Rating: 5 out of 5
Generating Oscar buzz even before its release, one of the most discussed films of 2010 is the taut, emotional drama The Social Network. Anyone who doesn't happen to live in a cave or under a rock knows that the movie details the founding of Facebook, framed by the lawsuits brought upon creator Mark Zuckerberg soon after. However, one must see the film to understand how it accomplishes its goal.
As a quick introductory recap, the film portrays the origin of Facebook as a drunken, resentful online experiment in 2003 by socially inept and stand-offish Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) after he is dumped by his girlfriend. In short, Zuckerberg manages to crash Harvard's network and simultaneously irk Harvard's entire female population within a few hours. He is reprimanded with six months of academic probation, but the event brings him to the attention of the Winklevoss twins (Arnie Hammer) and Divya Narendra (Max Minghella), who promptly hire Zuckerberg as a programmer for their budding social networking site, Harvard Connection. Inspired by their ideas, Zuckerberg secludes himself in his room, hardly talking to anyone but his best friend and initial investor Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), to invent Facebook. The results turn everyone's world upside down.
In the hands of another filmmaker, The Social Network could have been a lackluster legal drama, devoid of the enthusiasm and insight found here. Director David Fincher, known for his stylish 1990s thrillers Se7en and Fight Club, has been making a foray into more serious dramas in recent years. His previous releases (Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) were met with high critical acclaim. In his newest and possibly most successful venture, he injects a positively Fincher-y flair influenced by his own earlier films. The brilliant lighting and camerawork, subtly emphasizing the dark neon colors that Fincher loves to use, are able to create a crucial visual liveliness; a slightly heightened sense of awareness, and an accompanying feeling of suspense.
Fincher is not, however, alone responsible for this. One of the film's most fascinating aspects is the score from experimental/industrial musicians Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Both being more affiliated with Nine Inch Nails than films, they may seem a surprising choice of composers. True, their score may not be entirely spectacular on its own, but the way it is implemented makes it one of the most important contributions made to the film. In scenes that are heavy on dialogue, and there are many, the score creeps in like a phantom and adds just a touch of tension to the moment. It is enough to pull us in completely, and allow us to follow what exactly is being said. On that note, a great deal of praise is due to the screenplay, taken from a nonfiction book and adapted through the sheery wizardry of Aaron Sorkin. The dialogue zips back and forth between characters like a game of blitz chess, like they're having a war with words. Sometimes, they are. It is a great gift to be able to write such rapid speech and not become redundant or incoherent. Sorkin's dialogue is just as articulate and intelligent or as cold and impatient as who says it, and he fills the better part of 120 minutes without losing steam.
As for the acting, Jesse Eisenberg was born to play this role. He has never given a better performance in a film, and it will be a tough one to equal. The character may not be an exact representation of the real Zuckerberg, but it is an endlessly interesting one. Eisenberg plays someone who is admired for his invention by everyone except those around him. He is intuitive but socially maladroit, ambitious but easily manipulated, curious but wry and verbosely arrogant. Eisenberg shows a certain maturity in his acting -- one that makes the character work -- in the way he delivers many lines with the same hesitant eyes and boldly indifferent tone whether or not his character fully understands the implications. The supporting actors, too, make powerful additions to the film. Some of the most enjoyable scenes are those in which the exasperated Winklevoss twins and their business partner watch Facebook grow more and more popular, and plot their revenge. Justin Timberlake appears for a wonderful supporting role as Sean Parker, the unusual and notorious party-hardy founder of Napster, who becomes an important figure in the Facebook company. Zuckerberg is enthralled with Parker, who sees something of himself in Zuckerberg and becomes a major influence in his decisions. Andrew Garfield, a sure Oscar nominee, has the difficult task of playing the character who deserves the most sympathy. Eduardo, knowing he is Zuckerberg's only friend, tries to remain loyal as the Facebook project grows uncontrollably. We know early on that he files one of the two lawsuits against Zuckerberg, but the story of the disintegration of their friendship is nothing short of tragic.
The Social Network does not merely aspire to make assertions as to who is legally right, whether Zuckerberg stole the Facebook idea or not. It is a study of the people involved, the ones who got most caught up in the biggest phenomenon of the decade, and suffered most because of it. The film's greatest achievement, one that any filmmaker should be immensely proud of, is that in the end we understand the characters not just as if we watched a movie about them, but as if we shared with them the experience. Most importantly, we solve the enigma of Mark Zuckerberg. We understand his complexities, we understand what he really means when he says something else, and we understand, as he understands of Eduardo and the Winklevosses and the rest of mankind, that beneath the rough and bitter exterior, there is simply pain and confusion.
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