Blg Entry 16: "O"

Scene 8: Weakness

I chose scene 8, "Weakness," for my review. I believe that in this scene Hugo exposes Odin's weakness, Jealousy.

Hugo, driven by envy, wants to deprive O of his ability to fly, or in a literal sense, his ability to be a great basketball player. Hugo is jealous of the attention that Odin receives from everyone in the school, including his father, the coach. Driven to destroy Odin, Hugo sets his plot in motion by deceiving Odin and convincing him that his girl friend Desi, whom Odin cares for very much, is deceiving him. In doing so Hugo sets in motion a plot that will destroy several lives.

The scene is set in the weight room, with both Odin and Hugo working-out together. Odin, a person that appears to have everything going for him and is sitting a top the world, is exposed to his weakness, jealousy. In a conversation with Hugo he is manipulated into thinking that his girlfriend, Desi, is betraying his trust with his friend Mike. As the conversation continues Odin becomes more and more interested in what Hugo is telling him. He begins to believe that Desi may be deceitful and that Mike is seeking to steel his girl away. Hugo, a master of manipulation, puts into motion the last player of his plan.

I felt this scene was a critical point in the movie. Odin showed that he did have a weakness and that he would allow himself to be manipulated by Hugo. If Odin had been to strong for Hugo he would have faded into the background and Odin would have continued to soar. Instead he proved to be weak and was easy pray for Hugo. I believe this scene was the pivotal point in the central conflict. It involved the protagonist, Odin and the antagonist, Hugo in a one on one face off.

The director used many different techniques in this movie to sell the story. I enjoy very much when a director begins with a metaphor. I felt this movie did that very well. In the beginning when they show the hawk with all of the other white doves. The hawk represents a player that soars above the rest, who is strong and stands alone at the top. The doves represent the other players, weaker, less talented, that do not soar as high. It was unfortunate that the hawk did not continue to soar, or did he? A hawk is a bird of prey, who is the hawk in this story?