"What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?" Introspective, intelligent, and more than a little bit self-pitying. Love it or hate it, that's the perfect way to describe Rob Gordon, High Fidelity's main character. Throughout the film, he is consumed by his obsession with three things: music, the women in his life who have abandoned him, and his own misery. This line isn't just eloquent and pseudo-poignant, it's also a perfect window into the world that this character inhabits.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
