The Number 23 is a 2007 thriller directed by Joel Schumacher staring Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen. First off, the 2/3 very good reasons (see what I did there?) for which I chose this movie for the cinematographic column of the month are because of Jim Carrey’s role, for a depiction of the consequences of over-obsessing and obviously because the movie has the number 23 in it and, well, we are now in 2023. Therefore, a Happy New Year to all is in order by now.
Jim Carrey is known for his brilliant comic roles and for how expressive he is able to be, just think about his impressions for instance. Nevertheless, he is versatile actor and is also capable of doing much more serious roles (I will not even mention Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as I am fairly certain you all know it by now). What I did want to add however is that other than being expressive, he can transmit a wide range of emotions simply through his voice. In The Number 23 he does so by reading several passages, no face, no expressions, just a voice; the effects are chilling.
The movie portrays the main character finding an obscure book, a murder mystery novel in fact, that narrates about the obsession that is the number 23. To quote the book description itself:
“A heart-wrenching odyssey into paranoia. One of the most horrifying metamorphoses ever told. Beware the dog next door.”
The Number 23 however throws a curve ball and delivers a strange narration of how the book came to be written; it slowly unravels the life of the main character and in fact is a descent into madness. I would not call the plot necessarily obvious, but it is one of those stories that may not be appreciated by everyone; what is worth mentioning is that the music is usually on point in creating tension and also the transitions of the scenes are masterfully crafted (we are speaking about an experienced director after all).
One theme I would like to address for this brief article is the one of obsession. While the movie justly depicts the twisted nature that a simple initial curiosity is able to take, there is room to consider the contrary. I am a firm believer that a passion, even if it may it be lived overzealously, can push one towards something worth pursuing; obviously one should also be aware of not exaggerating and not becoming obsessed to an abnormal extent. The Number 23 explores exactly the consequences and depths of crossing that edge.
I would give this movie a solid 6 out of 10 “golden ratios”.