Last night, I went to see this new documentary, Unknown White Male. It's the story of Doug, who wakes up on a subway train in Coney Island, not remembering who he is or why he is there. The film then unfolds as to how he finds out the identity of his past and reconnects with his family and friends. More so though, the movie becomes about how he has to create a brand new identity, given that he has no memory of the man he was before. Though at times a bit long and unfocused, the film poses an interesting question: How strongly do the people in our lives shape the person we become?

At one point in the film, Doug is shown a home movie of himself and some friends from years ago. He watches with amazement, eyes wide and in shock, as the man he sees there is unrecognizable to the man he now barely knows himself to be. He speaks of how he does not relate to the old him, nor to the friends that he sees on screen, two of which happen to be in the room. It is sad to see him so scared about having lost all connection to a life he once had and cnnot understand. There is another poignant moment where an old female friend of his gives him a hug and then breaks down in his arms, crying. He stands there holding her with a lack of direct emotion on his face. He calmly takes her hand and walks her across the street back home. But one can see that he does this not out of love, but out of compassion for this woman who is saddened by the loss of her friend.

The film's poignancy is dualistic, because it not only shares this one man's story, but also asks the viewer to examine what makes he or she the person in the mirror. I was left wondering about how much my relationships make up the person that I am, and that if I was wiped out and made a blank slate, who I would be. Would I relate to everyone that I do in my life today, or have I just taught myself to relate to certain people based off of experiences we have shared or preconceived notions I have been given about that person? I know that my parents have had an obvious effect on the man I am today. And my siblings too. But I think it would be kinda cool to break a personality down into the origins of all its parts. Connect the dots and see what it was that caused me to love Madonna so much.

I certainly would not want to ever get amnesia. The entire prospect seems frightning. But I do wonder, if given the chance, what aspects of my life now would I not choose to further infuse. And in cases of gay men or women who have gotten amnesia, have they still been attracted to people of the same sex, thus proving that it is certainly no choice created by societal factors. Anyone ever hear of such a case?

I kinda think the question of what forms the person we have become is entirely fascinating.

What about it?