Unknown White Male
The documentary "Unknown White Male" finally came out on DVD this week and I rented it Friday night - I had been eagerly awaiting its release after having read Eric Snider's review. It is the true story of a young man, Doug, who went into a fugue state and came to only to realize that he didn't know who he was, didn't know why he was headed to Coney Island on a subway, and in fact, didn't know anything at all up until that moment in time. With his memory comletely erased, he realized that his only option was to turn himself into the police for help. The police in turn sent him to the hospital, where he was sent to the psych unit. They wouldn't release him until someone came to claim him, which was a problem, since he didn't remember who he knew.
Doug is finally released through a series of fortunate coincidences and the story follows him as he rediscovers his old life and emerges as a different person. It is quite interesting to observe Doug's reunions with family and friends to whom he was very close, but has no current emotional ties to. The experience has changed him quite a bit, and he tries rather successfully to rebuild his life. He is able to move on with no memories from his past to inhibit or restrain him. But what will happen when his memory returns (of which experts say there is a 95% chance)? Will all of the returned memories change Doug back into the person that he once was, or will yet a different person re-emerge, an integration of the old and new Doug?
After I finished watching UWM, I found myself wishing that it had been a little more compelling, but then I rememberd that this is a true story about very ordinary people who had a very bizarre experience befall them. The people interviewed are refreshingly ordinary, and seem genuinely concerned about their friend. It has been very interesting to imagine myself in Doug's shoes. Would I be a better person without emotional baggage from my memories? Would I be at a disadvantage without memories of the experiences I have had to draw upon? Certinaly both, but would it be worth the trade off? Lucky me I probably won't have to decide, since Doug's type of amnesia is extremely rare.
The director (who is actually a friend of Doug's) poses the question, "How much of our identity is formed based on our memories, and how much is pure us?" I don't know if this documentary is able to answer this question, but it certainly does provide food for thought and self-introspection. I love thinking about this kind of thing!
Doug is finally released through a series of fortunate coincidences and the story follows him as he rediscovers his old life and emerges as a different person. It is quite interesting to observe Doug's reunions with family and friends to whom he was very close, but has no current emotional ties to. The experience has changed him quite a bit, and he tries rather successfully to rebuild his life. He is able to move on with no memories from his past to inhibit or restrain him. But what will happen when his memory returns (of which experts say there is a 95% chance)? Will all of the returned memories change Doug back into the person that he once was, or will yet a different person re-emerge, an integration of the old and new Doug?
After I finished watching UWM, I found myself wishing that it had been a little more compelling, but then I rememberd that this is a true story about very ordinary people who had a very bizarre experience befall them. The people interviewed are refreshingly ordinary, and seem genuinely concerned about their friend. It has been very interesting to imagine myself in Doug's shoes. Would I be a better person without emotional baggage from my memories? Would I be at a disadvantage without memories of the experiences I have had to draw upon? Certinaly both, but would it be worth the trade off? Lucky me I probably won't have to decide, since Doug's type of amnesia is extremely rare.
The director (who is actually a friend of Doug's) poses the question, "How much of our identity is formed based on our memories, and how much is pure us?" I don't know if this documentary is able to answer this question, but it certainly does provide food for thought and self-introspection. I love thinking about this kind of thing!
posted by Leslie | 9:14 PM
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