"Wrecked" is a story about an ill-fated relationship that takes place in a somewhat decadent background. Shumanski's film, however, cannot be fully understood if one forgets Jacques Lacan's notion of jouissance.
Jouissance can be translated as joy. And according to Lacanian theory, joy is not the same as pleasure. Pleasure is a discharge of tension while joy is the building up of a tension. Joy is also the painful pleasure; joy presupposes an eventual and belated pleasure, but quite often it remains as joy and thus blockades the real possibility of pleasure.
Ryan is a young boy struggling to become a theater actor. Daniel is Ryan's ex-boyfriend who one day shows up in his apartment and reinserts himself into Ryan's life. It's made clear for the viewers that this relationship will end up badly. Unbeknownst to the viewer, though, is how badly it could actually end.
Narrative strategy relies upon addiction and its effects on people. One could say that Ryan becomes too dependent on Daniel's presence. But what is undoubtedly a fact is that Daniel is a drug addict that will eventually bring down Ryan.
In the past drug addiction was seen as perfidious attack on morality and the parental authority. It wasn't long before drug addiction was considered a disease, and as a disease it had to be treated in a most clinical way (rehabilitation clinics, pills, etc.). Lacan, however, adds an extra layer by defining drug addiction as yet another manifestation of the jouissance. One of the typical characteristics of joy is that the individual is rarely aware of it, most of the time the individual is trapped in some sort of vicious circle of joy. The woman who is constantly beaten up by his husband is, in fact, enjoying it, id est, she is suffering, she is building up tension, she is expecting a reward after experiencing all this pain, her commitment with the violent situation is so strong that she can't simply step out of it. The same happens with drugs. Drugs can be seen as joy but never pleasure; the risks of an overdose usually don't scare drug users, one might say that this risk only entices them.
Much can be said about the differences between joy and pleasure. Nonetheless "Wrecked" has been clearly inscribed into a Lacanian narrative of jouissance. And as such, it's no surprise to observe the inevitability of a dreadful outcome.
Jouissance can be translated as joy. And according to Lacanian theory, joy is not the same as pleasure. Pleasure is a discharge of tension while joy is the building up of a tension. Joy is also the painful pleasure; joy presupposes an eventual and belated pleasure, but quite often it remains as joy and thus blockades the real possibility of pleasure.
Ryan is a young boy struggling to become a theater actor. Daniel is Ryan's ex-boyfriend who one day shows up in his apartment and reinserts himself into Ryan's life. It's made clear for the viewers that this relationship will end up badly. Unbeknownst to the viewer, though, is how badly it could actually end.
Narrative strategy relies upon addiction and its effects on people. One could say that Ryan becomes too dependent on Daniel's presence. But what is undoubtedly a fact is that Daniel is a drug addict that will eventually bring down Ryan.
In the past drug addiction was seen as perfidious attack on morality and the parental authority. It wasn't long before drug addiction was considered a disease, and as a disease it had to be treated in a most clinical way (rehabilitation clinics, pills, etc.). Lacan, however, adds an extra layer by defining drug addiction as yet another manifestation of the jouissance. One of the typical characteristics of joy is that the individual is rarely aware of it, most of the time the individual is trapped in some sort of vicious circle of joy. The woman who is constantly beaten up by his husband is, in fact, enjoying it, id est, she is suffering, she is building up tension, she is expecting a reward after experiencing all this pain, her commitment with the violent situation is so strong that she can't simply step out of it. The same happens with drugs. Drugs can be seen as joy but never pleasure; the risks of an overdose usually don't scare drug users, one might say that this risk only entices them.
Much can be said about the differences between joy and pleasure. Nonetheless "Wrecked" has been clearly inscribed into a Lacanian narrative of jouissance. And as such, it's no surprise to observe the inevitability of a dreadful outcome.