Rango & Self Definition

Synopsis

Gore Verbinski’s Rango is about a pet chameleon, Rango, who, on a road trip, gets separated from his family. Rango finds a town devastated by a drought; this leads to him finding lying and acting as if he’s a huge outlaw. He soon becomes the sheriff; this practically leads to his self defining for himself. His lies and deception become true, and he is finding himself throughout the process.

Self Definition

Rango starts off in the film as an “actor” with no script, no journey, no definition. His friends are, in reality, inanimate objects, and he’s all alone. In this loneliness, he’s left to find himself and define what it means to be him – to no longer just be acting, but to live.

Rango, given the title of sheriff in this town deprived of hope, can now feel that he has purpose. He is giving the people of the town hope, while also gaining purpose within his life. He slowly defines himself as a hero, as a person who gives the people hope, as an icon.

However, when Rango gets caught in his lies and deception, he loses all of his confidence and is no longer that character. But this character Rango created had no longer felt like a character to himself,  feeling as if this was him now. He believes that it’s his duty to bring hope and keep the hope for the people, truly finding himself throughout this seemingly once in a lifetime experience.

Rango, Himself

Rango, himself as a person, relates to a lot of people in real life when it comes to finding ourselves in our teen years to early adulthood. The beauty of Rango is truly seen through the eyes of us when we look back at the film years after our first watch. Most people feel lost within these years of finding themselves and relating to others can be so helpful when it comes to our reassurance that we aren’t alone. Rango might not be the best film, but I love it for its beautiful storytelling of finding ourselves throughout life.

Rating: 8/10