Being Watched

The idea of being watched is tossed around in Cache, the way that we toss around our visions of the lives of others. Someone watching Georges and his family. Him turning an eye to Majid. The public watches Georges on TV, and we watch it all in the film. All the viewers are looking for answers it would seem, monitoring the evidence of captured for some better understanding as to what is going on within the captured scene. A question that the film begs, and which often eludes us is: Why do we watch? Why do we torture ourselves with bewildering views into other peoples complex universes? Georges may have found peace with himself had he not so easily absolved his past. His view into his past through nightmares and confrontations with Majid were shown to us (and presumably before his consciousness) far fewer times than repeated screenings of the front of his own house looking for answers.

In Stewart's "Ordinary Affects" we get almost voyeuristic snapshots into the lives of charming innocents. Stewart makes a convincing case for the legitimacy of this "qualitative research," the often unseen power of "ordinary" moments. The example of the motorcycling couple that gets into an accident, is used in both this and the reader on Qualitative Research. Stewart writes that the little accident will "shift people's life trajectories in some small way."

Watching Cache shifted my life trajectory, both by endowing me with an increased paranoia and by getting me to think and talk about the idea of being watched with other people, who in turn told me creepy voyeur stories from their lives, and that they've heard through friends. Also when I was at the video store (which I signed of for membership for the sole purpose of getting Cache for this class), I discovered a movie I'd always wanted to see, but never really thought about renting, but it was in the "Employee Picks Bargain Price" section. When I saw it there, I got it too and made my day double feature. Further altering my encounters of the day, and those I encounter with the recommendations to watch Cache (and The Day the Earth Caught Fire).