In white noise (2022) prof. Jack Gladney (Adam Driver) finds himself in a similar existential void. To cope he dresses up in extravagant outfits and performs for diegetic and non-diegetic cameras. This helps dealing with the everyday mundaneness, but leaves him completely defenseless against other struggles, like a crumbling relationship to his wife and children or death itself. Here one needs more and more complex coping systems. There are two notable scenes where the audience can observe these new systems, one right before the films main catastrophe (a highly toxic cloud in the sky caused by a car crash where different chemicals imploded) and one during it.

In the first scene, the accident has already happened and the media as well as Jack Gladney´s children are aware of it. In a dinner scene the children discuss possible dangers of this toxic cloud moving towards them, for example them having to evacuate their house and town. Jack repeatedly, even while looking out of the window and directly observing the cloud, tells them that there is nothing to worry about because „the wind doesn´t move towards them“. They get interrupted by an official statement saying that everyone in their town needs to evacuate immediately. The children and Jacks wife (Greta Gerwig) get up quickly to pack up their things and leave the house, while Jack keeps sitting at the dinner table saying that he wants to finish his meal first. This scene is accompanied by witty dialogue and Jacks clearly comedic behaviour and percieved lack of awareness for the danger he is putting himself and his family in. They get outside and see that everyone has already left, starting their car they take off, hitting a mailbox in the process. The camera pans up revealing a dozen mailboxes, at each house in their neighbourhood being broken, presumably by other people also crashing into them with their cars. All this pointe really needs is a laugh track to round it off. The sitcom inspiration is clear here.

The second scene takes place after the main characters have found a rescue center to stay at. They are told once again that they are going to have to leave the facility because the toxic cloud is approaching. Instead of taking the crowded main street to the next rescue station, Jack decides to follow another car that is also leaving. This leads them right into the woods, the car gets hit by multiple branches and gets stuck in the mud a few times attempting to follow the other car. Finally they take the wrong turn and, after a scene where we see the car flying off a small cliff and all the characters inside screaming, end up in a lake. Under his sons directions, Jack stops the engine and the audience gets to see the car slowly turning in silence until they can go back up to the shore. I immediately had to think of the Miley Cyrus episode of Black Mirror (If you know, you know), which is when it clicked for me why this scene seemed so strange. It feels like an early 2000s live action disney channel film à la Radio Rebel.

What these scenes show are ways of coping that might be best described as „main character syndrome“. When you get confronted with a situation that seems otherworldly, it makes sense to add another level of distance between yourself and your surroundings. You aren’t a father suddenly having to deal with your family and your entire livelihood being at stake, you are actually the ironic main character with a line delivery that is worthy of being played off by the Seinfeld bass riff. Isn’t this in some way a form of religion-esque escapism? A way of eleviating stress by giving up the responsibility of your life to the imaginary showrunners of your scene, sounds a lot like believing in a higher power that will bring you towards your fate.

This feel-good escapism is perfectly summarized by the ending as it is described in the script:

EXT. SUPERMARKET PARKING LOT

We start wide, high and as the Gladney’s station wagon pulls into an outlined space, we start to head down - -

Jack (V.O.)

I feel sad for us and the queer part we play in our own disasters.

As the family exits the car, we pick up with them and follow them.

Jack (V.O.)

But out of some persistent sense of large scale-ruin, we keep inventing hope.

INT. SUPERMARKET

The Gladney’s walk through the sliding doors.

Jack (V.O.)

And this is where we wait, together.

A shopping dance has developed througout the store. The dance is exuberant.

Joyous music accompanies them.

The credits roll as the shoppers dance.

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