The Politics of Art & Authenticity

The short film “More” is about an older man who struggles all his life to find the secret to the happiness of his youth. But he doesn’t realize that when he was younger, he wasn’t happy because of things can be bought. The reason he was laughing and carefree in that memory was because he was having fun, with his friends, outdoors. The whole time the man thinks that he can buy or create something that will bring the “light” back into his life…but really the light is inside himself! There is no external source for it. But when the man forgets this, and places all his hopes in one invention that he thinks will solve all his problems, he is left with nothing else to derive happiness from. His invention isn’t successful in causing real, lasting joy, and he he has no idea left of how to be truly happy.
Even though the world of “More” is gray, it’s hopeful to note that the people still have “light” (i.e. hopes and dreams) inside of themselves. No matter how heartless and cold the world may seem, it’s up to us to choose how to perceive life. The children at the end of the film are just as truly happy as the man had remembered. This happiness is especially noticeable in children because it is often when we are young, before we need to worry about money, that we’re happy with just feeling loved and secure. Whenever we feel down and unhappy, we need to ask ourselves if we’ve placed too much hope in our “Bliss Glasses” and if we can remember what we used to derive joy from, before those “Bliss Glasses” were even invented. Because this is such a universal message, it’s interesting to note that “More” doesn’t identify a particular nation for its setting and that the characters themselves aren’t very gender-specific. This is because the world of “More” isn’t about a person or a place. It’s about a frame of mind.

The voyage of Madame Tutli-Putli also takes place within the mind, but this time it’s specifically her mind which is being explored. At the beginning of the film, Madame Tutli-Putli, the only woman shown throughout, is trying to escape the men who have treated her badly. She is bogged down with all the baggage from her experiences and memories. When the butterfly (a symbol of feeling light and free) first flutters in front of her, she impatiently waves it away, unable to believe that she will ever be able to unburden herself. Once she is on the train (beginning her voyage to actualizing her inner strength), we see that her baggage is related to her dealings with men because her bags literally contain men (the ones playing chess). The game being played mirrors Madame Tutli-Putli’s inner struggle to figure out an escape strategy. She then turns to the ugly little boy (an ugly thought within her), which urges her to take action, to “handle her enemies”, and and stop running from those who have hurt her. Finally, she is faced with a dilemma…the man who harasses her on the train. Does she stand up to those who have stepped on her for so long, thereby freeing herself of all her baggage, or does she continue to be taken advantage of?
Throughout the film, Madame Tutli-Putli gets uglier and uglier, as she is forced to face this ugly part of herself that is leading her to kill a man. While the reason she does it is to stop feeling victimized, she is still a murderer. She is the one who kills him, though it feels like there is a force overtaking her that she cannot fight against (represented by the green gas). Before she is overtaken by this murderous side of herself, the side struggling to finally be strong against her oppressors, Madame Tutli-Putli sees the butterfly again. But this time she is encouraged by its symbolism and devises the only way she can think of to finally feel free.
After she kills the man, we see that the train hits a moose – an innocent bystander. This is because Madame Tutli-Putli’s journey towards freeing herself has led her to kill an innocent man. Though he is disgusting, he is not the one who has caused all her built-up pain and suffering. He is only a representation of all that she has endured. Afterwards, the voices in her head telling her how to free herself (the men playing chess and the boy reading) disappear along with her baggage. And she herself feels free and light, ultimately becoming one with the butterfly, which was a symbol throughout. But she has made herself ugly in the process, and her hands and shoes remained stained. Though she feels free and empowered for the moment, she has had to turn herself into something repulsive to do it and she can never free herself from the guilt of her murder. She is forced to carry around the burden of killing an innocent man (represented by a part of him that she takes – his liver) forever.