The Rum Diary - Finding oneself

     It is interesting to see how our physical location is so intrinsically bounded to where we are emotionally as well. In "The Rum Diary", we see how our main character Paul goes through an emotional journey that is in great part guided by his travels and the people he encounters throughout them. One of my favorite parts about this movie was being able to see how Puerto Rico may have looked like during the 1950's. I saw the movie with my Dad, who confirmed that most of the representations of the movie were right on point, as they made it look very similar to how life was like back then.

     One of the aspects that the movie clearly emphasizes is the uneven distribution of wealth that was taking place on the island during this time, as we can appreciate a vast majority of poverty while only a few ones enjoyed prosperity. Being a reporter interested in real and substantial stories, Paul intends to write (on the island's only "gringo" newspaper) about the poverty in San Juan. However, his editor immediately prevents him from doing so, as this would negatively affect tourism on the island.

     This automatically makes me think about perspective, and how it is so heavily influenced by the opinions of those surrounding us. It also makes me reflect on the fact that if back then such a relatively small newspaper in a tiny island was able to manipulate the public's opinion for their advantage, then just imagine how much today's mass media contaminates our views on any given subject all the time! Creepy, huh?

     When Sanderson meets Paul, he attempts to win him over by impressing him with expensive goods and offer him seemingly promising opportunities. In a way, him and his colleagues make him feel accepted, ingroup. I think this makes him seriously consider partnering up with them, but both his attraction for Chenault and Sala's trusted advice constantly serve as an inner voice that makes him keep a centered mind. Exposing himself to so many different people from various cultures and places is what mostly gets Paul to learn, grow, and explore his inner journey. So much so, that eventually he ends up finding his inner voice, and fulfilling his dreams of becoming a writer.