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The Sympathizeris studded with repeating images.
But sometimes the mask falls and the syllabus reveals itself.
The signifier collapses onto the signified.
On the surface,The Sympathizeris a mix of spy story and picaresque.
Theres a distinct sense of doom before you even know why.
All that intensive attention to the physical world is crucial in making palatable the heady abstractions underneath.
There are metaphorical mirrors everywhere, andThe Sympathizeris unabashedly direct about calling out their deeper meanings.
But Robert Downey Jr. just cant fade into an indistinct, interchangeable white dude.
He is always, stubbornly, Robert Downey Jr. sometimes with hair, sometimes in a kimono.
As it is, his appearances muddle the apparent goal.
Robert Downey Jr. showing up over and over in roles designed to be largely interchangeable contradicts that aim.
Theyre the result of someone making a choice.
Its rare an essay prompt feels this fun.
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