Film The Train Driver: The Psychoanalysis behind the film

George Alvarez 18-10-2023
George Alvarez

We all know and feel that a physical and mental balance is necessary to cope with life itself. Lack of assistance and diving unprotected into the dark environments of the mind severely compromises our well-being. This is the case with film The Driver (0u The Worker ) A deep reflection on how to do this.

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Paranoia

The film The Train Driver tells the story of Trevor Reznik, a lonely worker who hasn't slept in a year Because of this, Trevor has acquired a cadaverous appearance, not to mention a weakened mind, and the protagonist becomes increasingly confused, anxious, disturbed, and paranoid.

This is evident in the relationship he has with his co-workers. After an incident in which Trevor caused a friend to lose his arm, he has come to believe in conspiracies. However, the signs he carries go on to hint at unresolved and even consciously ignored situations.

In order to justify his slip-up in the accident, Trevor mentions the story told by Ivan, but he discovers that none of it ever happened and that nobody knew Ivan, and he is seen as crazy by the other employees.

Crisis

At a certain point in The Train Driver, Trevor is invited by a waitress to go to an amusement park with her son. As he enters one of the rides, Trevor finds himself confronted with parts of his own reality. As the buildings are presented to him, the protagonist goes into agony. It is at this point that the waitress's son has an epileptic fit.

Reznik takes the boy on his lap in despair and says that he is not to blame for what has happened. All the emotional load he has now received has ultimately fueled the onset of a crisis, as well as its duration. Such representation is seen in a violent way, so that the individual loses control of himself Once again, we find fault subjectively.

The hallucinations that Trevor experienced during his stay in the toy were due to an untreated psychotic break. Given his condition, the problem was already in its acute phase, generating delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech. With this, he merged the previous episode with the boy's epileptic seizure, fomenting this whole experience.

Consequences

The traumas experienced by Trevor in the film The Train Driver grow exponentially. At no point does the character take the time to seek help and truly understand his life. There is an existential repression that ends up feeding his disturbed perspective of how things really are As a result, they are gaining strength:

Confusion

Throughout the feature, Reznik is plagued by visions that merge with the events of reality. Everything he experiences now clashes directly with the cracks in his past. In this way, he becomes unable to make a concrete judgment on life, as well as to cope with it. Moreover, he is seen as crazy by others.

Anxiety

One of Trevor's most haunting characteristics is his appearance, caused by a lack of sleep. Because of this, the character seeks ways to spend his time talking to the airport employee and a prostitute. In relation to the former, we notice that the clock always strikes the same hour, denouncing an unreality.

Guilt

Reznik spends much of the film repressing his condition and his past traumas. However, guilt over an accident cannot be erased easily. This becomes evident when he is in the park and the waitress's son goes into an epileptic state. One of his first reactions is to claim that he is not to blame for the episode .

Stages of the crisis

In the final moments of The Machinist we discover the truth surrounding Trevor's entire madness. The figure of Ivan and little Nicolas, the epileptic boy, take on vital roles in his psychic disorder. They are not there because one is dead and the other does not exist in physical form. With this we are able to elaborate on the stage of:

Denial

In the midst of a confrontation with Ivan, Trevor finally discovers that Nicolas is dead and it's his fault Reznik ran him over a year ago and tried to cushion the impact of the episode by forgetting about it, so that he could move on with his life, his mind took this event to a place where he would not have access to it.

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Intrusion

Although the mind reallocates traumatic events to the unconscious, it is not possible to hide them completely. The intrusion is configured as the return of these events to consciousness. As a result, Trevor began to have nightmares, visions, involuntary ideas, and other concerns. The experience was trying to return and be discussed at all costs.

Elaboration

Once Trevor understands his whole relationship with Ivan and what happened to Nicolas, he enters the elaboration phase. That is, he begins to integrate the events into his own psyche in order to work them through in a raw way. In this way, he could face the experience, restructure himself, relax, and finally sleep.

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Ivan

During the presentation of the film The Driver The mysterious character appeared spontaneously and randomly, helping to confuse the protagonist even more. However, Ivan's nature takes on a clearer role when we know his truth .

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Ivan is nothing more than the representation of guilt in Trevor. The argument between the two of them represents the conflict of his conscious part with his unconscious, fighting about what happened. As soon as we notice Ivan's murder and the attempt to hide it, we see that it was the guilt he did not want to see.

At the end of the film, we see Reznik wrapping the beheaded body of the figure in a rug, aiming to spawn it somewhere. As soon as he throws it down the ravine, he realizes that the character does not physically exist and was himself. Basically, the protagonist tried to rid himself of guilt, but his mind resisted, creating Ivan and causing his insomnia.

Final thoughts about the film The Train Driver

The film The Train Driver is a disturbing journey into how the mind can intervene in situations of great shaking Trevor's madness is a direct result of his inability to cope with responsibilities and the reality of his life. Because of this, he spirals into a spiral of suffering, delusions, and obscure, screaming truths.

It is worth mentioning that part of his torment is due to the fact that he did not seek psychological help at the time of the accident. Dealing with everything alone, Trevor ended up further weakening his broken and unstructured mind. Even if you are not going through a conflict of such magnitude, the reflection serves as a warning to those who are reluctant to receive medical attention.

In order to better understand the human mind and to better absorb the lyricism of works such as movie The Train Driver This educational tool aims at opening your mind to questions about behavioral catalysts, that is, with the help of qualified teachers and good didactic material, you understand human nature and get a new education.

George Alvarez

George Alvarez is a renowned psychoanalyst who has been practicing for over 20 years and is highly regarded in the field. He is a sought-after speaker and has conducted numerous workshops and training programs on psychoanalysis for professionals in the mental health industry. George is also an accomplished writer and has authored several books on psychoanalysis that have received critical acclaim. George Alvarez is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and expertise with others and has created a popular blog on Online Training Course in Psychoanalysis that is widely followed by mental health professionals and students around the world. His blog provides a comprehensive training course that covers all aspects of psychoanalysis, from theory to practical applications. George is passionate about helping others and is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of his clients and students.