Now That I'm A Woman Everything Is Strange

I like to think of Whispering Pines as the story of a woman trying to remain sane in an ultra-capitalist, possibly dystopian society. I think the reading aligned with part of my vision. I see Cynthia as a woman who relies on New Age philosophy to survive in an oversaturated world. For one, her affinity for nature is clear in her decor, including noise. I can't remember if she used mantras in the video we watched, but apparently she does in others. New Age thinking prioritizes the supremacy of own's psyche, but she is lost in hers. In the video, she moves slowly through life, seeming to take every task at her own pace. Putting the puzzle together; going to the store; decorating her vase. Then, Cynthia attends a party. Her same sense of apathy is present here. Everything in her world seems to simply be a distraction from her void, whatever that may be.

As Beard mentions, one aspect of the film is to critique consumer products by "poking fun" at their "ridiculousness." In a larger context, she is a lost, depressed woman living in a commercial world. With nearly every product available, the seller wants to convey the idea of lifestyle improvement. Cynthia is surrounded by this but finds some sense of peace in the her own home. The color scheme and editing in the video also indicates an action-packed setting, indicative of a commercial.

Beard emphasizes my feelings on this piece in this statement: "Whispering Pines is a careful study in ontological disquiet, but Moulton's terminally doleful persona is also the stuff of great physical comedy -- exaggerated gestures, a gawky cadence -- and the boundaries between comic and tragic are left to dissolve and reconstitute themselves with increasing regularity."