden is literally me because im clinically insane and have delusional thoughts

This provided a much better analysis than another video I just watched on the same topic.

your Drive & Joker plug was genius x] amazing essay brother

Wow that guy in the skit is literally me

I feel like Anakin Skywalker is Literally Me character that's not in a literally me movie

Relatable characters teach us the most about ourselves

cool vid. cheers mate! solid movie list - loving your work

Many of these characters are shown with some traits characteristic of being on the spectrum, so literally just like all of us.

This reminds me of my favorite literally movie Nostalgia Critic's The Wall

This "trend" isn't one and this notion of anti conformist anti-hero goes way back. For book enthousiasts, you can also refer to The Stranger, from Albert Camus, and Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. I can't find any more older examples right now so other suggestions are welcome.

This is the moment Ryan Gosling became literally me.

You ironically bought the Drive jacket, right?

Thank you for mentioning Buffalo '66. I never heard of the movie, I watched it today and I think it's one of my favourites.

Insanely well made essay my guy!

Another one of the best examples of this is Dexter cause not only does it show and talk about his actions as an adult but it also show the events and tragedy that led up to him being who he is

Vegeta is literally me.

The genre is called "Character studies"

I think Michael B. Jordan as killmonger is literally me, it was even more strange because being black we don’t get many characters in either movies or animation with his kind of attitude and upbringing

its crazy how many people can relate to these characters! Thats how you know that the people that worked on this movie knew what they were doing.

Dude this is so well filmed haha Also your monologue around 12:00 is the most Tyler Durden thing ever

My favorite "Literally Me" movie is "I stand alone" by Gaspar Noé.

I love how as a society..where relating to a sad and lonely character is even clowned upon ...loved this world .and always will be

I remember this one time where my house was burgled and they stole my rug. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but it really tied the room together. Nobody would make a movie about that sort of stuff though.

The Riddler's army at the end of The Batman was literally me

Idk to me the Batman handled its class commentary in a great way, it made you empathetic towards the riddler while at the same time not glorifying the things he was doing

I'm not exactly sure, but I think Le Samourai is a predecessor to some of these literally me movies. I can see its influence on films like Drive and Taxi Driver. If you haven't watched it, you should give it a try. Also, subbed. I'm interested in more of your opinions about these movies lol

This video was perfect, man. Good job 👍

Glad Five Easy Pieces got a shoutout. Such an under-seen gem. And one of the best character studies around.

I've never gone into literally me mode but Taxi Driver comes closest Holy shit I made that comment before I watched this and now I'm waiting for some independent Bickle Kino

GREAT VIDEO! WELL PUT TOGETHER.

great video which was very deep, but I must say the batman fully embraces this ideology you speak about in the movie, and is one of my favorite films in this genre

A good literary through line for all these characters/themes is with Yukio Mishima. Schrader modeled all his characters on the Mishima archetype and even made the film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters because of his overt reverence for the writer. Just thought I’d share since I didn’t see any other comments referencing him!

the sync with your commentary and the movie clip at 3:19 is so well done.

Wow, this video was so relatable!

3:16 Okay but c'mon that syncing up with your voice and his mouth is amazing, great detail

Monday's and Thursdays I am Travis bickle, Tuesday's and Sundays I am the driver, Wednesdays and Saturdays I am Patrick Bateman, and on Friday I am Tyler Durden

I feel like The Northman tapped a lot into this genre of film whilst being a brilliantly historically authentic film at the same time. I'd love if you could give it a watch and review it in a similar fashion.

I'm 38 and watched my fair share of movies (US EU Asia) / tv shows / animes and the only time I identified with a character on a deep level was Rust Cohle from True Detective season 1. It was kinda a mystic experience

You got me with the Kung Pow clip lol. Great stuff!

Peaky blinders, Thomas Shelby is a very "literally me" character

Tony Soprano is the best literally me character. He fills all the boxes and the 6 seasons worth(or 7 If you can’t 6a and b as two seasons) gives him so much development showing his trauma and how he morphs due to it. He gets women but he never has a true loving relationship. Even feeling unfulfilled from his wife. His friendships are all shallow. Even his family is shallow at times due to the complexities of the mob life. The show as a whole is about the American life and it’s decline. 9/11 happening part way through just increased those themes even more than before.

Subscribed. Great work you've done here. Absolutely great work.

I think that in some way the movie The Joker had something to do with the social outbreak in my country, Chile. the movie premiered in August 2019 and the outbreak was in October. There were several triggers. But the people revealed themselves tired of the nasty system. Somehow we all feel like protagonists at that time. true freedom to act and be ourselves

not a film but a book from Argentinian writer Ernesto Sabato "The Tunnel" could be also a "Literally Me" stuff

Clint Eastwood's characters in the dollars trilogy are the best characters to be able to say literally me to. And Ip Man, if you can relate to Ip Man you've won

When those Danish movies came out around 95, Nattevagten and the Pusher, i dived myself completely into European flicks from the 90s and was hooked. Like those from France, La Haine (Vincent Cassel) Delicatessen, City of the Lost Children and bounce of others, are still high regarded in my mind. Sigma Movies is a good name for those types of films. Probably they came out when I smoked so much Hashish, and they sparked that interest in me, seeing myself in them.

Great Analysis, as you were speaking all i could think of is "that's literally me"!

7:40 I'm glad you mentioned this. My fellow wagies celebrate being able to work from home. All I see is that we're paying for the privilege to have the office in our own homes.

FD signifier has a really good video on the darkside of literally me movies

Love the Lord kanti painting behind you in the he beginning

Genuinely a masterpiece of a video, bravo