Objects as Characters

Characters are probably one of those fundamental things… like thought or existence. I say this because everything has the potential to become a character; if they are not inherently one already.

Objects as Characters:

I recently saw the  1998 spy thriller Enemy of the State. Its narrative revolves around the NSA dealing crookedly in almost every way. In the film,  the protagonist is hunted by the agency, and one technique the NSA  uses is satellite imagery. And as I sometimes do with films that particularly interest me, I watched some behind-the-scenes content. During an interview with the director,  I was surprised to hear the film’s creative force refer to the satellite as a “character”. However, the more I thought about it, the clearer the connection became. Though technically inanimate, there is a sense that the satellite is consciously doing the sinister bidding of the Agency’s director. In fact, it seems to do its work with more enthusiasm and diligence than the other NSA cronies. In scenes where agents are pursuing the main character,  the satellite is always there too. This sentiment is amplified by the fact that the satellite is never explicitly shown to be controlled by the other characters (though it is assumed that it is controlled). Nevertheless, its movements and the shifting perspective of its surveillance cameras seem to be motivated by something on the edge of personality. Even more interesting is that I have just caught myself using a possessive apostrophe for “its”,  which I am almost conflicted to take out.