Paper Heart

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      I have chosen Paper Heart for my second cultural artifact blog post. Although the quirky 2009 film has the look and many intentional implications for being a documentary (visible cameras, etc.), the film is actually a fictional story about the making of a documentary. This film was directed by Nicholas Jasenovec and stars Charlene Yi and Micheal Cera.
     The premise of this film is that Charlene Yi is traveling around the country to either prove or disprove the existence of romantic love, as she does not believe in it. In so doing, she meets Micheal Cera and the two begin to develop a relationship. The film is lighthearted and fun the whole way through.
      This artifact comments on everyday occurrences within the context of relationships--from the first meeting, to the development of friendship. In this case, the relationship is presented in a realistic, down to earth way. This film emphasizes the importance of community and friendship, as well as imagination. When taking a further look into this film, I am left wondering why the word 'love' is only used (with one exception) in the generic and romantic sense. The fact that believing in love, or not, depended on researching and interviews the romantic love shared between two people, and not another ultimate example of love did not leave much room for faith. The one time a different 'type' of love is explored is in one scene that takes place in a biker bar, where the bikers discuss the role of love in friendship. Overall, it was a look at the developing romantic relationship between (as fictional versions of themselves) Micheal and Charlene as well as young and old couples 'interviewed' throughout.
     One way that this romantic comedy broke the cookie-cutter mold of the genre is that there is no personal catastrophe. No one is a damsel in need of being 'saved' by love, and no one had to give up something for the sake of monogamy. Rather, it is a story of two equals spending time together and (slowly) learning to love each other. While I do believe that expressing love without an example of ultimate love through Christ is, ultimately, missing the point, this is a more honest look at human interaction than has been presented in past films of its type.


 1. Why does our society idolize dysfunctional relationships in films?
 2. Why do people treat each other differently when they know they are being watched? Is this a positive thing?

Paper Heart directed by Nicholas Jasenovec (Lakeshore, 2009), DVD