Some people who are 'different' are just different. Some people who are 'different' have mental disorders. My feeling was that she was mentally ill. That is just my opinion.
My own hobbyhorse view is that Pookie is a sort of inkblot upon which various readers, viewers, writers and directors have hung their respective hang-ups. Not the least of these is Pookie's originator, John Nichols. In reading the novel, it is hard to come away without wondering just what separates the accuser from the accused, and I credit Nichols with intending upon that very effect; his reflections upon his own actions and words are perhaps more damning than those which describe Pookie. He asks himself as often "what's wrong with me?" as "what's wrong with her?"
As for diagnosing Pookie one way or another, I'd suggest she is split (i.e. "schizo") across at least three incarnations: Book Pookie (BP), Script Pookie (SP) and Movie Pookie (MP). Book Pookie, as I insinuate above, has some problems. BP is a very imaginative and sensitive young woman suffering a desperate attachment to the author; she seems quite neurotic but certainly
not out of touch with reality. His ambivalent response to this situation, and whether he has emerged the better or worse for it, is what the novel is all about. It is a very sad book.
The originally-scripted Pookie is a lot worse than merely neurotic. Alvin Sargent and (presumably) Alan Pakula together constructed a seriously disturbed, dangerous and downright sociopathic character, more reminiscent of Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction than the heartbroken weepy waif which ended up on the screen. The movie script is a thrilling read and I'd recommend it to anyone sincerely interested in the story. However, scriptwriter Sargent seems more "action-oriented" than wannabe psychiatrist (really) Pakula. I believe that's why the final-draft script for the movie contains this rather villainous and scary version of Pookie. Is SP "schizophrenic" per se? Maybe... but she'd perhaps be better described as a case of Borderline Personality Disorder (q.v.).
Movie Pookie isn't schizophrenic or demonstrably pathological in my opinion. I think Pakula pared SP down to a sympathetic, quasi-neurotic character in order to prevent TSC from turning into a cardboard-flattened horror movie, though a few nagging elements of her nascent craziness remain in the final cut. Nevertheless, she comes across as more of a
personality than a case history wherever she hits the screen. As one reviewer put it, MP is "blessed with intelligence, cursed with intelligence..." Thus, MP is someone many can relate to: a young person striving to maintain her individuality while seeking the intimacy of another who can recognize her unique worth. The pursuit turns desperate and heartbreaking, and as we take sides with Jerry over Pookie or vice-versa, we label MP a nutjob and/or Jerry a yutz. This ambiguity, presumably the result of Pakula acting alone as he edited the footage shot from the collaborative Sargent script, is very effective in my opinion... it maintains the ruminating essence of the novel, but doesn't force a prefabricated conclusion upon the viewer. Indeed, one just might change his opinion (and diagnosis) of MP across repeated viewings of the movie. I like that.
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vanityfair_713
15 years ago
Wow...'m impressed. :)
Personally, I think I have too much bloom. Maybe that's the trouble with me.
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denise1234
14 years ago
Dasein49 posts: "... As one reviewer put it, MP is "blessed with intelligence, cursed with intelligence..." Thus, MP is someone many can relate to: a young person striving to maintain her individuality while seeking the intimacy of another who can recognize her unique worth. The pursuit turns desperate and heartbreaking, and as we take sides with Jerry over Pookie or vice-versa, we label MP a nutjob and/or Jerry a yutz. This ambiguity, presumably the result of Pakula acting alone as he edited the footage shot from the collaborative Sargent script, is very effective in my opinion... it maintains the ruminating essence of the novel, but doesn't force a prefabricated conclusion upon the viewer. Indeed, one just might change his opinion (and diagnosis) of MP across repeated viewings of the movie."
Wow! That is so well stated and right on target, IMHO.
One of the ending scenes when Pookie is sitting out in the rain, staring intently at Jerry through the window: Nowadays, people would call that 'stalkerish'. But I think it demonstrates her absolute desperate position that someone at that young, vulnerable age could feel given her situation (if it were someone older, than we might start thinking ‘stalker’!) I always wonder what is going on in the character’s, Pookie's, mind when she is staring through the window. Is she hoping Jerry will come out and get her out of the rain? Is she hoping she can concentrate enough on him that he will change his mind about her (like mind over matter)? Is she trying to get him to understand how far she will go to hold on to him? Or, all of the above? However, I don't think it is a sign of 'mental illness' as portrayed, except for how we can all get a bit whacky when we are in emotional upheaval, especially when it is concerning our first real love.
Anyway, I have seen this movie several times on television, and was able to order a copy off the internet and just finished watching it again. It really takes me back -- I remember seeing this movie as a child when it was on television and I fell in love with it then, as I did several films that came out about the same time, and the music is beautiful and haunting.
"I can't stand a naked light bulb, any more than..a rude remark or a vulgar action" Blanche DuBois
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lotsofwordz
13 years ago
Movie Pookie has a distinct personality disorder, and suffers from at least borderline schizophrenia (nowadays a person isn't labelled 'schizophrenic' by mental health professionals: he or she is a person suffering from a particular mental condition, be it a schizophrenia-type disorder or an autistic spectrum disorder or what-have-you). She manifests distinct disconnection from reality, and at least some degree of affective disorder. The leukemia 'joke' is a pretty strong giveaway, and there are many others throughout the film.
As someone who knows such people in real life, I too felt immediately that she has mental health problems. She is not simply unconventional.
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