How "Fatal Attraction" Would Play Out in Modern Days

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How Fatal Attraction Would Play Out in Modern Days

Glenn Close's Fatal Attraction piece from 1987 showed us how dangerous yet intimate sex could be. If you have not watched the movie yet, here is a short recap. Dan Gallagher starts an affair with a single woman from the city, Alex. After a while of unbeatable romance, Gallagher breaks off the affair. Alex does not take too well to it and becomes increasingly unstable. Her behavior becomes a cause of concern for the safety of Dan and his family.

This film broke the screens in the 80s, and four decades later, it still has a significant influence in the social-political world. In its glorified era, Fatal Attraction had a disputed representation of toxic masculinity, mental illness, sexuality, and emotional abuse.

This thriller would play out very differently today and probably fail the test of modern sensibilities. Let's see how.

Fashion

It is impossible not to associate dressing with personality. In this film, there is excessive use of white and black, mostly depicting character law. However, it is a big question whether these choices in clothes and code always have a real shade of meaning.

The film also signifies the cleanliness of virtue from the start of the film where we can see people in a bathroom dressed in white. This could be reviewed in today's world. Personality and identity cannot entirely be based on outer appearance, although it helps. Today, you'd trust Nuwber to verify someone's identity rather than look at their clothes or body language.

Modern Psychoanalyst

There is no other way to describe Alex in the film: she was a psycho. It is horrific how fast a person who seems normal can turn crazy. Since the movie's release, there have been increased discussions about mental health. In lieu of the Fatal Attraction storyline, Close, a mental health advocate, talked about mental health and depression. She even gave a personal backstory that proved her to be a perfect fit for her character. Modern psychiatric research would show a detectable condition at an early stage that could be treatable.

Less Traumatic Scenes

Alex burning Dan's kid's bunny was over the top. It is one of the most disturbing of the many uncomfortable scenes. Even though the bunny used was just a prop, the scene portrays Alex as possessive and dangerous, who, after being spurned by her lover, only gets worse. We can't help but wonder if, in today's world, this obsessive woman would want to show revenge on lower extents, such as basic stalking.

Plotting Flips the Entire Opera

Being a thriller film, its first two acts by Alex and the cheater's husband are quite effective. Its entire plot, however, dissipates, churning towards unrefined drama. It flips the once thriller movie into an opera. Redoing this plot in a modern world would retain its thrill throughout.

The Marriage Test

After watching this movie, you're left with more questions than answers. Were they completely indifferent, even after Douglas knew that Alex was pregnant? We would have loved to hear a good and long talk between Douglas and Archer about, say, fixing their marriage. Instead, the film turns into a sad melodrama with what feels to be unfinished truth scenes and a roller coaster of events that today feels cliché.

Alex's Mental Illness

At the beginning of the movie, Alex is depicted as a calm and collected career woman. A few moments into the film, we realize how much of a mess she is. When Dan is no longer interested in the affair, Alex grows pathological. Unending visits to his place of work start, midnight phone calls, and throwing acid at his car follow. If anything, all these point out a psychological disorder. If Glenn were to redo the play, she would probably not do it in a way that would add to the stereotypes surrounding mental health.

Portrait of Sexual and Emotional Abuse on Screen

Had this film been written by a modern woman, it would have portrayed the sensitivity to sexual and emotional issues. Close would have more than likely won an Oscar award she deserved. Fatal Attraction has a blatant villainization of Glenn with complete disregard for any accountability from Dan's irresponsibility. As if he played no role in the affair, Dan sits comfortably as the victim. Although Alex is pregnant, Dan body shames her, uses emotionally stirring language, and even dares to ask her why she never used contraceptives. Glenn says that the character she plays is a fundamentally flawed woman who had been damaged by sexual abuse and now suffers from erotomania.

Better Consequences for Wrong Actions

Fatal Attraction has largely been a misogynistic attack on Alex, but today, we consider it a tragedy. This film is more like a moral play. We are shown no clear distinction between being a hero and a villain. Dan must choose between his quiet family and strong temptation but is weak to his desires by having an affair with Alex. He kills Alex towards the end. However, he bears the consequences of his actions. Today, this film would have probably not ended with Alex being murdered as a victim of domestic violence.

Psychic Determinism

Practically everything in the film leads to another. Since Alex saw Dan for the first time, all she wanted was him. She drove all her actions towards realizing it. Both characters acted on a superego that did not acknowledge morality and ignored roadblocks that would later destroy them personally. In the modern world, she could get a better way to solve her abandonment problems, which would probably complete her character and bring the play to a different ending.

The Ending

This movie's conclusion is on the premise that Douglas does not give a hoot about his unborn child. The humanity in that is quite questionable. The fact that the movie ends with the Friday the 13th cliché' that the villain is not dead is also unforgivable. It is a kill to the psychological game that has been playing throughout the film, which nearly throws away the dramatic feel towards the end.

Conclusion

Fatal Attraction has built quite a legacy since its release on September 18, 1987. This film can scoop the top spot and win an Oscar. However, some of its aspects leave you feeling betrayed and cheated. Most of which would have been likely to play out differently in the modern world. Attempts to reboot the story have failed miserably, but we can't help but hope that a modern-world version of it will be done soon.