Diksha Sundriyal
Starring Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie, ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ follows the story of two people as they confront their past to decide the course of their future. The protagonists are David and Sarah, two single people with incredibly bad luck in relationships. They cross paths at a wedding, and while there is an instant chemistry between them, both are reluctant to explore the possibilities because they worry that they might hurt each other. The story brings their core memories to the fore to show us who they really are. At the same time, the color schemes of the characters also dictate the turn of events in their lives. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Red and Blue Colors Highlight the Contrast Between Sarah and David
One of the interesting things that ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ does is to use red and blue to show us the moods and personalities of the characters. David is almost always dressed in blue, while Sarah’s character is marked with an eye-catching red. This color scheme is maintained till the final scene of the film, where the colors are suddenly switched, with David wearing red and Sarah wearing blue. Even the colors on the doors that they pass through to enter different memories start with red and slowly turn into blue by the end, with David and Sarah finally walking through the door of his building, which is a shade of blue as well. This consistent use of colors and the shifts in how it jumps from one character subtly hint at the evolution of the characters.
The red, which is connected to Sarah, signifies the restlessness and the passion that usually define her relationships. It reflects the dynamic nature of her personality, which means that she doesn’t have a problem attracting people. As we get to know more about her, the red becomes a symbol of her impulsive nature, one that makes her jump into a romance with intensity. In the beginning, it is fun and games, until the fire starts to cool down and things begin to settle. This is when people usually become surer of the relationship, when they know they have fallen in love with Sarah. However, as this fervor dies down, so does Sarah’s interest in her partner, which brings out her impulsive nature that makes her sabotage her relationships by cheating.
Meanwhile, the blue in David suggests a melancholy that has settled down in him. He, too, tended to passionately pursue a love interest, and when he had them, he would feel loveless and miserable. That was until he almost got married to a woman who was clearly in love with her and didn’t understand why he suddenly changed his mind and broke off their engagement. At this point, David convinced himself that he hadn’t found “the one,” which is why he felt so utterly devoid of love for his ex-fiancee and every other woman with whom things didn’t work out. He tells himself that he enjoys being alone, but when he meets Sarah, he starts to feel like he may have found the one. He is more sure-footed about his feelings than she is and eager to explore the possibility of being with her. She, on the other hand, continues to hold on to her belief that she is meant to be alone.
The Color Change Confirms the Fate of Sarah and David’s Relationship
Considering how things are at the beginning, when Sarah is convinced that they will end up hurting each other, while David believes they might be the one for each other, the red and blue signify the pessimistic realism and the hopeless romanticism of self-ignorance. At this point, Sarah is using her track record to predict what will happen if they get together. She hasn’t yet dealt with her demons and hasn’t found a way to solve the problem that has continued to ruin love for her. Meanwhile, David is so captivated by Sarah that he is used to the thrill of chasing a person and then getting bored with them when there is nothing left to chase. In a way, it’s a red pill-blue pill kind of situation where David seems to be comfortable in his own reality rather than face the truth.
Walking through the doors allows both of them to see their past and their cornerstone memories in a new light. They examine each other’s insecurities and fears, guiding and consoling and advising and supporting one another through some tough moments. This not only forges a deeper bond between them, but it also makes them get to the root of why they act the way they do and sabotage when things are going well for them. We see a shift start to happen in Sarah, and at one point, she changes her dress to wear yellow. Still, half of her costume continues to be red, which means she hasn’t yet broken off from her past patterns. In the end, when she walks into her core memory where she meets her mother and gets to talk to her, she is fully dressed in red.
When she walks out of the house and eventually decides to reunite with David, she is dressed in blue. This shows that she has opened herself up and wants to be with her, even if it means risking heartbreak. She now understands that contentment is something she should focus on rather than continually chasing passion and fickleness in her relationships. She needs to settle down a bit and give things time. Meanwhile, David has made peace with his own past, accepting that he, too, needs to change. He needs to capture the passion of the initial days of the romance and keep it burning even when the chase has ended. So, when he wears red, he is opening himself up to love and commitment as well, ending the story on a happy note for the couple.
Read More: Do David and Sarah End Up Together in A Big Bold Beautiful Journey?
