Matthew McConaughey & Lincoln 5
The Philosopher’s Gaze
Let’s bring this strange little series to an end. As I was looking up the video for the last one, I found that there are even more. This next one I’ve never seen until now, so it is something of a reaction post here.
And, honestly, it is a fitting end for the adventure of this philosopher on wheels.
Again, where is he? He is somewhere, running as a one man stampede out there in a forest. We see me ripping through some trail, his triceps clearly defined and visible through his long sleeve shirt (for some). There is a point where he seems to really “turn it on” and gives it a final surge of energy before coming to a stop. Rounding the corner, what is there waiting for him?
His car.
The music is the same Interstellar-y vibe from before. He starts the car but hears the birds around him singing in the tick of the forest. He ponders briefly out the window. We see him next gently applying the philosopher’s ultimate technique: the gaze.
He appears in some kind of camp-style, outdoor theater sitting in the low benches looking up. His work was completed, and now he is resting. There, in this posture, he is taking in the world around him. He is seeing.
Reminiscent of his session in the restaurant in the rain, here he has a lighter air around him. The metaphor of the rain isn’t heavy on his mind. He is only participating in the turning of things as an observer. This is rest after pursuit. His face is calm and unstressed. He notices the sunlight through the trees, a moment not unfamiliar to many. It’s the pleasure of noticing things that capstones the adventure, a simply and graceful end to the labor of thinking and being actually-ridiculously cool.
More soon,
Trevor