THE NEW AGE

US, 1994, 112 minutes, Colour.
Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Patrick Bachau, Adam West, Samuel L. Jackson, Audra Lindley.
Directed by Michael Tolkin.

The New Age is a satire of the 1990s, American suburban and middle class style. It was directed by Michael Tolkin who wrote Robert Altman’s The Player and wrote and directed the religious satire, The Rapture.

Peter Weller and Judy Davis, who appeared as husband and wife in David Cronenberg’s version of William Burroughs’ The Naked Lunch, are again husband and wife. He is a smooth-talking agent. She is also working. However, on the same day, they decide to quit their jobs.

What follows is a poking fun at this kind of husband and wife trying to be employed. However, they get caught up with a number of people who are into new age behaviour. They try out some of these methods, their eventually deciding that they will separate but live in the same house. In fact, this seems to foster their love for each other, while allowing them other relationships. They also advised to start a boutique shop which has some momentary success but fails. They each try for other work, he going to a course on a phone advertising job (where there is a cameo by Samuel L. Jackson).

The issue of suicide arises, especially when one of their friends, terminally ill, has a ritual for assisted suicide. The husband tries, but his wife manipulates his pills and he survives.

While the film may be very interesting for an American audience, its style seems somewhat dated, still in the nineties, even though the issues are still relevant.

1. The impact of the film in the 1990s? Its issues, style, characters? Los Angeles, California, new age movements and the influence?

2. The Los Angeles setting, amongst the affluent, amongst the trendy? Corporations, advertising? Business and trains? Boutiques and clientele? The musical score?

3. The title, new age movements in the 20th century, by the end of the century, later? For personal development? Meditation and clam? Alternate therapies? Assisted suicide…?

4. Peter and Katherine, the years of marriage, the relationship, lifestyle, affluent, shopping, spoilt, self-centered?

5. Peter, his work in advertising, his presumptions about his talent, the clash with the bosses, his resignation, out of work, having to look for more work? His relationships, infidelities? His telling Katherine? Her coming in from shopping? Her own resignation from her work?

6. Peter and Katherine and the many friends, going to parties, drinking, chatter, relationships? Jean Levy and his associates, meditation and new age? The influence on Peter and Katherine? The going to listen to him, the lectures from the bald woman, the various practices? Other gurus and movements? Interesting for American audiences, somewhat esoteric for others?

7. Their being persuaded to buy the shop, a boutique, setting it up, staffing the shop, the first customers, the expensive shawl, the shrinking customers, the sales, asking people to buy? Their lack of success?

8. Lyle and Laura, their friendship, the scenes with them, the assisted suicide, Lyle at Laura’s side, swallowing the pills, death? The influence on Peter, his thinking about suicide, his attempt, the pills, Katherine and substituting them?

9. The decision to live apart and the same house, independence, relationships? It fostering their love for each other? The highlighting the eccentricities of their personalities, Peter and his ego, Katherine and her moodiness?

10. Their respective new partners, sexual relationships, support, within the house? The comic interactions?

11. With Peter and Katherine on the outer, their lack of success, friends ignoring them, not inviting them to parties?

12. Peter, his going to the training session, Samuel L. Jackson and his spiel, Peter accepting the job, reluctance, on the phones, his persistence, the lady winning the holiday, his persuading her, her listening and her response, final decision to wait for her husband? Depressing for Peter?

13. His surviving the suicide attempt, going to back to work, intense? Katherine and her support?

14. The film in its time and its parody and satire, how relevant later?