Why FARGO Is My Favorite Film (Part 2)

Last updated on: May 25, 2017 at 11:01 am by Rebecca Florence Miller

Why FARGO Is My Favorite Film (Part 2) 2017-05-24T11:26:15-06:00 Rebecca Florence Miller

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Frances McDormand and John Carroll Lynch in Fargo. Source: IMDB.com.

Yesterday, I wrote about the first reason the Coen brothers’ Fargo is my favorite film story. Today, I’ll share the last two reasons this film really connects with me.

A Realistic, Loving Marriage

The second reason I love this film is its depiction of what real-life fidelity looks like. Norm (John Carroll Lynch) and Margie Gunderson don’t have the most glamorous marriage in the world, but what they have is a deep commitment to one another. Early in the film, when Margie is woken up early in the morning to go investigate some the fallout from Lundegaard’s schemes, Norm insists on making her some eggs for breakfast before she goes. Norm isn’t flashy, but he’s devoted. Throughout the film, we keep finding him feeding her, making sure she gets enough to eat, a subtle sign of his protectiveness of her. And yet, he never once seems threatened by his wife’s prominent job. Norm himself is a mallard duck painter whose greatest ambition in life is to get one of his paintings on a postage stamp. Margie is as proud of him as a wife can be and takes time to encourage him in his work. When his ambitions don’t work out quite as he’d hoped, she is there with an uplifting word then too. Both seem to have a true respect for vocation and for supporting one another in vocation, be the work exciting or not.

I love that the film shows us scenes of Norm staring mindlessly at the television as Margie snuggles into bed beside him. I love that we see Norm staring off into space at the buffet with Margie. Nobody acts like anybody has fallen out of love, because they haven’t. The love of this couple is seen less in grand gestures or magnificent words and more in the daily repetitive actions of valuing one another. And when a city dweller makes an awkward pass at Margie, she rebuffs him in a face-saving but nonetheless clear fashion. Margie is faithful to Norm, and he to her. In a world where the latest plot turn of film and TV seems to always come back to adultery or chasing the rush of exciting feelings, it is good to know Norm and Margie are busy eating at the buffet and talking about mallards. It turns out what’s really original is fidelity.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention all the old Scandinavian couples I know who are so much like Norm and Margie. It’s not uncommon to meet people married fifty years or even sixty or more. Almost always, these folks show their devotion to one another through acts of service. The rush of young love may have quieted but the fidelity and deep love remain. These people are my heroes. Is such love glamorous? It is beautiful? Absolutely.

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May 24, 2017

Why FARGO Is My Favorite Film (Part 1)

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