Summary
Groundhog Day is an iconic film that has a classic rethinking of the time loop theme with deep philosophical overtones. Even though I had watched the movie several times before, I rewatched it a few days ago and found a lot to think about. The film builds parallels with the philosophers Plato and Aristotle, raising the eternal and topical themes of morality and the human meaning of being.
Plato and Aristotle
The concept of the Giga ring from Plato’s Republic is quite similar to the setting of Groundhog Day. Plato introduces an invisible ring to avoid responsibility, to test how moral principles can protect a person from immorality (Matt 00:00:30-00:03:00). Perhaps a major difference would be that the Platonic hero could use the ring as he wished. Both concepts reflect the idea that the immorality of human actions cannot go unnoticed and will have its consequences in the future. Phil’s suicide would prove that impunity would lead to the destruction of the soul and moral human identity.
Aristotle considered generosity, courage, friendliness and patience to be the highest standards of virtue. Phil really got better by the end of the film, abandoned the stereotypical attitudes, imbued with people, became patient and even began to correct his vices by immersing himself in art. The fact is that Phil is re-aware of his life, having fallen into forced conditions. According to Aristotle, a good deed must be the result of a person’s pure desire. Phil did get better, but he didn’t do it entirely of his own free will.
Sisyphus and Sartre
Undoubtedly, work on oneself can be called an act of creativity. However, it seems that Sisyphus and the creation of the Taj Mahal are more conscious acts than the work of Phil. In general, one can draw parallels if one considers working on oneself creatively, however, everything seems to work out for Phil without his personal decision to change. It is not easy to draw parallels with Groundhog Day and Sartre, because the film celebrates the celebration of life, while Sartre recognized its meaninglessness. It is difficult to say whether Sartre realized the value of being when Phil clearly began to appreciate life more. Nevertheless, the film can be called a demonstration of the idea of existentialism, where the hero simply lives for the sake of life itself, and not for a deeper meaning.
Work Cited
Matt. “Gyges Ring Movie.” YouTube, 2013, Web.