(Reviewed by JD Jung)
Splice of Life: A Memoir in 13 Film Genres is structured in essays, each representing a “splice” of writer and cinephile Charles Jensen’s life. Each story is interwoven with a particular film that he studies in its own context and how it relates to a certain event or period in his own life.
Jensen begins with growing up gay in a rural blue-collar town in Wisconsin, coming out as a college student in Minnesota and then living in various states as an adult. He starts out by analyzing and identifying with the movie “Mean Girls” and how girls will sell out their friends in order to climb the social ladder in high school.
His analysis of “Fatal Attraction” made me re-think the movie, as he considers Dan (played by Michael Douglas) as one of “the most exceptional assholes in cinema history.” In fact, he is cognizant of the prevalence of misogyny in film and society, while considering how film represents the thoughts of the time. Though he includes many film genres and time periods, I admit that I haven’t seen several of the movies analyzed in the book. However, one I am determined to rent, and watch is the 1943 film-noir Hitchcock thriller “Shadow of a Doubt”. His analysis is chilling.
I appreciate this original approach to the memoir genre and how Jensen writes with authenticity and a sense of vulnerability. This is particularly evident in his examination of his own relationships as an adult.
Splice of Life: A Memoir in 13 Film Genres masterfully blends personal anecdotes with cinematic analysis. Charles Jensen’s original approach makes this a compelling read for both cinephiles and those seeking a deeper understanding of life through the lens of film.
