Reznik: Dissociated Personality
THE MACHINIST: SLEEPING AS A CATALYST TO INSANITY Science has proven that sleep is one of the most essential things needed to keep the average individual healthy and stable. Without the “healing” powers of sleep, our minds and our bodies can be easily affected because of the constant feeling of fatigue. The human body thrives on the energy that sleep ensues in our bodies every night. While the average individual is to sleep approximately eight hours a night, realistically speaking, getting that much sleep on a regular basis is something to strive for. And while the amount of sleep we get per night might waver around the average, sleep deprivation is a far cry from being sluggish the next morning. Sleep deprivation has an extreme affect of the mind and body because of the lack of energy that your body may have stored up. However, the biggest affect it might have on your body is the brain. It has been proven the lack of
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sleep can cause a person to develop a number of mental problems. Disorders such as Borderline Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia, and MPD, or Multiple Personality Disorder are strongly affected by lack of sleep. In Brad Anderson’s 2004 film, The Machinist, the main character develops a strong sense of paranoia as well as MPD as a result of his insomnia. The film is excellent and intelligent example of how extreme sleep deprivation can be a catalyst for other mental issues, such as Trevor Reznik’s insomnia induced psychosis. Brad Anderson’s film, The Machinist, is a prime example of how severe sleep deprivation can serve as a catalyst for stronger mental issues; Trevor Reznik’s insomnia is the cause of his ultimate spiral into madness.
The Machinist is a film about Trevor Reznik, a young machinist in Los Angeleos, who due to a tragic incident he caused over a year ago, is subject to insomnia. In the beginning of the film, Reznik meet, a mysterious and charismatic man that works in the same factory with him. After a company accident that he caused that resulted in a close work friend losing an arm, Reznik becomes progressively more paranoid and obsessed with Ivan, due to the fact that no one he knows has any recollection of him. As the film goes on, Ivan becomes more menacing, and his insomnia-induced hallucinations get worse, Reznik finally comes to terms with his slight turn into insanity.
Insomnia takes such a major role in this film because it serves as the reasoning for Reznik’s odd behavior. Insomnia caused him many issues in the film. For example, Reznik, throughout the film was portrayed as an emaciated man. His bones popped out of every bit of his skin, something that becomes a point of focus for concern between his coworkers and his love interest, Stevie. However, while the exterior of his body was problematic, the film focuses on the aspect of his severe and extremely disturbing hallucinations. He suffered from mild hallucinations, such as putting a sticky note of a game of hangman on it. And while his other hallucinations and delusions can easily be considered a warning, his main hallucination was a man named Ivan. Ivan, who remains mysterious to both Reznik and the viewer, causes a lot of Reznik’s distress in the film because of the fact that he was tormenting him the entire film. Ivan was a charismatic figure that both frightened and fascinated Reznik.
While Ivan was originally something of a fascination to Reznik, he soon becomes such a menacing force that Reznik begins doing more harmful things to himself in order to prove to others he exists, and to himself that he is not crazy. Throughout the film, Reznik holds both strong fascination as well as a disgust for Ivan because of his lack of knowledge about him as well as the fact that no one around him seems to even know who he is. Ivan, who unbeknownst to Reznik is a figment of his hallucinations, manages to cause his physical pain, as well as test his mental health. Ivan continuously messed with Reznik’s head. For example, at the end of the film, Reznik follows Ivan’s car to his apartment, only to see him park and let out a young boy, who he then brings up to his apartment. Because of his delusions, Reznik believes that Ivan kills the boy, and as a result he kills Ivan. After a minor freak out, he wraps Ivan’s body up in carpet and tries to dispose of it in the local river. He throws the carpet over a ledge, and watches it unravel, but when it finishes unraveling, there is not body nor blood stains in the carpet. As soon as Reznik realizes this, Ivan stands behind him starting “I know who you are ”(The Machinist).
Reznik’s insomnia and severe sleep deprivation caused him to hallucinate so badly that it began wearing at his mental health and psychical ability. Between his body and his mind, his lack of sleep was his major downfall, and eventually leads to him lose everything that was important to him. His hallucination of Ivan stands as one of the major conflicts of the film, because he doesn’t comprehend the fact that he is the only one that sees him. At one point in the film, Ivan tells Reznik to follow him to a local bar. After stating that he believed that Reznik looked like a coke fiend, he states “Oh, no. You look like you seen a ghost” (The Machinist). Frequently did Ivan speak to Reznik in a mocking tone, which suggests that he might have known that he wasn’t real, but continued to toy with Reznik because he appeared to get a rise out of it. Ivan stood mainly as a reminded to Reznik of his past mistakes, which revolve around a hit and run that he caused a year before. At the end of the film, Reznik is seen chanting, “I know who you are… I know who you are… I know who you are” (The Machinist), just as Ivan said it before hand. Sleep deprivation is a major theme in this film, but the theme that sticks out the most is that of mental illness. Other than his insomnia, it can be argued that he could have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is frequently triggered by a tragic event, and the symptoms include the inability to tell the difference between reality and fiction, clouded judgment and reactions to particular situations, paranoia, and trouble sleeping. Reznik from the beginning of the film exhibits major similarities to the symptoms of the disorder. With the exception of Ivan, he suffers other severe hallucinations, such as his fridge dripping dark, blood looking liquids, and sticky notes on his refrigerator that taunt him about his past problems.
Reznik is also unable to handle to his emotions and maintain his relationships with loved ones and peers because of his hallucinations and delusions.
Another disorder that can be considered for Reznik is MPD, or Multiple Personalities Disorder, which might explain that Ivan is just a dissociated personality created by Reznik to cope with the insomnia. According to Steven Hirsh and Daniel Weinberger, separate personalities are created as a way to cope with a tragedy, sense of guilty, or abuse. However some, if another factor such of lack of sleep managed to stand out, the separate personality, or “alter” can cause the person suffering to see the alter as more of a distraction or menace. Sleep plays a major role in both of these disorders because while they are both individually difficult, lack of sleep can almost aggravate symptoms the point where they become unbearable to the person suffering. Reznik, as a result of his lack of sleep was subject to a trauma-induced disorder that progressively got worse because of the fact that he wasn’t
sleeping. Overall, Brad Anderson’s film The Machinist is a great example as to how lack of sleep can and could stand as a catalyst for both causing and influencing mental disorders. Fore example, Trevor Reznik, a deranged insomnia who works in a local factory, becomes susceptible of his disorder as a result of an all too real hallucination named Ivan. The film is a great example as to how sleep can assist in health, as well as cause mental and physical problems to develop and thrive. Sleep deprivation has an extreme affect of the mind and body because of the lack of energy that your body may have stored up. However, the biggest affect it might have on your body is the brain, and as shown in the film, sleep can cause problems so severe that it can affect relationships and lives, as well as taking a mind of its own and slowly destroying the mind of the person who isn’t getting enough sleep. Sleep is a powerful aspect of human nature and without it can easily destroy the minds of many. Trevor Reznik’s lack of sleep is the sole cause in his decent into madness in the film, and shows that sleep can be a major factor in how people’s minds develop and function.
CITATIONS
Hirsch, Steven R., and Daniel R. Weinberger. Schizophrenia. Oxford: Blackwell Science, 1995. Print.
The Machinist. Dir. Brad Anderson. Prod. Carlos Fernandez, Julio Fernandez, and Antonia Nava. By Scott Kosar. Perf. Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.
sleep can cause a person to develop a number of mental problems. Disorders such as Borderline Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia, and MPD, or Multiple Personality Disorder are strongly affected by lack of sleep. In Brad Anderson’s 2004 film, The Machinist, the main character develops a strong sense of paranoia as well as MPD as a result of his insomnia. The film is excellent and intelligent example of how extreme sleep deprivation can be a catalyst for other mental issues, such as Trevor Reznik’s insomnia induced psychosis. Brad Anderson’s film, The Machinist, is a prime example of how severe sleep deprivation can serve as a catalyst for stronger mental issues; Trevor Reznik’s insomnia is the cause of his ultimate spiral into madness.
The Machinist is a film about Trevor Reznik, a young machinist in Los Angeleos, who due to a tragic incident he caused over a year ago, is subject to insomnia. In the beginning of the film, Reznik meet, a mysterious and charismatic man that works in the same factory with him. After a company accident that he caused that resulted in a close work friend losing an arm, Reznik becomes progressively more paranoid and obsessed with Ivan, due to the fact that no one he knows has any recollection of him. As the film goes on, Ivan becomes more menacing, and his insomnia-induced hallucinations get worse, Reznik finally comes to terms with his slight turn into insanity.
Insomnia takes such a major role in this film because it serves as the reasoning for Reznik’s odd behavior. Insomnia caused him many issues in the film. For example, Reznik, throughout the film was portrayed as an emaciated man. His bones popped out of every bit of his skin, something that becomes a point of focus for concern between his coworkers and his love interest, Stevie. However, while the exterior of his body was problematic, the film focuses on the aspect of his severe and extremely disturbing hallucinations. He suffered from mild hallucinations, such as putting a sticky note of a game of hangman on it. And while his other hallucinations and delusions can easily be considered a warning, his main hallucination was a man named Ivan. Ivan, who remains mysterious to both Reznik and the viewer, causes a lot of Reznik’s distress in the film because of the fact that he was tormenting him the entire film. Ivan was a charismatic figure that both frightened and fascinated Reznik.
While Ivan was originally something of a fascination to Reznik, he soon becomes such a menacing force that Reznik begins doing more harmful things to himself in order to prove to others he exists, and to himself that he is not crazy. Throughout the film, Reznik holds both strong fascination as well as a disgust for Ivan because of his lack of knowledge about him as well as the fact that no one around him seems to even know who he is. Ivan, who unbeknownst to Reznik is a figment of his hallucinations, manages to cause his physical pain, as well as test his mental health. Ivan continuously messed with Reznik’s head. For example, at the end of the film, Reznik follows Ivan’s car to his apartment, only to see him park and let out a young boy, who he then brings up to his apartment. Because of his delusions, Reznik believes that Ivan kills the boy, and as a result he kills Ivan. After a minor freak out, he wraps Ivan’s body up in carpet and tries to dispose of it in the local river. He throws the carpet over a ledge, and watches it unravel, but when it finishes unraveling, there is not body nor blood stains in the carpet. As soon as Reznik realizes this, Ivan stands behind him starting “I know who you are ”(The Machinist).
Reznik’s insomnia and severe sleep deprivation caused him to hallucinate so badly that it began wearing at his mental health and psychical ability. Between his body and his mind, his lack of sleep was his major downfall, and eventually leads to him lose everything that was important to him. His hallucination of Ivan stands as one of the major conflicts of the film, because he doesn’t comprehend the fact that he is the only one that sees him. At one point in the film, Ivan tells Reznik to follow him to a local bar. After stating that he believed that Reznik looked like a coke fiend, he states “Oh, no. You look like you seen a ghost” (The Machinist). Frequently did Ivan speak to Reznik in a mocking tone, which suggests that he might have known that he wasn’t real, but continued to toy with Reznik because he appeared to get a rise out of it. Ivan stood mainly as a reminded to Reznik of his past mistakes, which revolve around a hit and run that he caused a year before. At the end of the film, Reznik is seen chanting, “I know who you are… I know who you are… I know who you are” (The Machinist), just as Ivan said it before hand. Sleep deprivation is a major theme in this film, but the theme that sticks out the most is that of mental illness. Other than his insomnia, it can be argued that he could have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is frequently triggered by a tragic event, and the symptoms include the inability to tell the difference between reality and fiction, clouded judgment and reactions to particular situations, paranoia, and trouble sleeping. Reznik from the beginning of the film exhibits major similarities to the symptoms of the disorder. With the exception of Ivan, he suffers other severe hallucinations, such as his fridge dripping dark, blood looking liquids, and sticky notes on his refrigerator that taunt him about his past problems.
Reznik is also unable to handle to his emotions and maintain his relationships with loved ones and peers because of his hallucinations and delusions.
Another disorder that can be considered for Reznik is MPD, or Multiple Personalities Disorder, which might explain that Ivan is just a dissociated personality created by Reznik to cope with the insomnia. According to Steven Hirsh and Daniel Weinberger, separate personalities are created as a way to cope with a tragedy, sense of guilty, or abuse. However some, if another factor such of lack of sleep managed to stand out, the separate personality, or “alter” can cause the person suffering to see the alter as more of a distraction or menace. Sleep plays a major role in both of these disorders because while they are both individually difficult, lack of sleep can almost aggravate symptoms the point where they become unbearable to the person suffering. Reznik, as a result of his lack of sleep was subject to a trauma-induced disorder that progressively got worse because of the fact that he wasn’t
sleeping. Overall, Brad Anderson’s film The Machinist is a great example as to how lack of sleep can and could stand as a catalyst for both causing and influencing mental disorders. Fore example, Trevor Reznik, a deranged insomnia who works in a local factory, becomes susceptible of his disorder as a result of an all too real hallucination named Ivan. The film is a great example as to how sleep can assist in health, as well as cause mental and physical problems to develop and thrive. Sleep deprivation has an extreme affect of the mind and body because of the lack of energy that your body may have stored up. However, the biggest affect it might have on your body is the brain, and as shown in the film, sleep can cause problems so severe that it can affect relationships and lives, as well as taking a mind of its own and slowly destroying the mind of the person who isn’t getting enough sleep. Sleep is a powerful aspect of human nature and without it can easily destroy the minds of many. Trevor Reznik’s lack of sleep is the sole cause in his decent into madness in the film, and shows that sleep can be a major factor in how people’s minds develop and function.
CITATIONS
Hirsch, Steven R., and Daniel R. Weinberger. Schizophrenia. Oxford: Blackwell Science, 1995. Print.
The Machinist. Dir. Brad Anderson. Prod. Carlos Fernandez, Julio Fernandez, and Antonia Nava. By Scott Kosar. Perf. Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.