Aspects of Running with Scissors - Movie Review Example

Number Analysis of Aspects in Running With Scissors INTRODUCTION The 2006 film Running With Scissors is based on memoirs by Augusten Burroughs that shed light on the absurdly messy childhood and adolescence he went through. The film begins with Burroughs at the age of 12 and after his parents’ divorce. Burroughs’ mother sends him to reside with her psychiatrist as the legal guardian whose behaviors and methods of therapy suggested unstable psychological problems. While at the psychiatrist’s, Dr. Finch, house, Burroughs grows up with all sorts of vices and aggressive interactions caused by extremely unhealthy relationships with his parents, siblings, and Dr. Finch. The following paper explores and analyses these vices as aspects the film. DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY DYNAMICS AND RELATIONSHIPS The film’s storyline unfolds with the character lacking a standard household unit (Roeper 2006). Before the divorce, Burroughs’ parents still fought frequently and even physically. Moving to the house of his mother’s psychiatrist proves that the divorce did not change anything as Burroughs’ parents continue fighting although it came as a relief for him. Burroughs sees his parents’ divorce as an opportunity to make a fresh start. Unfortunately, this fresh beginning does not come to fruition as Burroughs learns that Dr. Finch’s family is possibly as dysfunctional as his own is. For instance, Burroughs learns that the Finches interact in insulting and selfish manners that involved a great deal of shouting (Murphy and Burroughs 2006). No one in Dr. Finch’s house ever takes responsibility for virtually anything and often blame mishaps on each other. Despite two dysfunctional families, Burroughs fits in (Kochis n.d.). For example, Dr. Finch’s daughters scare him at first because of their intimidating demeanor and ways of interaction. However, down the road, the daughters become close peers with Burroughs (Murphy and Burroughs 2006). This outcome teaches Burroughs that abnormality or abnormal backgrounds are the common grounds he has with the Finches. The film shows Burroughs’ development of the feeling that a standard, functional family could not know how to deal with matters such as homosexuality or a mother with a psychological condition. These lessons are what Burroughs got from living with the Finches that he appears to value very much, which is understandable considering he had a sense of belonging he lacked at his original home. The relationship between Burroughs and his parents is equally dysfunctional and poor (Scott 2006). Norman, Burroughs’ father, is an alcoholic who only uses the time for taking out the trash to bond with his son. Evidently, Burroughs’ parents have a very poor relationship with their children that is caused mostly by inadequate bonding time. Instead of interacting with her children, Burroughs’ mother, Deirdre, focuses intensely on her confessional poetry. In the process, Deirdre unknowingly invests excess time, emotional, and physical resources on her poetry (Kochis n.d.). The fact that his mother gave Burroughs away to her psychiatrist as a legal guardian shows how much of an incompetent parent she is. As an adolescent, Burroughs fortunately assumed responsibility over his mother and her health. Dysfunctional relationships extend to Dr. Finch’s family, especially with his wife and mistresses (Kochis n.d.). While at the Finches, Burroughs learns that Dr. Finch has an affair with two other women, whom he still refers to as wives. At one point, the film shows Dr. Finch telling Agnes, his legal wife, that they wedded only “legally and not spiritually or emotionally” (Murphy and Burroughs 2006). Irrespective of this saddening revelation, Agnes stays with Dr. Finch. Agnes knows Dr. Finch has a perverted frame of mind and behavior hat possibly makes him the negligent father to his children that he is. The fact that Agnes tolerates her husband’s unfaithfulness shows her poor relationship with him and her children. The Finches do not set any rules for their children and in fact push them to pursue their own desires. For instance, Dr. Finch’s daughter Natalie is just 13 years old and has had a lengthy with a forty-one year old man called Terrance Maxwell, who later becomes her legal guardian (Murphy and Burroughs 2006). ODD ENVIRONMENTS Burroughs’ immediate surrounding constantly changes all through the film (Roeper 2006). For instance, the film begins with Burroughs living with his parents and siblings. Shortly afterwards, Deirdre and Norman divorce and give Burroughs away to Dr. Finch legally; an incident that Burroughs appeared to enjoy secretly because of having to travel in-between two different locations (Murphy and Burroughs 2006). Secondly, Burroughs appears to be denied a stable household in both locations as he learns slowly that he simply moved from one dysfunctional family to another. In the process, Burroughs has to run continually whenever his homes are uncomfortable, which is unhealthy for an adolescent. A third case of changing surroundings is the many psychologically unstable people Burroughs has to meet (Kochis n.d.). Children surrounded by mentally ill adults often is unhealthy but the Finches do not seem to notice or mind. Even while at her original home, her mother’s psychological instability was his responsibility, which is totally unhealthy for a child. For instance, Burroughs had to once deal with a man named Cesar Mendoza that Deirdre brought home spontaneously even though it was almost clear from the sirens out he was escaping from law enforcement. During this ordeal, Deirdre tells Burroughs that Mendoza will become his “new father,” which deeply affects him since he has to deal with this new, likely reality (Murphy and Burroughs 2006). ABANDONMENT Dr. Finch believes that a person can make adult decisions at the age of 13, which is how he and Agnes treat Burroughs and Natalie (Scott 2006). The Finches are aware of the fact that Natalie dates a man old enough to be her father and are not bothered by it. In Burroughs’ case, he could not choose his legal guardian at the beginning at the film but watches as Natalie chooses Maxwell as her legal guardian. Even after discovering that Maxwell is a wealthy, older, and former patient of his, Dr. Finch allows Natalie’s abusive relationship with him to continue. Meanwhile, Burroughs becomes closer to Neil Bookman, Dr. Finch’s supposedly adopted son. Evidently, the Finches abandon their true daughter as well as their legal son (Kochis n.d.). Excessive freedom for children is a form of abandonment depicted in the film by the Finches and Burroughs’ parents as well. In one scene, Dr. Finch says when a youth is decided on something, “there’s really nothing anybody can do to stop them” (Murphy and Burroughs 2006). Abandonment constitutes the lack of parental oversight or guidance, which the Finches are precisely practicing when they grant their children the freedom of adults. Even Burroughs says the absence of parental guidance meant there was no one to tell Burroughs and Natalie “what not to do” (Roeper 2006). For instance, Burroughs quickly grows lazy to the extent that he quits school by staging a suicide attempt. Neglect by Dr. Finch meant Burroughs was not going to learn the consequences of such actions beforehand. On another incident, Burroughs and Natalie decide to bring down the kitchen ceiling just to make more space as well as their own skylight (Murphy and Burroughs 2006). CONCLUSION The main aspect in the film Running With Scissors is dysfunctional family dynamics and relationships. Burroughs fits in both families in spite of their dysfunctional natures. Burroughs and his parents have a mutually dysfunctional and deprived relationship. Dr. Finch’s family is just as dysfunctional as Burroughs’ original household, especially with his wife and mistresses. Burroughs’ immediate surrounding constantly changes all through the film. Dr. Finch thinks a person can make adult decisions when he or she reaches 13 years old, which is how he and Agnes treat their children. Lastly, adult independence granted to children is a form of abandonment depicted in the film by the Finches and Burroughs’ parents as well. Works Cited Burroughs, Augusten. Running With Scissors. Los Angeles: Atlantic Books Ltd, 2004. Kochis. Running With Scissors: Relevant Themes. N.d. Kochis.weebly. Web. 2015, Feb 10. Murphy, Ryan and Augusten Burroughs. Running With Scissors. 2006. Plan B Entertainment. Film. 2015, Feb 10. Roeper, Richard. Running with Scissors (2006; Rated). 2006. Richard Roeper & the movies. Web. 2015, Feb 10. Scott, A. O. Running With Scissors (2006): Mom’s Wacky, Dad’s Distracted, Son Survives. 2006. The New York Times. Web. 2015, Feb 10. Read More