Interpersonal communication refers to the exchange of information between two or more individuals and is a fundamental aspect of human lives. Interpersonal communication entails independent individuals who are inherently rational (Dragojevic, Gasiorek and Giles 2). In the film The Prince of Tides, interpersonal communication is well expressed with each character being involved in different forms of communication. The film stars Nick Nolte, an ex-teacher and a coach who is in a crisis with his wife Blythe Danner. His sister, Melinda Dillon is a poet in New York who has attempted suicide and Nolte is summoned north to help the psychiatrist, Streisand; to figure out the problem with her. He is not happy with the idea but he goes to New York where he meets Streisand although he does not like the stance. Nolte claims that the doctor would rather concentrate on the problem with his sister rather than focusing on him. Nolte slowly starts to reveal the secrets of his past and his relationship with his abusive father and mother and the doctor realizes that the problem with Dillon is based on the family relationship. Nolte is eventually able to open up and the doctor sees through his problems as they continue to communicate with each other. The doctor is emotionally guarded with problems of her own but she finds herself crossing the professional line to emotional as well as sexual involvement with Nolte. While the heart of the film is the relationship between Streisand and Nolte, the characters are in a constant state of communicating, either verbally or non-verbally and their interpersonal communication involves personal choice.
Interpersonal Communication
The Prince of Tides is a film that demonstrates how emotions can drive people to different paths forcing every character to be in a constant state of communication with others despite their troubled past. The reactions to emotions are demonstrated by how the characters choose to communicate with each other and while some choose to conceal theirs, others have an obvious form of interpersonal communication driven by how they feel. Communication is a fundamental phenomenon in any relationship and family relations can be intense at times because of the interactions between the members (Dragojevic, Gasiorek, and Giles 12). Tom Wingo, one of the main characters in the film has built a blockade that he uses to restrict connections with his parents, siblings, as well as his wife due to the trauma that he faced in his childhood and interpersonal communication becomes hard to achieve. Although he does not directly communicate with his family about his troubled past, his reactions and how he chooses to live his life tell a lot about the troubles he faced ("Interpersonal Communication: Importance Of Communication In The Film " Prince Of Tides" - Writework"). For instance, Tom is very distant as well as frigid with his wife to the point that he doubts his abilities as a parent although he has three children.
The factors that contribute to the lack of sense of effective interpersonal communication with his parents, siblings and his wife are not revealed in the film until later when Tom chooses to open up to Streisand. In fact, upon the introduction of the movie, he appears to be loving although he was dealing with the problem of unemployment. However, the interpersonal communication he had with his mother and children could not clearly identify the challenges he faced while he was young and one could notice the presence of a conflict in the family. Due to the suicide attempt by his sister, he was forced by his mother to move to New York because her psychiatrist needed help to unfold her past. Although Tom does not understand the responsibility he was to take, he leaves his wife and children. Interpersonal communication requires strong communication skills which are used to solve various conflicts in different relationships (Dragojevic, Gasiorek, and Giles 17). The Prince of Tides shows that the characters in the film especially in the introduction do not seem to be excited with each other and they lack an effective means of communication except when forced to do so. Tom is angry with both his father and mother, and he blames them for his condition. He also blames his family members for the troubles in his life. As his character is developed, he is able to communicate more openly due to the changing aspects used by the psychiatrist to provide a safe environment.
Conflict resolution has effectively been achieved in the film The Prince of Tides because Tom finally decided to make the choice to open up to the doctor in the attempt to help his sister. The connection between the doctor and Tom is not characterized by much interpersonal communication at first because Tom decides to inhibit the recollections, ideas, feelings as well as his thoughts to the psychiatrist (Ebert). As such, he demonstrates his ability to mask his real experiences by being sarcastic in addition to using cynicism as well as jokes to hide his feelings. In fact, Tom believes that it is his sister who needs help but Streisand is able to recognize the lack of trust in him. Streisand creates an environment that encourages Tom to open up so as to help him as well as his sister. Streisand’s strategy to encourage more interpersonal communication with Tom is done in a manner that enables him to be aware of himself as well as the issues that made him conceal his memories. The personal choices made by Tom to come to the reality of his condition enabled him to be in touch with himself by changing his view towards his parents, siblings as well as his wife.
The conflict between the family members as well as the relationship starts to be mended because Tom realizes the importance of opening up to Streisand. Tom is able to open up about the relationship between his mother and father as well as the family saga which identifies the conflict that exists between them (Ebert). The communication between Tom and Streisand uncovers the reasons behind the suicide attempt indicating that past traumas forced her to such lengths. The consequences of lack of effective interpersonal communication are demonstrated by how the family relationship was shaped. Additionally, When Tom and Streisand get into a conflict, they go out for dinner which makes their relationship stronger and they become closer ("Interpersonal Communication: Importance Of Communication In The Film " Quote; Prince Of Tides " Quote; - Writework"). Furthermore, the fateful meeting between Tom, his mother and stepfather resulted in a communication that brought up painful memories. The meeting enabled the family members to express their feelings towards each other which enabled them to effectively communicate therefore resolving their conflict. The characters in the setting are able to have an effective interpersonal communication about their past and Tom is able to let go of his anger although he suffers a mental breakdown.
The relationship between Tom, Streisand and her son Bernard is one that brings them closer after relating with other. After Tom is invited to dinner at Streisand’s home, a conflict emerges after Herbert becomes overly rude in addition to having an affair with another woman (Ebert). However, communication between Herbert and Tom resulted in a conflict resolution. Tom threatens to throw off Herbert’s million dollar violin unless he apologizes to his wife. The conflict between Tom’s family members as well as that of Streisand is slowly solved by using the different dynamics of communication and Savannah, Tom’s sister is even released from the hospital. In fact, Tom receives a call from his wife and through communication, they are able to get back together. The anger that inhibited Tom finally disappears after he worked out the traumatic events of his past after being assisted by Streisand. The conflict in the family is resolved and Tom is back with his wife and children despite having many thoughts about his relationship with Streisand.
Conclusion
The Prince of Tides is a film that clearly gives a real-life picture of complicated people who have lived difficult lives in the past as well as the consequences of lack of proper communication to resolve their conflicts. The director of the film acknowledges that quick romance or even simple therapy would not fully resolve the conflicts and heal their wounds and she embraces learning to build and also establish trusting relationships. The movie does not only depict the painful moments of the characters but also laughter as well as the chemistry between Nolte and Streisand. The film comprises an emotional story which is not simplified but pays attention to the quirks as well as the strangeness of every character. The Prince of Tides also demonstrates the different facets of interpersonal communication in addition to the forces that drive the characters to choose to communicate with each other. The film is a moving exploration in which the characters play their role in an outstanding manner.
Works Cited
"Interpersonal Communication: Importance Of Communication In The Film "Prince Of Tides" - Writework". Writework.Com, 2018, https://www.writework.com/essay/interpersonal-communication-importance-communication-film. Accessed 3 July 2018.
Dragojevic, Marko, Jessica Gasiorek, and Howard Giles. "Communication accommodation theory." The international encyclopedia of interpersonal communication (2015): 1-21.
Ebert, Roger. "The Prince Of Tides Movie Review (1991) | Roger Ebert". Rogerebert.Com, 2018, https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/prince-of-tides-1991. Accessed 3 July 2018.
