"The Social Network" is one of the year's best films (5/5)

Let’s not pretend that our lives aren’t ridiculously linked in to our Facebook accounts. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. With the increased mobility of the Internet, our lives are becoming more and  more entrenched in this digital age. Knowing the profound effect Facebook is having on our social lives, it was only a matter of time until the world’s largest social network worked its way onto the silver screen. Enter in David Fincher’s The Social Network, a film that dictates the rapid rise of Facebook and its creator: Mark Zuckerberg. The common misconception of the film is that it’s simply about Facebook. This isn’t true. As a matter of fact, this film is about Facebook as much as There Will Be Blood is about drilling for oil or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is about chocolate confections. Facebook is merely the background, and I can’t stress that enough.

What we truly have is a myriad of perspectives on Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and his historic shift from Harvard undergrad to the world’s youngest billionaire. Despite his rise sounding like a Disney fairy tale, The Social Network frames Mark’s ascension on moments of megalomania and cut throat guile. Basing its narrative structure on two court depositions, the film frantically jumps back and forth in time as it tries to encapsulate the creation of Facebook through three distinct perspectives. The first perspective is that of Zuckerberg as he vehemently defends himself in two law suits. One of the lawsuits is filed under the pretense that Zuckerberg stole the idea for Facebook from three Harvard Undergraduates: Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss (Armie Hammer) and Divya Narendra (Max Minghella).  The second lawsuit knocking on Mark’s door is brought forth from Mark’s ex-best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). Eduardo, who was once the CFO and Co-Founder of Facebook, was allegedly squeezed out from his position by Mark. Thus he is looking for some redemptive stake in the billion dollar Facebook. Through these two depositions, both of which act separate of one another until they converge for a moment, we see the construction of Facebook. From the idea of creating a social site that focuses on exclusivity to the application of a relationship status, we see the cogs in motion for the biggest social site the world has ever seen.

It’s rather unique to see the evolution of Facebook, especially when Zuckerberg is under the guidance of Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), but the most important aspect of the film is the two varying perspectives on Zuckerberg. From the Winklevoss’ angle, we see Zuckerberg as a rat who’s circumventing moral code to capitalize on an idea that would allow for him to become a status symbol. As indicated through a  scathing conversation with his ex-girlfriend Erica Albright (Rooney Mara), Zuckerberg yearns for social appeal and everlasting love from a Harvard final club. Creating something as monumental as Facebook would garner the much desired attention from the apex of Harvard’s social scene. Running against the Winklevoss’ perspective is that of Eduardo’s. At the time of his lawsuit, Eduardo can see a power hungry man dwelling deep within Zuckerberg. It was Zuckerberg who exploited Eduardo’s  innocence and sincerity as a means of complete control. This is quite jarring considering that at one point, Eduardo saw Zuckerberg as a misunderstood genius who, when emotionally jaded, wasn’t afraid to use his mental strength as a weapon. Even more interesting is the foundation of Facebook through Eduardo: it’s a project that Zuckerberg pushed in order to gain notoriety from the one girl who broke his heart.  Was the creation of Facebook based solely on a heartbroken Zuckerberg? Or was it merely concocted by a con-artist maximizing someone else’s idea?

The tremendously crafted screenplay doesn’t bother with picking a side in the fights Zuckerberg finds himself in. Instead, through the varying amount of differing opinions we get a complex look at Zuckerberg. He’s never purely an asshole devoid of any emotional resonance, nor he is a man that can be pardoned of the betrayals he’s exercised. Rather, he’s simply a man whose ambition and desires gets the best of him. You could even argue to an extent that his intelligence, despite its value in forming Facebook, undermines the social relationships he tries to form as well. These varying degrees of human and subhuman behavior is exemplified through Jesse Eisenberg’s fearless performance. With his ability to handle Aaron Sorkin’s fantastic banter, Eisenberg puts a venomous bite in the words of Zuckerberg, but there’s  also a subtle vulnerability the slips out behind his raw discourse. Acting as formidable opponents to Eisenberg’s Zuckerberg are the performances of Armie Hammer and Andrew Garfield. Hammer has the tough duty of playing the role of twins, and what he does is more than admirable. Much like Nicholas Cage in Adaptation, Hammer is able to deliver  two performances from the same flesh that are ripe with subtle idiosyncrasies. As for Andrew Garfield, he’s on par for a Best Supporting Actor nomination with his performance as Eduardo. Garfield’s character often packs the film’s biggest emotional punch. Yet, much like Sorkin’s screenplay, Garfield know’s there is no true winner in the film, so he plants a sense of naiveté in Eduardo that doesn’t entirely make him seem like a sure fire hero.

Accompanying the terrific acting is the immaculate direction by David Fincher. Directing from a Sorkin script, it could’ve been a directing by the numbers gig for Fincher. The script itself is taut and ripe with fantastic dialogue that could capture an audience’s attention like an explosion in an action film. So, Fincher really didn’t have to do much, and the film would’ve been good. Yet, much like his work in Zodiac, Fincher engulfs himself with the finer details that surround his characters. In the case of Zuckerberg, Fincher fills the film with the digital knowledge that Zuckerberg loved to tinker with. By exploring the obsessions and hobbies of Zuckerberg, Fincher finds deeply rooted neuroses in the psyche of his fragmented main character. It’s through this notion that Fincher pushes the film’s dramatic flair to a high level. What many presume to be a film about Facebook is in fact a film about mining the psyche of a man who created the most notorious social network. Fact, fiction, or some combination of the two, The Social Network is a film that examines the collateral damage of a man whose drive knows no bounds.