In this weeks movie and TV show, we explored empathy, embodied theory, and the theory of mind. As human beings, we experience all three of these states without even realizing we are. When creating films that deal with them, it’s much easier to be creative with how actors show these types of behavior.
Possessor was a very different film, one that I wouldn’t have watched on a normal day. The film uses the theory of mind highly as the whole idea of what is happening in the film is that Vos uses other people’s bodies and while in them kills people who haven’t been the best to others. After the “host” kills, they are left to deal with the consequences of a murder or they get killed themselves by suicide that was not actually them.
Vos embodied different bodies in the film and the last one, Colin Tate, really showed how nonempathetic Vos became after killing in other bodies. After she gets out of their bodies, she has to complete a test that shows others above her that she is still herself and not affected by the murders. After she completes the first kill in the first body the film shows, one of her test questions are seeing if she remember a butterfly. She says that she remembers killing the butterfly when she was young, but feels bad about it. By saying she feels bad for killing something living, it shows she’s empathetic and aware that she took a life.
While Vos is in Colin Tate’s body, she ends up killing way more people than she was supposed to kill because she wasn’t in full control of the body. She ends up killing both her child and her husband too. When she finally gets out of the body and does her test, she mentions killing the butterfly, but not feeling guilty. She no longer feels empathy like a normal human would. This was a subtle hint in the movie that symbolized the change Vos had gone through.
Before all the killing and the crazy non-empathetic Vos returned, the film showed the embodied theory. Ava, Colin’s girlfriend read body language and felt something was off. Colin said that he was fine, but Ava was right. Colin’s body was being embodied by Vos.
I Second That Emotion explores the idea of empathy. Bender is a robot that has no empathy. He does and says things without repercussions because he simply can’t care. He gets jealous of Nibbler because he’s getting all the attention so he flushes him down the toilet. Leela is horrified and extremely sad because that was her pet–she loved him. Leela states, ” I wish just once Bender would feel exactly what I feel” because while she’s crying over her flushed pet, Bender is laughing. The Professor end up putting a chip on Bender that allows his emotions to be in sync with Leela’s.
With the chip in place, Bender finally knows how Leela is feeling and he doesn’t exactly like it. The chip allows for Bender to feel Leela’s emotions and his own ones as well. He is aware of the emotions others feel now and will be more respectful of them.
4 thoughts on “Nonempathetic?”
Hey Alex,
Possessor was not a movie I would have watched on a normal day, totally understand. I remember the scene where Ava stated that something was wrong with Colin. I think it’s so funny how you can know someone so well and know that something was wrong. He was different to her, but honestly, I don’t even think he even said a lot of words and she knew. I honestly just figured out what theory of mind really means, and your explanation really made sense to me. Vos really ends up having people killed, but at least they are bad guys, right? To me at least, it would make the movie worse if it was good guys that were being killed. But bad guys, Eh you know, Its debatable..
Glynis
gcoito
Hey Alex!
I really enjoyed reading your post about these two pieces of media. I agree with you that I wouldn’t watch Possessor on my own accord. It made me feel uncomfortable the whole time, to be honest. I loved your analysis of the butterfly being a symbol of Vos’s empathy. I hadn’t noticed this while watching but it really makes the whole film come together. I also really enjoy your analysis of the Futurama episode. I think empathy is really what keeps humans connected to one another. Without empathy, the world, as horrible as it can be sometimes, would crumble. Once Bender was able to feel how Leela had felt he realized what a terrible thing he had done. Great job on this post!
chowland
Hi Alex,
I really love your observation about how Ava suspects that something is up with Colin because he is not acting like himself. Of course, as you note, this is because he is not himself, but is currently possessed by Vos. Ava is “sensing in” to his gestures, his facial configurations, the way that he is holding himself, and perceives that he doesn’t “feel” like himself. It is interesting to think about how this relates to how Vos prepares for her immersion and her attempts to embody her victims—by mirroring their gestures, expression, etc—before she inhabits their body. She uses her body to understand them so that she can more effectively (though, as your post points out, not entirely perfectly) perform them.
You do a good job of discussing the Futurama episode. The quote from Leela that you incorporate basically sums up what empathy is—our ability to feel the feelings of others, to experience them even though we recognize that they are not our own. I am not sure, though, that Bender has actually learned to be more empathetic from this experience. The episode viciously undercuts the feel-good (and a bit saccharine) “the chip wasn’t working and Bender was really feeling empathy this whole time” ending in order to give us Bender gleefully returning to being a jerk.
Jessica Hautsch
Hey Alex!
As Glynis and Ceili said, I agree with you that Possessor was a not film for me and wouldn’t be something I would watch on any average day. It definitely wasn’t my jam but the concepts of empathy throughout almost made it captivating to watch. I like how you mentioned how Ava took notice at Colin’s strange demeanor and questioned him about it. I feel like this show that the unstability with in Vos’s apathetic mind is almost bleeding through Colin’s empathetic mind. I also enjoyed your analysis on “I Second that Emotion”. I feel that episode truly encapsulates the basis of emapthy. Bender’s storyline shows the important role empathy has in our everyday lives.
tpenske