Srikar Raghavan
183602009
Introduction to Film Studies, Term Paper
Total Word Count - 4774
Meaning in Meaninglessness : Sensibilities in Absurdist Cinema
Absurdism, as a philosophy, is said to have emerged out of the horrors and disasters of the first
half of the twentieth century, in the sense that it was the only possible way of confronting the
desperate situation that mankind had found itself in. It found its most significant expression in the
writings of the French philosopher Albert Camus, in which the absurd refers to the conflict
between the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life and the human inability
to find any in a purposeless, meaningless, chaotic universe. It was only natural that absurdism find
its way into the realm of cinema as well, and there exist numerous films and shows that are based
on this premise. My contention is that in the cinematic medium, absurdism takes on a much larger
avatar than its philosophical beginnings, though they still remain central to its text and shape its
contours. The power of the cinematic regime allows, in very creative ways, for absurdism to
address the social, political, and personal conditions that people face in the modern world, in a
way realist modes of portrayal cannot. In this essay, I look at one of my favorite movies The Big
Lebowski (1998), a nd two television shows that really exemplify absurdism in all the meanings of
the word - Rick and Morty (2013 - present) and B
ojack Horseman (2014 - present). It comes as no
surprise that all of these are also comedies, since there is an inherent quality in absurdism that
lends a sense of humour to it all. And since the last two are animated shows, I will also try and
show how this particular mode of cinema has been creatively used in this context to evoke a rich
array of reactions in the viewer.
The Big Lebowski is the story of a hippie-stoner character who calls himself the Dude, whose real
name is Jeffrey Lebowski, played exceptionally by Jeff Bridges.1 An absurd turn of events is set in
motion when two ruffians break into the Dude’s home, demanding the money his wife owes their
boss. The Dude is, of course, unmarried, and points out that they’re looking for the wrong guy. One
of the men pees on the Dude’s rug, simply out of spite, and they walk out. The rest of the story is
just an attempt by the Dude to seek compensation for his rug, for which he goes to meet the other
Jeffrey Lebowski (who is the titular Big Lebowski) whom he had been confused for by the
rug-peers in the first place. One thing leads to another, and The Dude finds himself in a supposed
kidnapping, involving a million dollars; his car gets stolen; he gets threatened by a group of
nihilists who threaten to castrate him; one of his buddies dies, and so on. Basically, a bizarre
sequence of events ensues, and the whole plot is tied up only in the end. The movie never really
made an impact when it first hit the theatres, but soon a cult following emerged, and it has even
spawned a religion called Dudeism2, and an annual festival called Lebowski Fest3 in the USA.
1
Just as an interesting aside, most of the clothes worn by the Dude came out from Jeff Bridge’s own closet.
2
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What made the film such a hit? Mostly, it is the Dude and his antics, imbued with a Taoistic
philosophy with which he faces the weird turn of events around him, that really is the focal point of
movie. Also interwoven in the film are some political connotations as well. I will explicate these
below.
‘The semiotics of cinema can be conceived of either as a semiotics of connotation or as a semiotics
of denotation,’ writes Christian Metz. (Metz, 1992. pg-171) Superimposed over the denoted
meaning of the text of The Big Lebowski, which is simply a hilarious, absurd series of events, are
the connoted meanings, which are being given a shape right from the beginning of the movie. The
movie is set firmly in the early 90s, ‘about the time of our conflict with Saddam and the Iraqis’, and
as the Dude is seen making out a cheque for 67 cents (absurd?), a television screen shows George
H.W Bush making a comment on Saddam Hussein- ‘ This will not stand. This aggression against
Kuwait.’ The Dude calls himself a pacifist in the movie, while his best friend Walter is an avowed
reactionary who keeps connecting everything to Vietnam. (where Walter served, and where a lot of
‘his buddies died face down in the muck’) The Bush dialogue is used multiple times in the movie,
by both the Dude and Walter as a defensive line; Saddam keeps popping up now and then for no
reason, Walter once makes a random comment saying ‘Look at our current situation with that
camelfucker in Iraq’, and in one dream-song sequence the Dude finds himself in a surreal bowling
alley and Saddam is handing out the bowling shoes. The Vietnam references are numerous; even
when the Dude and Walter’s friend Donny dies, Walter, in the eulogy, manages to make a reference
to Vietnam, saying ‘In your wisdom lord, you took him. Like you took so many bright, flowering
young men at Khe Sanh, at Lan Doc, and Hill 364.’ I include the quote because I think it’s funny, but
what I’m trying to point out is how the absurdist element in the movie allows for such casual and
subtle political horseplay. It isn’t meant to be taken seriously, but it does stand for something;
there is a connotative ‘signified’ here. ‘The film highlights the ubiquitous presence of politics in
society and government’s relevance to everyday life.’ (Leckrone, 2013, pg-129) At the very least, it
promotes a general sense of awareness in the viewer, providing him with food for thought, and
prompting him to reflect on it, while at the same time remaining neutral. In this context, it merits
attention that the film was actually once cited in a Texas Supreme Court decision.4
The philosophical underpinnings are a major connotative element. The movie starts with a slow,
bluesy song whose lyrics go something like ‘Drifting along like a tumbling tumbleweed’, showing
an actual tumbleweed slowly rolling along onto a beach in LA on the screen, as the narrator begins
introducing the Dude. A lyrical, calming mood has been set for the movie, and we already know
something about the lazy philosophy of the Dude in the way he is being introduced. The Dude
never loses his lazy sense of style despite all the troubles that come his way in the film. As the
rug-peers leave, after having dunked the Dude’s head into a commode multiple times, the Dude
fishes his sunglasses out of the toilet, puts them on, and sits on the toilet with a king-like pose.
When the Big Lebowski mocks him as a bum and refuses to compensate him for the rug, again the
Dude goes into his zen mode, puts on his glasses, and simply walks out. (he nonchalantly scams a
rug from his assistant later) Interestingly, the Dude is present in every single scene of the movie.
And there’s a bit of his witty charm in almost every one of them. In the closing scene of the film,
when asked how he’s doing, the Dude quips, ‘Ahh, you know. Strikes and gutters, ups and downs.’
In the sense that absurdism is a search for meaning, the Dude already seems to have found
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something meaningful in the way he lives and in his general lifestyle. In the face of all manner of
problems that are visited upon him, he is calm, and is ruffled very few times. So, if one thinks
about all the instances of the Dude being cool in his element as signifiers of the philosophy he
stands for, there is a collective ‘signified’ that emerges as a product of the movie - the impression
of a calmer way of looking at things that one can adopt in one’s own life. This, I think, is the most
significant ‘meaning’ that one takes away from the movie.
Rick and Morty i s a hilarious show about a mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his naive grandson
Morty, both of whom go on crazy adventures together, travelling through space and across
dimensions, encountering weird creatures and absurd phenomena. This theme allows for the
problem of existentialism to be extended to its very limits. Not only are we a tiny speck of dust in a
vast universe of galaxies, we are also one of an infinite number of versions of this universe in
infinite other realities.5 In such a vast multiverse, with infinite possibilities, where literally anything
can happen, values and meanings are hard to find. In one episode, Rick and Morty basically
destroy the whole planet and they just move to another reality where they’ve just died. In the face
of this absurdism, all that remains is an existentialism that is hard to confront. In one particularly
moving episode (Rixty Minutes, Season 1 - Episode 8), Morty’s sister Summer finds out that she wan
an unwanted pregnancy, gets distressed and ready to move out. Morty points out to her that he is
not even her real brother, that her real brother died, and that he was actually from another reality.
And then he delivers this crushing line,’ Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere.
Everybody’s gonna die. Come watch TV?’ But it is also a weirdly calming line, in the sense that a
realisation of the ultimate insignificance of one’s being is a significant thing in itself. The show
offers us two ways of interpreting this fact, one in the philosophy of Rick, and another in the form
of Morty’s dad, Jerry.
Jerry is a simple-minded chap who is completely oblivious to the mediocrity of his own life, in
contrast to Rick, who is the smartest man in the entire universe. Jerry is unemployed, his marriage
is failing, his daughter dislikes him, and yet he isn’t really affected by the pointlessness in his life.
Rick, on the other hand, understands that life is pointless. But he is an alcoholic, he is always
cynical, and his catchphrase is ‘Wubbalubbadubbdub’, which supposedly means in another
language that he’s in great pain. Science offers a way of looking at things, but ultimately it too
does not fill the void of meaning. All that remains is nihilism. But Rick’s character is not just
another passive nihilist, hopelessly resigned to his pointless state in the universe. He is constantly
seeking to destroy old values, and starting anew. The endless opportunities that the universe has
to offer, the vast spectrum of experiences that can be had are reasons sufficient for Rick. He also
cares about Morty and his family, though he rarely expresses it. Camus’ answer to to the question
of existentialism is to embrace it, to find solace in it. In Rick’s words, you ‘just don’t think about it.’
Jean-Luc Comolli and Jean Narboni put forth an interesting question, while talking about movies
that go against the grain of the dominant ideology of the times. ‘Which [films,books,magazines]
attempt to make it turn and reflect itself, intercept it, make it visible by revealing its mechanisms,
by blocking them?’ (Naboni and Comolli,[Link]-683) Perhaps no medium achieves this as
5
Realities, here, refer to a turn in history where something else happened. For instance, a reality where Hitler cured
cancer. Or, a reality where Rick and Morty are both dead. Or, just to show how creative an animated absurdist show can
get, a reality where people are shaped like cobs, or a reality where chairs are alive and sit on human-shaped seats.
successfully as animated television, is what I would argue. The easy accessibility of shows on
forums like Netflix, and the wide audiences they garner, makes for a significant ‘interception’ in
the views of the public. As to the turning of the ideology and the revealing of its mechanisms, the
creative freedom that these shows allow speaks for itself. And when you throw into the mix the
fantastical and the absurd, it makes it all the more interesting and arresting. I will talk about one
particular episode from Rick and Morty n ow, which serves as an excellent example in this regard,
namely The Ricklantis Mixup ( Season 3 - Episode 7)
The episode starts off with a political jibe. Rick and Morty are visited by a pair of their versions
from another reality, asking for contributions to the Citadel of Ricks6 redevelopment fund. Rick
(our hero) isn’t really a big fan of the Citadel, for reasons that will become obvious below, and
simisses [Link] other Rick gets it, and quips to his Morty, ‘ Let’s go Morty. You’re pitching the
Policeman’s Ball to a black teenager here.’ ‘Anyone continuing to explore the citadel is either
stupid or one of the unfortunate millions held hostage by their terrible ideas,’ he explains to Morty
as they go off on another adventure somewhere else. The episode then turns to the actual Citadel,
and the rest of the episode depicts life as is happening on the Citadel. The intro scene shows a
futuristic version of urban life; workers travelling en masse on trains; glimpses of the working
population of Ricks and the richer RIcks of the society; all in all, a futuristic sci-tech portrayal of a
bourgeois, capitalistic society. It is difficult to convey the richness of this portrayal in text; there
are just too many details in the scenes. This is only possible because it is an animated show,
thereby affording the writers absolute artistic freedom. The lyrics of the song that runs in the
background during this scene merit a full quotation in this regard.
Somewhere out on that horizon
Out beyond the neon lights
I know there must be something better’
But there’s nowhere else in sight
It’s survival in the city
When you live from day to day
City streets don’t have much pity
When you’re down, that’s where you’ll stay
The story then moves into a school of Morties, where four Morties try to stand out from the general
monotony and conformation of the system; this is, of course, a critique of the education system
that holds sway over most schools in the world today. Each of these Morties is unique in their own
way - one of them is Dramatic Morty, who has a drama implant in him making him prone to
dramatic outbursts, another is Lizard Morty who, in his reality, has been fused with a Lizard face by
his Rick, and so on. The scene cuts to a factory, where Ricks are working boring, monotonous jobs
while other Ricks are higher up in the hierarchy, effectively exploiting them. In the meantime, an
election is being held in the Citadel, where there are several Rick candidates and just one Morty
candidate. In the campaign debate, the Morty says, ‘The division I see is the division between the
Ricks and Mortys that like the Citadel divided, and the rest of us. I see it everywhere I go. I see it in
our schools where they teach Mortys we’re all the same, because they’re threatened by what
6
The Citadel of Ricks is a secret society somewhere in space where Ricks and Mortys have formed a society built by their
counterparts from an infinite number of realities, and serves as a residence for an untold number of Ricks and Morties.
makes us unique. I see it in our streets where they give guns to Mortys, so we’re too busy fighting
each other to fight real injustice. I see it in our factories, where Ricks work for a fraction of their
boss’s salary even though they’re identical and have the same IQ. The Citadel’s problem isn’t
homeless Mortys or outraged Ricks. The Citadel’s problem is the Ricks and Mortys feeding on the
Citadel’s death. But I’ve got a message for them, from the Ricks and Mortys keeping it alive, a
message from the Ricks and Mortys that believe in this citadel to the Ricks and Morties that don’t.
You’re outnumbered.’ Thus collapsed into this one episode is an exceptional critique of modern
society, and the fears and crises that it spawns. There are small potshots at society throughout the
episode; too many for me describe. The episode ends with an image of all the Ricks and Mortys
that have been killed and their bodies that have been thrown out from the CItadel. All in all, it is a
scathing commentary on the current historical and social situation, especially in the USA.
Here’s just one more example to show how the elements of the absurd can be marshalled into a
social commentary. In Rixty Minutes ( Season 1 - Episode 8), Rick introduces a version of TV that can
stream channels from all the infinite realities. One of these channels is streaming something
whose script goes as follows:
“Man. Woman.
And now trunk men? We know science has created men that have a trunk that allows them to have
sex with both male and female partners.
But we don't like the idea of these people getting married.
Put a line in the sand everybody--, people! Vote no on proposition XW2.
The act that says that gay, uh, trunk people can get married.
Who needs it? Not on my watch! Paid for by Michael Dennys and The Denny Singers.
‘Hi, I'm a trunk person.
And I want I-I feel love in my heart, too, just like you.
I want to be able to express that love, with both a man and a woman.
And I won't be able to If Denny and The Denny Singers get their way.
Hey, let the trunk people have sex and get married, huh? ‘ Paid for by Trunk People.” 7
Note the slight vacillation on line 6, where the speaker hesitates between ‘gay’ and ‘trunk’. Just a
small hint is sufficient enough to make this bizarre proposition turn into an ingenious commentary
on how absurd the gay rights movement can be made out to be. These are just a few notable
instances from the show to point out how this political and social satire can be achieved, and it is
easy to see how the novelty of the medium translates into such brilliant screenwriting and creative
art on screen.
Bojack Horseman is, in its basic premise, I would say, inspired by the life and times of Charlie
Sheen. Bojack is a celebrated television star, lives in Malibu in a plush mansion, and is lost in
alcoholism, pessimism, and depression. He is an archetypal example of Freudian discontent,
facing as he does a life of abuse and emotional neglect on the part of his father and mother. It is a
far more existentialist and nihilistic show than Rick and Morty. There are no really happy moments
in the show, everything is bleak and bordering on the absolute meaninglessness of life. And yet, as
you watch the show progress season after season, tracing with Bojack and the motley characters
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that he is surrounded with, his existential squabbles and turmoils, a semblance of meaning
emerges in the sense that a search for meaning becomes a meaning in itself. It is a worthy goal,
worth it for its own sake.
The show is a parody and satire of the materialist world that is Hollywood (Hollywoo in the show)
and the general showbiz culture. In a episode of Horsin’ Around (Bojack’s TV show which fetched
him his fame), Bojack says to a co-star, ‘Most important thing is you gotta give the people what
they want. Even if it kills you. Even if it empties you out until there is nothing left to empty.’ It
criticises the hypocritical nature of the films and shows that come out of Hollywoo, not to mention
the actors, producers, and directors involved who are only in it for the money, and are hardly
paradigms of fostering healthy, intimate relationships with anyone. The theme of Hollywoo is a
metaphor for human existence in general. Just as the razzmatazz of the movie world is a veneer
under which lies a hollow and ugly world, the vagaries of our own existence are but a cover for the
meaninglessness of life itself. One answer as to how one might deal with this is to utterly busy
oneself with work. As Mr Peanutbutter one of the characters says in an episode, ‘The universe is a
cruel, uncaring void. The key to being happy isn’t the search for meaning. It’s to just keep yourself
busy with unimportant nonsense. And eventually, you’ll be dead.’ This idea is what fuels the
absurdism that runs through the entire show. The show is populated by anthropomorphised
animals and humans, who go around performing bizarre activities in a seemingly purposeful way.
Bojack has successfully been doing this for years, after his career slowed down. He is a compulsive
drinker, drug addict, womaniser, and has nothing else to really do. But all this changes when a
writer Diane writes an honest biography of him, and after reading it, Bojack finds time to pause
and reflect on the life that he is leading.
The show employs water as a metaphor for all the fears that haunt Bojack. He is terribly scared of
water, a fact that is reiterated in the intro-scene of the show as well. But in an exceptionally
written episode in season 3, where Bojack goes to live in an underwater world, Bojack finally
comes to overcome his fear of water. He falls off a ledge underwater, but then realises that it was
simply water, and that he could float. This stands for an optimistic take on his existential crisis,
whereby he recognises that water is actually a medium of great relief, comfort, and opportunity. It
gives, in vivid and rich detail, over the course of five seasons, a viewer a glimpse of how one can
embrace the absurd, carry out his meaningless tasks, and be happy in spite of it. The show
subverts the classical narrative of classic American TV shows, like say Friends, or Full House, in the
sense that there are no prospects of a happy ending. The general idea that one is working towards
something, whether in relationships, or just in general, is completely lost in the show. The typical
shows tend to put forth the idea that there is something out there that is an antidote all of one’s
problems, whether it is love, or money or power or any such thing. This show does none of that.
‘Closure is a made-up thing by Steven Spielberg to sell movie-tickets’, Bojack says in one episode.
Or in Diane’s words, ’Every happy ending has the day after the happy ending, and the day after
that’. The idea that life is simply a collection of happy and sad moments in each moment of time is
built into the show, and is what makes its narrative so unique. The message is that happiness is
only ephemeral, implicit in each moment in time. Another message that the show vehemently
reinforces is the notion that one’s actions are just as important as one’s beliefs. It doesn’t matter
what you believe in, what matters is what you do. Or like Todd, Bojack’s slacker friend tells him in
one instance, ‘You can’t keep doing shitty things and then feel bad about yourself like that makes
it okay. You need to be be better.’
Jumping from the philosophical aspects of the show, to its more immediate commentaries on
social issues, there are several instances where the creative medium of this absurd cartoon show
has been used to parody modern society. Just to show one such instance, in episode 10 of season
5, Todd creates a sex robot that is dubbed Henry Fondle (just a pun on Henry Fonda) that can
speak random words. In an absurd series of events, the robot becomes CEO of a major company.
The situation goes on for a while, and after a while, the inevitable happens. The sex robot gets
accused of harassing its female employees, and is sacked from its position. The irony of the
situation speaks for itself. The latest season is, in fact, most relevant, in the context of the current
me-too phenomenon that is working itself out in the US. As Bojack becomes so baked on drugs, he
is unable to distinguish between his show Philbert and his real life. In an article in Vanity Fair,
Sonia Saraiya writes, “Bob-Waksberg [the creator of the show] told me that much of the dialogue
about the responsibility of an artist-and the guilt of the accused-came directly from
meta-discussions in the writers’ room. In particular, #MeToo forced Bob-Waksberg to consider
BoJack’ s own culpability: “What is our responsibility to our audience to signal, hey, this kind of
behavior isn’t cool, don’t emulate this? ” “ That the writers deliberate over such matters and take
social commentary to be a significant aspect itself, is telling of the power these shows wield in
shaping social discourse. In the world, more so than over, pop culture and social media have
begun to have a great deal of clout in this regard.
Conclusion
As a theme in cinema, absurdism is one of the more hilarious and thought-provoking premises
there is. In terms of pure entertainment and humorous appeal alone, it may be said to possess an
intrinsic value. Movies and shows such as those discussed in this essay go to show how on-screen
embodiments of philosophies, and philosophical crises, can go a long way in winning the
endearment of its fan base. They show, in graphic and arresting detail, how everyone is perhaps
going through a life that is just as equally absurd. In man’s search for meaning, he is united, and
these media serve as a common denominator to embrace the absurdity of life. The creative
medium of film helps bind together a host of meanings under one title. Such things as background
music, creative uses of shots and screenspace, and in general all the connotative aspects that
cinema allows for, add to the meaning of a film. In an absurdist film, these meanings are amplified
by the sheer force of the narrative, and the unique and kooky details that never fail to catch your
eye.
In the case of cartoon shows, the whole experience is made more graphic and detailed than ever. It
makes for a colorful, rich, and vibrant watch. In shows like Rick and Morty and Bojack Horseman,
which employ brilliant and hilarious screenwriting, where almost every line is brilliantly crafted in
relation to the animations on screen, manifestations of the human condition take on a different
flavour altogether. The creative freedom that runs with these shows also allows the creators to
satirize political and social issues, in a manner than conventional television cannot hope to
achieve. So what we are left with is not a random series of meaningless events that an absurdist
plot would seemingly be like, but a rich and exciting way of perceiving meaning in everyday life.
References
1. Metz, Christian. 1992. “Some Points in the Semiotics of the Cinema” in Gerald Mast,
Marshall Cohen and Leo Braudy (eds.) Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings,
Oxford University Press. 168-178
2. Narboni, Jean and Comolli, Jean-Luc.1971. “Cinema/Ideology/Criticism” in Gerald Mast,
Marshall Cohen and Leo Braudy (eds.) Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings,
Oxford University Press. 6 82-689
3. Saraiya, S. 2018. BoJack Horseman: Raphael Bob-Waksberg Unpacks a Sensitive, Brilliant,
Post-#MeToo Season. [online] HWD. Available at:
[Link]
-season-5-me-too [Accessed 24 Nov. 2018].
4. Leckrone, J. 2013. Hippies, Feminists, and Neocons: Using "The Big Lebowski" to Find the
Political in the Nonpolitical. PS: Political Science and Politics, 46(1), 129-136. Retrieved from
[Link]
