Becoming UnCaged: The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent

Watching Nic Cage in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent can show us a little of how our brains act when we're not fully aware of their strategies

“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” was recommended to me recently. I’m not a massive Nic Cage fan, but I trust my sources, so I gave it a go, and I was not disappointed.

The film was a fascinating take on the blurred lines between identity and reality. Without issuing any spoilers, Cage plays Cage, and gets caught up in a situation that is like a plot from a Cage movie, and taps into his inner Cage to uncage his Cage….

All of this is of course great fun, but for me the clincher in this movie was the introduction of Nicky - Cage’s younger self, in a series of hallucinations / inner critic moments.

This is the part that we need to think about, if we are to take something truly worthwhile from the movie.

Nicky LOVES Cage with all his being. He is rooting for him. He is passionate about his success. He DOES NOT WANT him to fail. But he is basing this on previous scenarios and successes.

It’s actually very like our own brains. We each have Nicky factor - it’s our brain’s core mission to keep us safe. Everything Nicky does in the movie is an attempt - however misguided - to keep Cage safe from emotional or physical risk.

We can see that even though Cage might logically disagree with Nicky, when the chips are down, it’s often Nicky who drives the actions, reactions and interactions.

So here’s the question for the brain-curious.

Is Nicky / our brain’s strategy always right? Even in this facetious Hollywood take on it, we can see that the strategy prevents growth. It limits our possibilities. But unless we understand how and why the brain adopts these strategies, and develop counter-strategies to move beyond them, then we’re stuck.

You know my song by now. Learn more about your brain, and unlock potential, creativity, and greater personal and professional effectiveness.

You know where to find me.

Image of Nicolas Cage in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is copyright Katalin Vermes / Lionsgate.

Categories: : applied neuroscience, brain science, film review, movies, popular culture, self-awareness, The Stories We Tell Ourselves