This essay aims to elucidate parallels between the 2004 Wes Anderson film, The Life Aquatic, and Ovid’s mythological tale Narcissus, dating from the 8CE collection, Metamorphoses. This “reflection” of story elements, although separated by centuries, reveals the persistence of the Narcissus tale and highlights its strength as a narrative plot. Meticulous analyses of the film’s formal and narrative elements are compared with and against those of the myth of Narcissus. The use of direct quotes throughout, from both the movie and myth, aid in reiterating and solidifying the aforementioned likenesses. Formal elements, such as set design, costume, and film location are drawn to attention and investigated for their similarities to Narcissus. An irony appears in The Life Aquatic that is inherent in the narrative reproduction of a myth that is about reproduction itself and the hazards of that duplication.
About the presenterHayley Sharpe
I relocated to Philadelphia after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2014 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Painting and Printmaking with a Minor in Art History. I currently attend the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Liberal Arts program and am hoping to concentrate in Art History and Storytelling.