A surprisingly light romantic comedy “500 Days of Summer” by American director Mark, which became his first full-length work. Although the film was a debut, it almost immediately found a positive response among the audience.
An off-screen narrator who appears at the beginning of the film warns us: “This is not a love story. This is a love story.” The phrase that became the slogan of the film. So what is it really: a love story or a breakup story?
The story of how the writer of congratulations for postcards Tom meets a girl by name (that is, translated from English as “summer”), falls in love with her. And she is not.
What is 500 Days of Summer about?
The main character Tom (played role) works as an author in a postcard company. Although he studied to be an architect. One day, a new employee named Finn (the role was played by an actress) comes to the company’s office.
The plot of the film is based on the story of Tom’s relationship and for 500 days, starting from the moment when the girl came to work in the company.
at first does not notice Tom, while he immediately feels that this meeting has become fateful. The first short conversation between the two took place in an elevator when they found out they were in love with the same band.
After the following meetings, the couple begins to meet. Unlike Tom, the girl treats their romance easier, does not want a serious relationship. She says she doesn’t believe in love, doesn’t want to be “labeled” and “doesn’t like being someone’s girlfriend”. Tom, on the contrary, falls in love with him more and more every day. He understands that he wants a serious relationship and strives for them. This difference in views leads to the fact that Tom ends the relationship.
Tom is having a hard time breaking up, he is depressed. But still, after a while, he goes to the wedding of a colleague, where they meet again. They are glad to see each other, they have a great time together. After she invites Tom to a party on the roof of her house.
Tom hopes that at this party he will be able to restore relations with. But suddenly he discovers that his ex-girlfriend is engaged. Tom can’t believe it, he gets even more depressed. A young man leaves his unloved job and decides to pursue a career as an architect. At this time, she is getting married.
The last time Tom and meet at Tom’s favorite place at the house of Fine Arts, where he brought her when they were together. Their relationship radically changed the views of both. Now Tom is sure that what he believed in does not exist, love is an illusion.
On May 23 of the following year, “the last day of summer”, Tom goes to an interview at an architecture firm. He sets up a date with a girl he met before the interview. When they get to know each other, it turns out that her name is (literally “Autumn”, or translated from English “autumn”).
Meaning of 500 Days of Summer
The name of the main character of the film is Her name means “summer” in English. “500 Days of Summer” – this is the period in the life of Tom, which he completely devoted to the thoughts of Fr.
It is interesting to note that the director of the film, Mark, does not tell us the story linearly. The plot is divided into “days”. The viewer moves back and forth, watching Tom: he is either happy with, or depressed after the break.
The light and carefree moments of the first days of acquaintance were randomly mixed with dramatic episodes from the last days.
The jumbled chronology of events can initially irritate the viewer and be incomprehensible. But upon further consideration, it turns out that it is precisely such a technique that most organically shows how different thoughts interfere in the head of a person in love, interrupting each other. It is thanks to this technique that we live the feeling of absurdity that the main character Tom experiences when the love of his life tells him that he does not want a serious relationship, “does not want to be someone’s girlfriend”, and then marries another.
All that remains for Tom is to think where he made a mistake, what he did wrong.
In pursuit of summer
“Love does not exist, it is an illusion,” he says in one of his conversations with Tom. Until the end of the film, the viewer does not understand whether the couple will be together or the characters will still part once and for all. It is worth noting that the film does not create the impression of a protracted one, since the story is told with humor and is full of unexpected plot twists.
In the last dialogue between Tom and the viewer, it can be seen that their relationship has changed the views of both. Tom is sure that what he believed in does not exist, love is an illusion. I realized that love is real.
It can be assumed that the heroine is nothing more than a wonderful memory of Tom. In fact, he doesn’t know much about her. And where did he get that she was the love of his life?
The meaning of the finale of the film “500 Days of Summer”
Throughout the film, we watched Tom run in pursuit of “summer” and a happy, serious relationship with Summer. We watch how she does not notice him at all at first, while for him, it seems, it was love at first sight.
We watch them awkwardly kiss for the first time at the photocopier, go to the movies together, go to the park, have sex in the shower, and many other little things that make Tom fall in love with Summer. We observe how he wanted to propose, but she did not fall in love with him and offered to remain friends.
Depression forces Tom to change jobs, he goes to an interview at an architectural company. Where he meets a girl named Autumn. The finale of the film “500 Days of Summer” everyone can interpret in their own way. One thing is certain: good or bad cannot last forever, life does not stand still. Day follows night, and autumn always follows summer.
