Focus and the Bloody Shirt

Have you ever watched the John Wick movies?  Have you ever seen any action /adventure films…maybe some thrillers?  I re-watched Drive with Ryan Gosling the other night and there was a scene that flipped a little switch in my brain.  All of these movies are my guilty pleasures for one reason or another, but there is a common scene that pops up and it’s always bumped me.  Not in a bad way; it’s just something I’ve noticed.

After a big action sequence, or an extended, well-choreographed shoot-em-up, the protagonist leaves and travels to another area to keep the move going.  In the case of John Wick, his car was trashed, and he left on foot for the city.  The next scene sees him exiting a bus in downtown New York.  It wouldn’t be remarkable in the least except that his shirt is covered in blood.  Some of his, some of the enemy’s, but there is no doubt that he is visibly…fucked up. In Drive, Gosling’s character walks through a crowded area after he escapes with his life.  His signature jacket is smeared with blood from the assailants he just left behind.

Now, I realize these scenes are put there to show continuity and that our heroes have suffered.  I got it.  Since movies are there for us to interpret whatever we want anyway, my mind went a little further.  Normally, if one of us splattered blood all over us, we’d change our clothes (or throw them away). I’m pretty sure even the most casual of us would do it before we strolled down the sidewalk or got on a bus.  Not these guys.  Why?  It’s not just because they are tough and don’t give a damn what you think.  Nah, that’s too easy.  We know that.  I like to think that what others think, believe, what they may say, what they tell a cop, what they may take a picture of, doesn’t even cross their minds.

The outside world and its opinions and rules and history and biases and interference do not register to our heroes.  For the extent of the narrative in front of us, they are singularly focused on survival or several days of high-octane ass-kicking revenge.

Sociologists research contentment and happiness and they’ve concluded that what human beings crave above all is focus. Not money or things.  Not love or friendship.  Not Oreos or the beach. They want those precious few moments in life where you lose yourself fully in the task at hand.  It’s when we can fully take a breath and cut out every other thing that makes noise in our lives.  Only through focus can we step back into the din and appreciate love, friendship, things and Oreos. You can get it through meditation and fitness, maybe some solitude or reflection.  Most of us need to be doing something.  I think that’s why my wife likes being a chef.  It is an all-consuming job while she’s there.  When she’s home, she’s home.

Movies give us stories about those rare times when there is a purpose-driven focus.  A hero on a mission.  A ticking clock where everything in the world is sidelined until the job is finished. That’s focus.  It’s sporadic in our lives.  But like sleep and exercise, our body needs it.  I’m starting to think that’s why we like movies in the first place.  At least the exciting ones.  So many stories are about abandoning your daily bullshit because of a life and death scenario.  It’s not just a thrill, it’s focus.  What’s happening right now, at this moment, is all that matters.  We’d all like to live life in that manner all the time but it’s impossible. 

It’s why we do all the fun stuff in our lives.  It’s why we play games, or knit, or build stuff in the garage.  It’s why I’m writing this right now.