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Major Themes
Love: The different facets of love are examined throughout the film. The love between a father and a son: David is left without a father at a young age and finds one in Dr. McCabe. The love between two friends: Brian and David. Finally, a sort of “true love” between Sofia and David; it is the feeling that one is meant for another. These three distinct relationships show the different dimensions love can take. Vanilla Sky makes a case that a person needs love to survive; one can receive this love from a parent, a friend, or a significant other.
Hate: Hate is evident at numerous times in the film. Julie’s hatred for Sofia and her ability to garner David’s affection; Brian’s hate of David for all that he has; David’s hate of Julie and of himself after the accident. After presenting these different instances of hate, Vanilla Sky goes on to show the effects of the hatred. The audience comes to realizations about the characters’ hatred; David’s hate for Julie won’t give him his old life back; Julie’s hate for Sofia drove her to take her own life; and Brian’s hatred of David nearly ruined a life-long friendship. Vanilla Sky shows the danger of harboring feelings of hatred within oneself and promotes addressing these feelings before they grow too strong.
Dreams: Perhaps the most important theme of Vanilla Sky, the entire film revolves on what is and is not a dream. David’s life becomes a dream that he can control. Despite having the ability to manifest his every desire, David’s dream turns into a nightmare. It appears that David’s subconscious rejects a world in which everything goes right and instead creates problems. This seems to suggest that no one should expect to live a life free from trouble, but should instead embrace these difficulties. This is what David, in the end, decides to do when he leaves his lucid dream and returns to reality at the end of the film.
Life: Vanilla Sky looks at what is important in life. David has seemingly everything that is required to be happy, yet he is not. The one thing that can make him happy, Sofa, he cannot have. David is constantly confronted in the film with the question of how he defines happiness. One quickly sees that David cannot be satisfied with his life until he answers this question. Vanilla Sky promotes the idea that one’s goal in life should be to find happiness. David is unable to find happiness in his wealth and good looks; he is unable to find happiness in a dream where his every desire is fulfilled. While he never does find it, the film ends with the notion that David is going in the right direction to achieve happiness. It is likely that more than a few viewers asked themselves how they defined happiness as well while watching the film.
Work: Responsibility and commitment – David lacks both these qualities, and it shows in the way he is running his company. The board of directors dislikes him and “secretly roots for him to fail” (Vanilla Sky, 2001). The film examines what it takes to be successful in one’s work. While at first it appears that David has an ideal career, one sees that his lack of effort at his job leaves him searching for meaning. Only after Sofia encourages him to stop “snowboarding through his life” does David find his passion; it leaves him feeling great and shows his coming of age in the film (Vanilla Sky, 2001).
Friendship: Two types of friendships are examined in Vanilla Sky. The first is between Brian and David; they’ve been friends for as long as either can remember. Brian and David serve to examine what happens when two friends allow something to get between them. Part of Sofia's role in the movie is to serve as the divider of Brian and David.
The second type of friendship examined in Vanilla Sky is that of David and Julie. David and Julie examine what can happen when the line between friends and lovers is blurred. This friendship looks at the differences in emotions and reactions that involve such a friendship.
These contrasting friendships show the different expectations and entanglements that arise when befriending a person of the same sex and one of the opposite. Both friendships are tried and tested, David and Brian’s lasts while Julie ends the other by committing suicide. This seems to suggest that maintaining a friendship with one of the same sex is easier than with the opposite.
Sex: Vanilla Sky asks the question of what sex really is. To Julie, it is a promise; to David, it is nothing more than a fun activity. Sofia appears to value sex the most; she will not easily give in to David’s passes. These juxtaposing views of sex collide head-on in Vanilla Sky and result in the pivotal twist to the film. At first glance, it appears this theme is left unresolved; but when reanalyzing the film a firm impression comes forth. Both David and Julie’s attitudes and practices of sex leave them feeling unsatisfied; only when changing his outlook to that of Sofia does David become content. Thus a case for sex as something to be shared between two people, not merely for the sake of having fun, but at a moment when both partners are mutually ready for the commitment, is promoted.
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