Exploring the theory that the opal in ‘Uncut Gems’ is actually magical

[SwordfishMining]

From Far out Magazie
Scott Campbell Wed 27 December 2023 6:00, UK
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/exploring- ... y-magical/

Offering yet another reminder that he’s an incredible actor when he puts his mind to it, Josh and Benny Safdie’s Uncut Gems saw Adam Sandler in phenomenal form as jeweller and gambler Howard Ratner in what’s comfortably the best dramatic performance of his career.

On initial viewing, the street-level crime thriller seems to exist and unfold in the most tangible form of reality, but there’s a growing belief that it might have a lot more in common with previous Sandler vehicles, Click and Bedtime Stories, as a fantasy movie in disguise. It sounds fanciful at first glance, but there’s nonetheless evidence to suggest that the opal at the centre of the story really does have magical powers.

When Kevin Garnett first signals his interest in the stone, he and Howard have an intense conversation that sees the latter describe it as “old school Middle-earth ****”. Innocuous enough, but parallels can be drawn between the effect the opal has on both characters and the “dragon sickness” experienced by Thorin Oakenshield in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, which all stems from his obsession over one precious stone above all others.

Garnett doesn’t need any convincing that it’s much more than just an expensive trinket, leaving him completely and utterly convinced that having it in his possession will increase his already elite-level ability on the basketball court. Once he does get his hands on it, that’s precisely what happens.

Of course, it could simply be a placebo effect, albeit a very serious and effective one, considering things go awry for Garnett on the court once Howard has it back in his possession. After making the purchase permanent, though, the lines between whether or not the opal has genuine otherworldly abilities become blurred by design.

In a post-match interview, Garnett credits his victory to being “just me and the rock, nothing else,” which has two meanings. In slang terms, “the rock” is the basketball itself, with many presumably assuming he’s talking about his mastery of the sport. On the other hand, it could just as easily be intimated that he’s talking about the rock he got from Howard, with the superstar athlete effectively telling the world that he’s at the top of his game on account of a magic stone.

There’s also the distinct possibility that in addition to being magical, it’s also cursed. After all, a collapsing mineshaft leads to its discovery, and Howard ends up meeting a gruesome fate, having held onto it for longer than anyone else. Uncut Gems is set in 2012, but despite being named as an NBA All-Star in 14 consecutive years between 1997 and 2011, Garnett only made the cut once more before his retirement in 2016. That’s bleeding the lines between reality and fiction, sure, but it’s curious nonetheless.

The opening and closing sequences of the film incorporating the cosmic wonder of the opal’s interior while taking place at two distinctly different times – and ends – of Howard’s existence adds another layer of mysticism onto its status in Uncut Gems, with the Safdies relying on the audience’s own personal interpretation of those two moments to decide.

That internal cosmic wonder is the first and last thing the viewer sees, bookending both its physical and metaphysical importance to the narrative and the consequences it causes for Howard. It’s not been confirmed that the opal is really a magical stone, but that doesn’t mean it’s something that can’t be unequivocally denied.


Uncut Gems Trailer
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTfJp2Ts9X8[/youtube]