Silence is Golden in “(500) Days of Summer”

“This is not a love story,” the narrator intones at the beginning of "(500) Days of Summer". It’s a good thing, as this film (mostly) bucks the Hollywood trend of relationship films. It’s no surprise that main character Tom doesn’t end up with Summer. Some may say that Tom is unhealthily obsessed with a girl who ends up not being interested in him. However, many people can also identify with the passionate, heartbroken man who pursues “the one” that gets away. Most of us have a story like that.

The real brilliance of the film was the way it portrayed Tom’s journey from man in love to man rejected. We all want to be loved, especially by someone as amazing, beautiful, and exciting as Summer is in the film. Joseph Gorden-Levitt does a great job portraying a Tom who is at times funny, sarcastic, and ironic as he navigates between the world that he wants and the world that is. The most poignant moment in the film comes when characters in the film are answering the question, “Do you believe in true love?” Each character has something to say based on their experience. Each character is honest. Tom sits there, unwilling (or perhaps unable) to say anything. He’s a broken, hurting man, and all his assumptions about love have been utterly shattered. His silence is pure genius, and speaks louder than any possible answer he could have given at that moment.

The film flounders at the end a bit with a predictable happy ending. However, the real meat of the film is the interplay between Tom and Summer and what happens when a dating couple isn’t ultimately on the same page. Most of us have been there, learned lessons of loss and heartache, and hopefully have learned a thing or two about this crazy game called love.