In the Company of Men

6 out of 7

In the Company of Men (1997) is a prime example of Foucauldian ethics played out in everyday life.

The film traces the actions of two business men on a 6-week project for their company who feel run-down and beat up in contemporary society. As a means of backlash (particularly against women, who they view as one of their chief enemies), the two devise a plan to “hurt somebody.” The plan consists of finding a slightly insecure woman to both pursue and then, when their time in Phoenix is up, break her heart. Their reasoning being – as it’s articulated early in the film – that no matter what happens to them in the future they can always look back and say that they were the victors in that situation.

The plan goes into motion when Chad (Aaron Eckhart) discovers a deaf girl, Christine (Stacy Edwards) working at the Phoenix office as a typist. He woos her with dinner and then dinner and drinks and so on. Simultaneously, Howard (Matt Malloy) begins to woo Christine as well. Now this once lonely girl has two men treating her like a princess and allowing her to feel feelings previously denied to her.

The plan begins to unravel when Howard actually falls for Christine, though Christine has already pledged her love to Chad, who Chad is not to be stopped and ultimately crushes the girl the night before he leaves to go back to his normal life. Howard, however, cannot get over Christine and becomes sick with the notion of what he and Chad have done to her, a feeling only enhanced when Chad reveals that he hadn’t had the love problems he claimed to have had (and which served as the impetus for the whole project). This revelation means that Howard had acted vulgar, while Chad – who had also acted vulgar – was able to return to a comfortable life with his girlfriend/lover. The film ends with Howard taking a red eye back to Phoenix, only to be turned down by Christine while he screams for her to listen to him (the irony of this is enhanced by the narrative point of view switching from objective to Christine’s, allowing the viewer to see Howard as Christine sees him – shouting, but unable to hear him).

The reason Michel Foucault plays so well into this film is because the whole premise is about a power relationship. Even the most meager reading of Foucault shows that human relation (within his philosophical framework) is a form of power relation. In this case, Christine has a need (intimacy) and she uses both Howard and Chad to fulfill that need. Howard, too, has a need (revenge, as well as intimacy) and he uses Christine to that end. But, it is in Chad that the greatest example of power relation is fleshed out, as his need is merely to always be in control. He even goes so far as to say “Never lose control, that’s the key” (http://www.imdb.com/). Chad’s character is exactly what Foucault wrote about, as well as a prime example of life in the Foucauldian schema.

If the viewer feels disgusted by the actions of Chad and Howard (and there are enough juxtaposed scenes of “love” between each and Christine and scenes of plotting to easily achieve that feeling), it is probably a response to a life without ethics – or, more fairly put, a life under Foucauldian ethics. The problem is that, within the film (that is to say, a viewing of the film where the viewer does not impose his/her own ethics), no one does anything wrong. If Christine gets hurt, it is only because she pursues her need to a point of punishment. Had she shown more self-control or, as Chad would advise, “never lost control,” then she wouldn’t have ended up crying on a hotel bed after being unable to articulate (both physically and emotionally) the pain caused by the ruse.

The film received its high rating for being able to stay consistent in its tone, even when pain was inevitable. It also brings to the viewer a thought of which is greater, love or power. The film, then magnificently, does not decide the answer, rather allowing the viewer to decide. If the viewer believes in love (and, thusly, that Chad is a dickhead), its not because the film has told the viewer to believe that, but more so that the viewer is seeing a reflection of his/her own personal ethics. The same is true if the viewer chooses power.

Stories can often carry with them a moral that is meant to be lived out. Aesop, C.S. Lewis and many others are prime examples of this. However, it is difficult and meaningful when a story can serve as a mirror by which the listener can better see himself/herself.