By -
Arnav Sampigethaya
Source: IMDb
I never decided to rewatch The Social Network expecting it to become my new favourite film. It was just a film that I loved and I wanted to talk about it. But, as things stand, The Social Network is my new favourite movie. Let me try and explain why. I can't talk about The Social Network without talking about the writing, it's written by Aaron Sorkin, who in my humble opinion is the greatest screenwriter of modern times, and he does a phenomenal job. The dialogue is beautifully crafted, it's almost like poetry. Each syllable is perfectly planned to be there. To see evidence of this, look no further than the opening scene.
MARK
How do you distinguish yourself in a population of people who all got 1600 on their SAT’s?
ERICA
I didn’t know they take SAT’s in China.
MARK
They don’t. I wasn’t talking about China anymore, I was talking about me.
ERICA
You got 1600?
MARK
Yes. I could sing in an a Capella group, but I can’t sing.
ERICA
Does that mean you actually got nothing wrong?
MARK
I can row crew or invent a 25 dollar PC.
ERICA
Or you can get into a final club.
MARK
Or I can get into a final club.
ERICA
You know, from a woman’s perspective, sometimes not singing in an a Capella group is a good thing?
MARK
This is serious.
ERICA
On the other hand I do like guys who row crew.
MARK
(beat)
Well I can’t do that.
ERICA
I was kid--
MARK
Yes, it means I got nothing wrong on the test.
ERICA
Have you ever tried?
MARK
I’m trying right now.
ERICA
To row crew?
MARK
To get into a final club. To row crew? No. Are you, like -- whatever -- delusional?
ERICA
Maybe, but sometimes you say two things at once and I’m not sure which one I’m supposed to be aiming at.
MARK
But you’ve seen guys who row crew, right?
Notice how instead of having a linear dialogue structure, Sorkin mimics real life as he does not answer every question immediately and opens threads, closing them later in the conversation.
Without David Fincher's direction, Sorkin's screenplay would not have been highlighted the way it is. The way he directs this film is phenomenal. The pacing is perfect and the way it juxtaposes scene to scene is phenomenal. This one-two punch of screenwriting and direction is visible throughout the film. In the way it cuts from these hyper-energetic scenes to these two depositions happening constantly switching between thrilling biopic and intense legal drama. The structure of the film is unlike anything I've seen before and anything I've seen since. The writing in these deposition scenes could be classified as amongst the best in cinema history. To complement this beautiful craft are the actors. Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg in such a powerful performance that it went on to define his career and every role since. Andrew Garfield is the best actor in this film, giving the performance of his career. His role as Eduardo Saverin makes him such an empathetic and emotional supporting character that it's hard not to feel for the guy. Another great performance is that of Armie Hammer, who plays both the Winklevoss twins in this film. The way he portrays these angry jocks in such a nuanced way and differentiates between these two identical characters in subtle, yet important distinctions is a sight to behold. This film also features a really good performance from the famous pop artist, Justin Timberlake, which is surprising because usually, musicians don't translate well into the world of cinema. The cinematography in this film is excellent because of its ability to say so much without a single dialogue just by setting the scene for us. This is also helped by the incredible score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Sometimes just the score is enough to capture your attention. All thing considered, The Social Network is a flawless film in my eyes. This is because it manages all these incredible artistic feats while remaining incredibly entertaining. Although it strays away from reality quite often, I feel like this helps the film rather detracting from it cause it gives the film an emotional and logical through-line. Everybody should watch The Social Network at least once in their life because it is a cinematic experience you will not regret.
Out of ten, I'd give the Social Network 2.5 billion worldwide users.
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