Oh frailty, thy name is woman!!

"This was playing on the vineyard. “Blue Moon.” I used to know the words. I knew the words. Now they’re all a jumble." 

Yes, life is all jumbled now for Jasmine. It was only few moments ago that she was basking in glory and now her life has fallen apart.  A socialite, who had nearly all the riches of the world, is now bankrupt and broke. Woody Allen sketches Jasmine’s life through back and forth narrative allowing audience to have a full view of her life. Blue Jasmine is Allen’s most audacious if not cruel portrayal of human frailty. Jasmine is what Blanche DuBois was to Tennessee Williams in The Street Car Named Desire. 

As Ginger (Jasmine’s younger sister (adopted)) puts it, ‘She is not just a broke but she is all screwed up’. If there is one thing in the movie that makes us like Jasmine is her evasive self. She is that one lucky woman whose dream of living a life of an upper class elitist comes true, but, here too, she has to forgo a lot. Allen succeeds in portraying the myriad shades of her frailty. Jasmine is that perfect portrayal of the hypocrisy that consumes Upper class society. She is that charming hostess at the party who has plenty of people around her to strike a conversation with but no one to speak her problems about. There is nothing that belongs to her, she pretends to have everything but has nothing apart from the temporary attention and material comforts. Her husband often reminds her how lucky she is. As Hal puts it ‘Is there anything you want that you don’t have?’ Jasmine is so fragile and consumed by the pretense of this upper class life that she can’t even question her husband’s extra-marital affairs. Every time Hal mutes her by making some excuse she has no option but to succumb to it. The scene in the hotel room where she believes Hal and asks him to make love to her later, is where she appears to be extremely fragile. 

Jasmine has wrapped pretense as a beautiful costume which she is just ready not let go of throughout the end. She is a weak character who fears fear to such an extent that she ends up ruining her life and those around her. When Hal discloses her that he plans to end their marriage, she turns an emotional wreck. Cate Blanchett does a fabulous job in portraying that touch of hysteria in Jasmine. Cate Blanchett drapes gloom so beautifully as if it belonged to her. The only person standing between Jasmine and her chance at happiness is Jasmine herself. It’s her emotional inability to accept and face the truth that makes her evasive. Even when life offered her a second chance to be happy, she ruined it again by playing her evasive best. 

Blue Jasmine is a masterpiece in its own way and worth watching for its dark humor, awesome character portrayals special mention to Sally Hawkins, Andrew Dice Clay, and Alec Baldwin.

To sum up in Jasmine’s own words ‘Anxiety, nightmares and a nervous breakdown, there's only so many traumas a person can withstand until they take to the streets and start screaming.’

Blue Jasmine is Woody Allen’s best tragedy so far.