Further endorsement of the idea that Vanilla Sky is really Brian Shelby's film, and not David's, can be found in another of Cameron Crowe's own interpretations: that Vanilla Sky is actually the book Brian is writing during the film. Vanilla Sky is Brian's story of "the sour and the sweet", a tale of a man who has it all being taught life lessons he's never had to learn before (but which the author knows about all too well). In this scenario, then, it's not Cameron Crowe the auteur dictating how events play out, but Brian, the author reacting to what he sees by inventing a fantasy in which his friend (David) doesn't get everything he wants for a change. This could explain why David has the character arc that he does Brian is clearly jealous of David, and by writing David into a nightmare, Brian gets to have his revenge on someone he so envies. In this scenario, what in the film is reality and what is fantasy remains debatable. Could it be that the scenes at the party - during which Brian gets embarrassingly drunk, while David coolly bags the girl of Brian's dreams - is real, and that the film after that is part of Brian's novel, where David becomes the embarrassing drunk and Brian is the calm, responsible one? Or could it be that the entire film is fictitious, but filled with autobiographical elements (like the party scene) by the author? Whatever is and isn't real, one thing is certain: the Vanilla Sky novel allows Brian to both take his frustration out on and live vicariously as David, the friend he often wishes he could be.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
