To Die For Reflection
To Die For is a comedic drama about Suzanne Stone, a woman obsessed with the idea of being on TV. Suzanne's need to be on television seems at first to be an innocent childhood dream, but as she begins to convince her young lover Jimmy and his high school friends of her murderous plan, the viewer starts to consider she may be lying about her intentions. One can track Suzanne's obsession with fame until it climaxes in the murder of her husband. While the movie is comedic and intense, it leaves the viewer with some serious questions about the nature of fame and media. One key line that is repeated throughout the film is, "You're not really anybody in America unless you're on TV... 'cause what's the point of doing anything worthwhile if there's nobody watching? So when people are watching, it makes you a better person." This line helps the viewer understand Suzanne's motives, her sick desire to be seen, as she lives so passionately by her philosophy. However, this line was not the most interesting to me, what caught my attention as the viewer was Lydia's line at the end of the film, she says, "Suzanne used to say that you're not really anybody in America unless you're on TV... 'cause what's the point of doing anything worthwhile if there's nobody watching? So when people are watching, it makes you a better person. So if everybody was on TV all the time, everybody would be better people. But, if everybody was on TV all the time, there wouldn't be anybody left to watch, and that's where I get confused." Lydia's question is one of substance, as the audience may wonder why Suzanne was lead to do something so terrible when she knew the media would be watching. Not only was Suzanne's greed for fame a driving factor, but her obsession with TV did not allow her to see the reality of the situation. This is a particularly interesting point in this day and age when almost everyone has some sort of online presence, possibly robbing media and social media of integrity, as there is no longer anyone to watch out for dishonesty.
