Regardless of opinions surrounding his controversial personal life, Woody Allen has strong philosophical views which he passes on through his work.

“The Irrational Man,” stars Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, whom both turned in yet another powerful performance with stretched out and brutally honest conversations. 

What made the movie so great was its directness. While the heavy dialog made for an uncomfortable movie, it was clearly the intention of the director. To some, the openness of everyones relationship may have seemed inorganic but really it was just an observation of college life and living in a community where everyone knows each others business. 

The beauty in the movie is how flawed romanticism can be. His examination of love was spot on. The relationship between Emma Stone and her boyfriend was unbelievably awkward and naive which made a solid chunk of the movie almost unbearable to watch. Not to mention, the way Joaquin Phoenix’s character over romanticizes his will to have importance to the extent that he is pushed to irrational acts.  

Then, there is the Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone relationship. The way they play that out was so patient and innocent. The audience sees Emma Stone fall head over heals for an eccentric and genius professor. For a little while we are fooled into thinking they might be good for each other but then we quickly see the same naivety destroy Emma Stones world. 

The parallels between Woody Allen’s life and his work are far too evident to ignore. Through his film, he teaches the audiences the grim facts of life which is that relationships fail, people die and day to day living can feel like a monotonous purgatory with no meaning. Yet, he also seems to point out quite evidently in the ending that life is a privilege and the only way to keep living is to move on from your dark past.

by, Cameron Lui