The Merged Identity Trope
An extremely rare but really cool plot device in which two characters merge their identities or in some cases lose their identify by eliminating their ego and becoming one with the concept of the infinite. By definition it is a positive resolution as whatever remains retains the essence of both characters in varied proportions and a synergy results.
And no, the merge in "The Fly" is an entirely different trope.
And no, the merge in "The Fly" is an entirely different trope.
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- DirectorWarren BeattyBuck HenryStarsWarren BeattyJames MasonJulie ChristieA Los Angeles Rams quarterback, accidentally taken away from his body by an overanxious angel before he was meant to die, returns to life in the body of a recently murdered millionaire.I'm just memorizing your face. I want to memorize everything about you so no matter what happens, I won't forget you.
You'd never forget me either, would you? I mean, that thing you said you saw in me. You said it was something in my eyes, remember? Well, if some day somebody came up to you, he might even be a football player, and he acted like he'd seen you before, you'd notice that same thing, wouldn't you? Or even if you thought you did, you'd give him a chance, wouldn't you? He might be a good guy. He could be anybody. He could even be a quarterback. - DirectorMark A.Z. DippéStarsRaviv UllmanLeah PipesSpencer RedfordA teen uses a holograph to create a pop star for his friend's band.The danger of AI was central to the plot of 2001 and Electric Dreams with HAL and Edgar. But in "Pixel Perfect" they go somewhere else, into the world of films like "Carnival of Souls" (1962) and "The Incredible Shrinking Man". Taking on the concepts of human alienation, loss of identity, and separation from society. The film's best song "Notice Me" goes to this theme. As it was for a shrinking Scott Carey ("The Incredible Shrinking Man"), for Loretta getting to the outside (getting to feel the rain) is symbolic of no longer being constrained by limitations.
The ending was a little too vague and pulls its punches. But what actually occurs is that Loretta gives up her identity to save Samantha. Loretta must subordinate herself to merge with and heal Samantha. The new Samantha appears unchanged but has taken on a lot of what was Loretta. The allegorical resolution is the realization that loss of identity is freedom, that you are not alone because you are a part of something bigger-and this is what Loretta discovers she wants more than anything else-despite being programmed to simply be a performer. - DirectorRobert StevensonStarsOrson WellesJoan FontaineMargaret O'BrienAfter a harsh childhood, orphan Jane Eyre is hired by Edward Rochester, the brooding lord of a mysterious manor house, to care for his young daughter.During the two friends' final conversation, Helen insists she is happy, because she will escape great suffering by dying young. Helen dies in Jane's arms, while the two girls sleep. Fifteen years later, Jane marks Helen's grave with a gray marble tablet labeled "Resurgam" (I shall live again).
The Jane Eyre - Helen Burns relationship ends during the night of Helen's death, with the gentle spirit of Helen passing to Jane and ultimately being the transformative force in her life. - DirectorJordan ScottStarsEva GreenJuno TempleMaría ValverdeA look at the lives and relationships among girls at an elite boarding school.Much like the Jane Eyre - Helen Burns relationship, but the transference happens before Fiamma's death.
Interestingly the climatic scene comes well before the end of the film. It is the scene where Diana is helping Fiamma put on makeup for their "Eve of St. Agnes" feast. The importance of the scene (and the reason they linger on Fiamma's eye contact) is that it is at this point that Fiamma's spirit becomes a part of Diana, something which symbolically happened when Fiamma gave her the bottle several scenes earlier.
Then when Fiamma dies Diana takes both bottle and spirit with her and leaves the school. - DirectorAlexander HallStarsRobert MontgomeryClaude RainsEvelyn KeyesBoxer Joe Pendleton dies 50 years too soon due to a heavenly mistake, and is given a new life as a millionaire playboy.Very consistent with "Heaven Can Wait" on this essential plot element.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIvana BaqueroAriadna GilSergi LópezIn the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world."A long time ago, in the underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a Princess who dreamed of the human world. She dreamed of blue skies, soft breeze, and sunshine. One day, eluding her keepers, the Princess escaped. Once outside, the brightness blinded her and erased every trace of the past from her memory. She forgot who she was and where she came from. Her body suffered cold, sickness, and pain. Eventually, she died. However, her father, the King, always knew that the Princess' soul would return, perhaps in another body, in another place, at another time. And he would wait for her, until he drew his last breath, until the world stopped turning..."
"Many, many years ago in a sad, faraway land, there was an enormous mountain made of rough, black stone. At sunset, on top of that mountain, a magic rose blossomed every night that made whoever plucked it immortal. But no one dared go near it because its thorns were full of poison. Men talked amongst themselves about their fear of death, and pain, but never about the promise of eternal life. And every day, the rose wilted, unable to bequeath its gift to anyone... forgotten and lost at the top of that cold, dark mountain, forever alone, until the end of time."
Ophelia and the Princess are a merged character and the film is about this sorting itself out as she seeks the rose..
The film is definitely another version of Alice In Wonderland, in an early scene Ophelia even dresses like Alice. They have the same virtues; curiosity, courage, kindness, intelligence, courtesy, humor, dignity, and a sense of justice. Both are "maternal" - Alice with the Duchess' baby, Ophelia with her baby brother.
"And it is said that the Princess returned to her father's kingdom. That she reigned there with justice and a kind heart for many centuries. That she was loved by her people. And that she left behind small traces of her time on Earth, visible only to those who know where to look." - DirectorJohn PasquinStarsTim AllenJudge ReinholdWendy CrewsonWhen a man inadvertently makes Santa fall off his roof on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.The contract clause requires that Scott Calvin replace Santa Claus and doing so means that he slowly takes on both the physical characteristics and the emotional attachments to Christmas that are associated with Santa. Although he retains much of his own identity.
- DirectorJack ArnoldStarsGrant WilliamsRandy StuartApril KentAfter Scott Carey begins to shrink because of exposure to a combination of radiation and insecticide, medical science is powerless to help him."These last three films are a sub genre of the trope, with the main character achieving freedom by losing their ego and merging with the infinite."
I was continuing to shrink, to become... what? The infinitesimal? What was I? Still a human being? Or was I the man of the future? If there were other bursts of radiation, other clouds drifting across seas and continents, would other beings follow me into this vast new world? So close - the infinitesimal and the infinite. But suddenly, I knew they were really the two ends of the same concept. The unbelievably small and the unbelievably vast eventually meet - like the closing of a gigantic circle. I looked up, as if somehow I would grasp the heavens. The universe, worlds beyond number, God's silver tapestry spread across the night. And in that moment, I knew the answer to the riddle of the infinite. I had thought in terms of man's own limited dimension. I had presumed upon nature. That existence begins and ends is man's conception, not nature's. And I felt my body dwindling, melting, becoming nothing. My fears melted away. And in their place came acceptance. All this vast majesty of creation, it had to mean something. And then I meant something, too. Yes, smaller than the smallest, I meant something, too. To God, there is no zero. I still exist! - DirectorLuc BessonStarsScarlett JohanssonMorgan FreemanChoi Min-sikA woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic."Humans consider themselves unique so they've rooted their whole theory of existence on their uniqueness. One is their unit of measure, but it's not. All social systems we've put into place are a mere sketch. One plus one equals two. That's all we've learned, but one plus one has never equaled two. There are, in fact, no numbers and no letters. We've codified our existence to bring it down to human size to make it comprehensible. We've created a scale so that we can forget its unfathomable scale."
- DirectorStephen ChboskyStarsLogan LermanEmma WatsonEzra MillerCharlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past."This is happening. I am here and I am looking at her. And she is so beautiful. I can see it. This one moment when you know you're not a sad story. You are alive, and you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you're listening to that song and that drive with the people you love most in this world. And in this moment I swear, we are infinite."
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsHarrison FordAnnette BeningMichael HaleyAfter being shot, a lawyer loses his memory and must relearn speech and mobility, but he has a loving family to support him.Henry before & after is two entirely different persons. It is an unusual example of the trope.