Aahana Swrup
In Netflix’s German film ‘Brick,’ the narrative revolves around a cryptic black wall that has surrounded an apartment building from all corners, entrapping its residents without a way out. Tim and Olivia are at the center of the narrative as a dysfunctional couple who are on the very edge of a separation. Nonetheless, the unraveling of their love lives has to take a backseat in the face of imminent doom. As it turns out, all the doors and windows to their home have been inexplicably blockaded by a strange brick wall. As such, broken walls and floors are the only way to contact other residents, who are equally in the dark about their predicament.
Yet, strength is in numbers, compelling the group to work together to earn their freedom. The narrative has a number of thematic metaphors that explore the nuances of self-imposed isolation. Therefore, the film’s inclination toward allegorical significance naturally casts certain aspects of the tale in an intriguing light. This is most notably true for the singular, pesky fly that is often seen circling around Tim throughout his time in his apartment. SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Fly Signifies Tim’s Entrapment, Both Physical and Emotional
The fly makes its first appearance before any cryptic happenings surround the apartment. It sits on the game designer’s desk, confined within a clear glass cup. It’s assumed trapper, Tim, is lost in his thoughts before he finally takes note of the insect. Something inside of him compels him to free the tiny being by sliding a photograph under the glass and carrying it over to the window. Nonetheless, before he can throw the fly out of the window, he stumbles and accidentally lets the pest back loose in the apartment. Moments after this scene, the audience is introduced to the rocky reality of Tim’s relationship with Olivia.
The couple has been together for seven years. Yet, there seems to be an indomitable distance between them that is clearly caused by the loss of their baby through a miscarriage two years ago. Even though Olivia consistently makes efforts toward starting a new chapter with her partner, Tim always withdraws into himself, avoiding healthy communication about the traumatic event at all costs. In this sense, his situation remains a unique reflection of the fly’s predicament from earlier. The glass cup that becomes the fly’s prison is a symbol of the emotional walls Tim has erected around himself and his heart. He’s desperate to protect himself from the grief of losing a child, to the point where he’s content to distract himself with meaningless work.
Tim chooses this reality for himself even when it’s clear that his reclusion into himself and self-isolation are clearly harming Olivia. Nevertheless, he isn’t brave enough to lift the shield, or the metaphorical glass cup, from around him to allow himself the freedom of vulnerability. However, the fly’s allegory remains twofold in the protagonist’s narrative. Even after Tim tries to free the insect from the cup and let it loose in nature, he fails and pushes the fly to continue buzzing around in the apartment. This second phase of the fly’s entrapment also mirrors the future that awaits the game designer and every other resident in the building. In fact, to some extent, the fly’s fate remains imitative of the emotional narrative of several other characters.
Like the fly, Tim, almost every other character is also trapped in a two-fold entrapment. While the brick wall certainly makes them prisoner inside the apartment, their own emotional baggage is also a second, unseen barrier around them and the rest of the world. Mr. Oswal’s unwillingness to trust his neighbors, Marvin’s reliance on drugs to manage his emotions, Lea’s unexplored complications with her girlfriend, and even Yuri’s obsession with morbid possibilities are all examples of the same. In the end, it all comes full circle when Tim finally makes the decision to open himself up to Olivia, during which he catches another glimpse of the buggy-eyed pest. As it flies off his hand, it showcases the protagonist’s resolve not to resort to the fly’s fate, and he continues fighting for his and his partner’s freedom.
Read More: Brick Ending Explained: Where Did the Wall Come From?
