Welcome to FTS’ brand new feature Word Around the Campfire where all of the FTS’ contributors take turns answering the question or topic of the month. We start off our feature by discussing which fictional film characters we most closely identify with.

At this point in my life… I don’t know. But in the last 5 years, I’d have to go with Joel Barish from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I’m a hopeless romantic at heart and I went through a life changing and soul crushing break up and it got to where I wish it never happened. Poof! In comes a movie that explores that idea and I just found myself relating to Joel so much it took me many viewings before I was able to watch the film without crying.

Merida (Brave): Before Brave even hit theaters, my friends would all point at me during the trailers for it, making an all too obvious, but still amusing connection between Merida and me. I remember seeing the trailer while at the movies with some friends who even took to whispering things like “all you need is to learn archery” or “come on, you’d just have to speak with a Scottish accent” as if either of those things were easy, by the way. So, it became a kind of nickname that stuck– not “Merida” mind you, but “Brave,” and of course, the root of this whole thing was my hair, although after seeing the film, I hoped it was also my nature that made me deserving of the nickname. On really frizzy days, my red curls flow out of control just as Merida’s animated curls do, although admittedly my shade of red isn’t quite as bright anymore (but trust me– little-five-year-old Sara and little-toddler Merida could have been twins). Of course, I wouldn’t pick a film character that I identify with solely based on something aesthetic and superficial. I identified also with Merida’s spirit– her desire for independence– and also her love for her parents, even though her relationship with her mother in particular is tested in order for it to grow as strong as it does. It is that strength though, that ultimate closeness with her mother, that made me realize I have a lot more in common with Merida than just my hair, and I’m pretty proud of that, neither archery nor Scottish accent necessary.

As I’m sure with most people, the answer to this changes as I get older. Ten years ago it was Brian, Anthony Michael Hall’s character from The Breakfast Club, a guy who had always been good at schoolwork, but couldn’t handle the pressure of not excelling at something, and five years before that it probably would have been Heimlich the caterpillar from A Bug’s Life, because I was a fat kid who liked candy and silly voices. Now, I’d say I closely identify with another character from Pixar’s realm, the eponymous Wall-E, because he spends his days toiling away at one huge monotonous task that never seems to get any closer to being done (this is a metaphor for either: working on a house, work in general or going through the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list) and all he really wants to do is go home and watch an old movie he loves, and share it with the creatures around him. Plus, many people tell me I don’t have either a soul, a heart or both, so that must make me a robot, right? And my partner, the EVE of this paragraph, will tell you that my clumsy and awkward attempts at wooing her were not dissimilar to those seen in the early stages of the film. I’m also quite curious as to the design of things and how they work, which Wall-E is too. I suppose the biggest difference between us – other than I have feet and he has treads – is that he spends his existence cleaning up other peoples’ mess, whereas my endless toil is usually trying to rectify my own cock-ups. Who knows which movie character I’ll relate to in five or ten years time? Probably Philip Seymour Hoffman in Happiness.

I was going to say Hermione Granger but the more I wrote about her, the more I found out that I actually don’t identify all that much with her. So I’m going to say Olive Penderghast from Easy A. Because she just doesn’t care. She doesn’t care that everyone hates her or forms some sort of opinion on her and she does a lot to prove a point. She’s witty (which is what I try to be) but not hilarious. She knows her weaknesses and strengths and is never afraid to say what she’s thinking, I love that and aspire to be that way. She is brave, strong, loves food and knows her (pop) culture.
Oh and I’ve also rocked a corset top to school a few times. It was an interesting experience.

Gil Pender from Midnight in Paris. When we did a list on the podcast about movies that describe our personality this landed at my number 1 spot, so naturally my mind went there immediately when posed with this question. I’m an extremely nostalgic person, especially for past eras. Since I was young, I always wished I was born in some other decade. I voraciously read books that were either written or took place in the past, imagining myself in those time periods. They all seemed more fascinating. Gil Pender has just the same appreciation and nostalgia (not to mention love of reading). We’re also both very romantic people with a desire for adventure and traveling (dying to visit Paris in the coming years). His time traveling experience looked like a dream to me.

The movie character that immediately springs to my mind for this question is Danny (Paul Rudd) in David Wain’s film Role Models. Danny is in a long term relationship with a total babe but risks losing her forever because his disdain for, well, everything is starting to wear thin. He hates his stupid job and the people that like it. He hates people who say things like “Heard that!” (of course you did, you’re 2 feet away from me) and the fact that he can’t just order a large coffee without having to take a language lesson. He’s basically an angry Larry David (another character I frequently compare myself to.) I will say that I’ve grown into a happier Danny over the years but I tend to sink back into my critical, judgmental phase more often than I would like to admit. My better half would describe me as more of a Tina Fey Liz Lemon type but TV characters are not allowed on this here list. But if you imagine a person that’s half Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, half Danny from Role Models, well – that’s me. At least I’m out of my Heather Mooney phase.

I’d like to say it’s someone like my cinema hero, Indiana Jones. But in reality, it’s probably a character like Walter Mitty from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Perhaps Danny from Last Action Hero. Or, if I can totally break the rules and dip my toe into the TV pond, Abed from Community (hey, there’s gonna be a movie after this Sixth Season anyway, right?). What do these characters all have in common? They’re escapists. They turn to fantasy and movies to escape the mundane in their everyday lives. That’s right, my life isn’t that exciting…8-10 hours a day behind a desk and all that. So, I rely on movies most of the time to get my thrills (hence me writing for everyone’s favorite movie site). But who knows, maybe Indy became a movie fanatic later in life?

Sydney Fife appreciates the little things in life in I Love You Man. He knows how to fully enjoy listening to music and he knows where to find the best fish tacos. I, too, can give you some places to find a good fish taco. Also, similarly to Sydney, I am not the best person to have give a speech, although for slightly different reasons. Even though Sydney is a bit crazier when it comes to letting go and doing whatever feels right in the moment, it’s a trait that I strongly admire.

Wow, this is a tough question for many reasons. First, I have that mental block I feel most people have when it comes to examining yourself; I can tell people all day long what character represents them, but when it comes to me the crystal ball gets murky. Secondly, without sounding too full of myself, I have never seen a character that fully encapsulates my personality. And lastly, to be honest I don’t see many people who look like me (read black) in films and if they do look like me, they don’t necessarily lead the life I live (read gay). So when asked the question what one character do you most identify with presents quite the conundrum.

So when faced with a tough question, I often ask myself WWLD, What Would Lindsay Do? And what would Lindsay do with this question you may ask? Cheat, Lindsay would cheat. So instead of giving you one character I’m going to give you two, it could definitely be more but in the interest of time I’ll leave it at two.

First, I have to go with Troy from Spike Lee’s Crooklyn. I’ve already confessed my love of this movie in my post about movies that remind me of summer, but a huge standout for me in this movie is Troy. She’s very plucky and I think that stems from her being the middle child, much like myself. Not to go on a tirade here, but being a middle child has its own unique set of challenges. You can either fade into obscurity, taking the background to your sibling’s more dominant personalities; or you can throw some elbows to fight to the front of the group and have your voice heard to. Troy did that, and I did to.

The Second character that I closely identify with is Shug Avery from Spielberg’s The Color Purple. I touched on this a while back in my post Top 5 Movies That Make Me Cry. Shug started out of as a preacher’s daughter who had dreams of being a singer. She goes out into the world to do just that, and along the way she makes some bad choices that caused her to fall out of the good graces of her family. By the end of the movie she makes peace with her past and ultimately with her parents and it’s a beautiful scene. What I most identify with Shug is the strong sense of redemption that she represents. Even after all you’ve been through, after all your wrong decisions, you are still a person who deserves to be loved and accepted.

This month’s post was a tough one for me. It took a lot of soul searching and I’m still not confident that I’ve selected the best option. The character I feel I most closely identify with is Quint from Jaws. This might seem like an odd choice, especially to those that know me well, but I have a few reasons. First, Quint is irreverent; he’s the kind of guy who says what’s on his mind. He isn’t afraid to hurt anyone’s feelings or tell a joke at another’s expense and that has generally led to him not being accepted in the community. While I wouldn’t quite call myself an outsider or loner, I do know the troubles that come along with saying anything that pops into your head and my mannerisms can sometimes be oft-putting to newcomers. Quint is a hard worker; he’s the kind of guy who knows what he’s about and plays to his strengths. While he does seek to benefit himself over the community, you get the sense that deep down, somewhere, Quint does care about his neighbors. He is a man of few fears and few words. He’s gruff and course and vulgar but at the same time there is an air of sincerity and well-meaning behind him. I feel like I share all of these key character attributes and while I wouldn’t necessarily brag about it, I do feel like Quint is the character with whom I most closely identify.