Why FARGO Is My Favorite Film (Part 1)

Last updated on: May 24, 2017 at 11:15 am by Rebecca Florence Miller

Why FARGO Is My Favorite Film (Part 1) 2017-05-24T11:15:58-06:00 Rebecca Florence Miller

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Last week, prompted by a great question coming from the podcast Assumptions, I asked you what your favorite story is.

Today, I’d like to write about my favorite film story, the Coen brothers masterpiece Fargo (1996). There are plenty of things I love about the film. The performances are memorably done by some of the best character actors in the business. The soundtrack is sweeping and bleak. The atmospherics (bitter cold, icy landscape; snow drifting across the road; the shocking realism and short bursts of violence; the biting dark humor) do a great job of building an idiosyncratic but coherent world. And then there is my familiarity with this portion of the country. I used to live in both Minnesota and rural North Dakota, so the landscape is certainly one in which I spent time. I remember the endless blizzards, the subzero temperatures (it hurt to breathe outside), the bracing wind, the absence of trees. In the rural parts, in the winter there is nothing but endless snow, as far as the eye can see. It’s too cold to take your child outside to play. And the winter lasts about half the year.

But most of all, I recognize the people, in spirit. And that leads me to the first reason this is my favorite film:

The Contrast of the Simple Fool and the Simple Wise Person

One of the most common tropes in Coen brothers films is the contrast between two kinds of simple people–the fool who wrongly thinks himself wise, and the easily underestimated simple (but actually wise) person. The Midwest is full of both of these people. (And I’m sure other settings are as well.)

In Fargo, one of the central characters, Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), represents the first category.

Previous Post

May 16, 2017

Assumptions: A Podcast in Which an Atheist and a Christian Talk about Stories

Next Post

May 25, 2017 Why FARGO Is My Favorite Film (Part 2)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Charis Christian Witness Church Year Conversation Creativity Cultural Engagement Curiosity Current Events Film Jesus Lectionary Message Literature Lutheran Theology Politics Story Television Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 October 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz