On Monday, I saw E.T for the first time at the public screening in Astoria Park. As any self-proclaimed film-buff would inform you, the movie's best aspect is how the film is shot four feet from the ground. It places us at the height of the children protagonists, seeing what they see: the jangling keys of the sinister authorities, and comfortingly, E.T at eye level.
Such a tactic was used in an episode of HBO's High Maintenance, where the story unfolds from a dog's perspective. Coincidentally, much of that episode takes place in Astoria Park. Through Gatsby's eyes, we watch his owner transplanting to Queens. The owner, to account for his neglect, hires a dog walker. She is an eccentric Australian who immediately gets down to Gatsby's level to embrace him. To counter, the owner is totally unlikable and his face is never seen.
This expressed character dichotomy seems exactly quoted from E.T.
Musing on this, I see greater overlap. While not a one-to-one analogy, both works circle themes of belonging; cravings for love, affection, and attention; and they follow similar story arcs, in a tessalated way:
+Gastby falls in love with his walker, and his spirit is re-invigorated. Elliott blooms similarly after taking in E.T.
+ Elliott and Gatsby take sharp declines when authorities interfere with their loved ones.
+As E.T must leave Elliott to return home, Gatsby abandons his owner, and gets taken in by gutter-punks, with whom he is truly free.
All in all both works left me with a shed tear and warmed heart. I'm not sure what to make of this overlap. At the minimum, I find it funny that Spielberg's family classic inspired High Maintenance, whose main character is a weed-dealer. The cynical New Yorkers who make up the show's cast and audience, may be deflated, to see their melancholy, intellectual TV show, reduced to a sentimental children's movie.
And that, I relish most.