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Entertainment July 30, 2019
Still not a love story, but a story about love.
As a precaution if you have not seen the movie: this article will contain spoilers.
Ten years ago today, the movie 500 Days of Summer made its debut. The movie is not a love story, but rather a story about love.
The movie’s narrative is exclusively told through the perspective of Tom (the main character). Tom meets Summer and falls in love with her. The movie progresses through Tom’s experience, thoughts, feelings, and emotions. We only see Summer through Tom’s eyes.
Although I was only a child when this movie came out, I still loved it. I sympathized with Tom. Summer ended the relationship with Tom, and I was upset with Summer.
Looking back, I hated Summer. However, I only saw her through Tom’s eyes. I was deceived before I saw the reality of things. Tom’s image of Summer became greater than who Summer actually was. That is why Summer ended the relationship.
I was biased. I sympathized with Tom because I watched the movie taking in only his feelings. The reality is that there are two sides to every story. This story shows Tom’s side.
We never get to see Summer’s side: her thoughts, feelings, or emotions. We are left with Tom’s impression of Summer. That is why I sympathized with Tom.
That is the problem. Tom views Summer as a manic pixie dream girl, when in reality she is not.
The manic pixie dream girl role is one we often see in movies. Examples include: Clementine in The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Margo Roth in Paper Towns and Samantha in Her. The role of a manic pixie dream girl is to complete the boy.
Summer does not complete Tom. Summer has her own needs to complete that Tom does not fulfill.
Viewing the movie now, I sympathize with Summer. Summer is a free, independent woman who knows what she wants. I am sure many of us can relate.
Summer tried to fall in love with Tom, but ultimately she did not. Summer’s role was not to complete or satisfy Tom.
People often generalize this trope in movies and over-romanticize relationships. We create these high expectations and false hopes of someone. Then we are distraught when those expectations are not fulfilled by them. We become like Tom.
In reality, people are like Summer. We all have our own wants and needs, and we cannot exist to fulfill someone else’s wants and needs. Women are not our fantasies.
This can apply to men too. Women often over-romanticize men and have high expectations of them. Men are not our fantasies either.
People are not your fantasy.
10 years after the premiere of 500 Days of Summer and this still holds true. The movie is still very relevant today regarding relationships.
500 Days offers different perspectives by showing a reality in relationships that hurts—the rejection, the breakups, and the closure.
From the beginning of the movie, it is made clear that this movie is not Tom and Summer’s love story, but a movie about love between Tom and Summer.
The movie depicts the cycle of relationships: meeting someone, getting to know them, developing feelings, and then ending the relationship. 500 Days illustrates how things often do not work out in a relationship. Break ups are not easy, and we can sympathize with Tom’s reaction.
The movie also conveys how you can meet someone who fulfills your needs and get married. In Summer’s case this happens after her relationship with Tom. The movie portrays that relationships are not doomed, but they are also not always meant to be.
3,652 days later, women still are not designed to complete you. Men are not designed to complete you. People are not puzzle pieces with missing edges. People are simply people—as complex as they can be. Nothing more and nothing less.
