A parable on the ambiguity of political narratives. Possibly an “un-biopic” of Hillary Rodham set in 1969 Alaska. Possibly a collective dream about a young woman with only the most abstract connection to the politician. Possibly both.
Set in Valdez on the Alaskan coast east of Anchorage, Addison Timlin portrays Hillary – perhaps a 21-year Hillary Rodham, perhaps just an ambitious young woman doing blue-collar work during her summer before entering law school. To dwell on which it actually is would miss the point of the film. The title of the movie refers to the path a moth takes during its life. From egg to larvae to pupa to adult, its trajectory is largely predetermined.
Each day after work as Hillary walks home, two men sitting in an uprooted tree near the water study her movements. Eventually, she introduces herself to Ryohei (TJ Kayama) and Mitsuru (Toshiji Takeshima). They discuss – or more accurately banter about – the cultural differences between Japan and the U.S. “You use language as a small sword,” Mitsuru tells her. The wordplay, the articulation of partially formed thoughts regarding politics, and about what Hillary sees in her life ahead all demonstrate how she is a work in process.
Fired from her job because she can’t keep up the pace required to gut salmon along a small assembly line, Hillary begins to spend more time with Ryohei, who finds her a fascinating enigma. He suggests a walk in the sun at midnight, which lends an air of the surreal to the proceedings. Daylight in the wee hours of the morning seems wholly incongruous, similar to the way Hillary is juxtaposed with her primal surroundings so far from home.
Later, Ryohei comments that Americans reveal their emotions, their thoughts more than do Japanese – for good or ill. Despite her self-assurance, he admonishes her that she doesn’t know what her life will be. He explains that her mind will change, maybe a thousand times. Although the politics of the day infuse the narrative – with references to Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon – it is Hillary’s ongoing attempt to look inside herself that propels the story forward.
A cold and calculating woman – despite outward cordiality – Hillary abruptly informs Ryohei that she is leaving for Chicago within the hour. It seems that her dabble into the lives of the working class is now complete. When asked what her last name is, she refuses to say. Clearly, the comment is directed as much at the audience as it is to Ryohei. Once again, it doesn’t really matter if her last name is Rodham or something else altogether.
Though set in Alaska, the filming actually took place in Western Canada. Nonetheless, the moving beauty of the mountains and raw wilderness in far North America are on full display. The decaying human artifacts, on the other hand, in the form of abandoned shipping boats hewn to the shoreline suggest better times in the past.
A film like this is hard to fit into a category and can be even harder for audiences to discern. Best just to let the philosophical musings leisurely impart their own thematic elements in due course.
Written by Zachary Cotler, and co-directed by Cotler and Magdalena Zyzak, “When I’m a Moth” presents an interesting glimpse into what might have been Hillary Clinton’s early and overarching search for power at the expense of all else. Although she appears to harbor a vague desire to help others, the journey is mostly about wrapping her head around the quest for high office that may also – if only incidentally – do anyone else any good. Hillary – whoever she may be – is in a stage of becoming, of transitioning from pupa to adult. Although the hypothetical, formative summer experience in 1969 remains a mystery or simply fiction, the moth this type of person ultimately grows into has been well-documented indeed.
Available on Digital Friday, August 27th
