The Crying Game
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The Crying Game
The Crying Game brings up many disorienting points. One of the main oppositions is male versus female. Imagine a child opening up his presents on Christmas day. There is a box underneath the tree shaped exactly like the toy he’s been begging for for months now. When he opens the box he is disappointed to learn that it is just a set of pajamas and some tube socks. This situation is a little disorienting for the boy and he learns that he won’t always get what he wants and that things aren’t always what they seem. This is the same situation that Fergus found himself in when he and Dil were together but it is a lot more disorienting for Fergus.
The Crying Game starts with the kidnapping of Jody, a British soldier. He and one of his captors, Fergus, form a friendship. After Jody is killed while trying to escape Fergus goes to give his girlfriend a final message. Fergus renames himself Jimmy and starts a relationship with Jody’s girlfriend, Jude. The turning point in the movie is when Jimmy finds out that Dil is actually a man. Later on his old friends, that helped him kill Jody, come back. They try to get him to commit a murder suicide and when he doesn’t show up they come to look for him. Dil ends up shooting his old partner but Jimmy takes the wrap for it and does time for Dil.
The main opposition in the movie The Crying Game is male versus female. In modern day society a male is expected to be dominant and protective. A female is supposed to be submissive and sensitive. Fergus fits the male opposition very well. He cares for Dil and keeps her away from trouble. Even after he finds out about Dil’s secret he continues to look after her because he feels that he is obligated to care for her. Dil on the other hand does not completely fit into the female expectations. As far as being submissive and sensitive she is very womanly. The only reason Dil doesn’t fit into the expectations is because she was born a man.
Fergus’ worldview of men and women is the traditional view. He has lived his whole life with this view and is not ready for change. This is made apparent when he discovers that Dil is a man. He sits on the bed in disbelief and later throws up. He doesn’t talk to Dil for days. This is the most disorienting part of the movie for Fergus. He has to come to terms with the fact that things aren’t always as they seem. His worldview of women and relationships leads him to hurt Dil and possibly lose out on true love. Dil believes that everyone deserves to be happy and should be who they want to be. She is comfortable with the fact that she is a man until the night that Fergus makes her feel wrong. She thinks that everyone deserves love no matter where they find it and who they find it in.
The most disorienting scene of the movie for both characters is the second time they were about to have intercourse. When Fergus found out that Dil was a man he was shocked. He learned that he had been going against what he found normal. He was in a relationship with another man and he didn’t believe that that was possible or right. He felt betrayed that Dil had not already told him. Fergus was condition