Garden State isn’t just a regular movie. It’s an elaborate metaphor for life, and all of the characters/situations throughout represent different stages of our life. In this analysis, I am going to analyze the meaning behind some of the characters and events that take place in this excellent film (written and directed by Zach Braff).
We start off with Andrew Largeman (Braff) in a completely disillusioned part of his life. He is overly medicated for a problem that doesn’t even exist. He’s distant from his family, and he’s a stranger in his own life. He gets a phone call from his dad, with the news that his mother has drowned. Largeman immediately comes back to his hometown of the Garden State: New Jersey. What awaits Andrew is a journey of self discovery, through a woman he meets, and a reconnection with a friend.
When Andrew gets home, he is invited to a large party full of directionless youth. One of his old friends has made an invention: “Silent Velcro”, and sold the idea for a handsome profit. Andrew asks what he’s been doing with his life since then. To which he replies: “Nothing! I’m bored out of my mind!” These words, along with the party in general, are a message to society. Retirement is an illusion. As the old saying goes, if you’re not growing, you’re dying. Once you stop attempting to improve humanity, boredom sinks in. And if you happen to be bored, then you probably aren’t living a purposeful life. This can be remedied by finding your passion (however obscure it may be) and going after it, even if only during your spare time.
Serendipity, as is the case for many of these types of romantic dramedies, brings Andrew together with Sam, who is a very quirky and likable personality played by Natalie Portman. As a whole, she represents the vital energy that can be found in eccentricity. And I believe eccentricity to be an essential quality to a great life. Think about it: Everyone has their own little quirks and ticks that make them unique. Without these quirks, how would we be able to tell one person apart from the other? We wouldn’t. Sam is also adventurous, and not afraid to speak her mind. The main message of her character: Embrace your uniqueness. “Be yourself, because everybody else is already taken.”
My favorite scene in the movie is when Andrew, Sam, and Andrew’s friend Mark, embark on an epic expedition. Towards the end of this expedition, our crew arrives in a seemingly desolate place, and enters the home of a man who lives in a desolate and worn-down boat that is suspended in the air.
Anyone would be a little bit freaked out. However, as Andrew and Sam talk to the man and his wife, who live in the boat, they make an interesting discovery. The man was hired to protect a quarry. He spends his days, in Sam’s words, as a “Guardian of an Infinite Abyss”. The man, Albert, mentions that he feels his job to be important. He feels he is doing something unique, no matter how strange or obscure it might seem to other people. This is the spirit that people need to have today! Too many people are disillusioned with their lives, floating from place to place with no definite aim or purpose.
It turns out that the whole expedition was done for a purpose. Mark, who is Adam Largeman’s friend, gives Andrew a necklace that Adam’s mom used to wear. Oh, how we can never underestimate the power of a good friend!
The movie concludes on an inspirational note, and a call to action. By not going back to L.A, Adam goes against the tide. He has the presence of mind to realize that he’s in love; and love takes precedence over everything else. It takes a lot of courage to adjust your plans. Make sure you have the right ones, but don’t be afraid to change them up as you go. And when you feel down, just remember this: You can never predict tomorrow. There could be hardships, but there could also be salvation. Be brave, be bold, and be daring. What do you have to lose?
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