America was in a bad way in the 1970’s, and political dramas from the time reflected the malaise. While Network gets a lot of attention (and rightfully so, as a great film) in the genre, an underappreciated classic from the same milieu is Hal Ashby’s 1979 film Being There. In contrast to Network, with its brash calls to action (“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!”), Being There has a subtlety to its observations, and dare I say, might have aged better. I think we’re too fragmented as a society to all shout out from our windows in unison, after all. Spoilers below the fold!
To keep the synopsis brief: Chance is a simple intellectually challenged gardener working on a large estate in Washington, D.C., who sees the world outside through radio and television. When the estate’s owner dies, he’s sent out to the streets and struggles to adapt to life outside the garden. He then gets hit by the car of a wealthy man, and his old-fashioned clothes and mannerisms make him think he’s a down-on-his-luck businessman. His advice on tending for plants gets turned into advice on business, leading him to an audience with the president and mass reverence.
Imitation is a major theme; everything Chance does outside of gardening is miming what he sees on television, from catchphrases to passionate romance. But the bigger takeaway from Being There is that it’s about the seeing the things we want to see, even if said thing suggests otherwise. Ben wants to assume Chance is just a down-on-his-luck old businessman, Eve wants to assume he does love her in a capacity beyond imitation, and taken to its extreme with the President and TV audiences thinking they’re getting words of wisdom from his gardening koans. The question is if people are sincerely believing it, or on some level, want to be deluded. Ben might completely believe it, but you can see the doubt within Eve. Ultimately, she chooses to be with Chance, and gives into belief. There’s also an element of confirmation bias; such as by telling television reporters that he prefers television news over newspapers.