¶ … Adaptation" and "Being John Malkovich," both written by Charlie Kaufman. Specifically, it will compare the vision of what a movie should or should not be between the two films, and the relationship of fantasy to reality in "Adaptation." Both films are "quirky" in just about every sense of the word, and include great flights of fancy, taking them quite far from the "traditional" vision of films. Therefore, these two films represent a new trend in filmmaking that concerns blended fantasy and reality, and all that says about the human mind.

It is sometimes difficult to know where reality stops and fantasy begins in both these films. "Adaptation" is the very loose story of Kaufman's life, with quite a liberal does of fantasy thrown in, (his brother doesn't die in the end, and the writer does not chase after him. He does however, sort of turn her book into a screenplay - this screenplay). In "Being John Malkovich," the audience is often literally inside the head of the actor, so both movies rely on what is not to tell their stories, and it is up to the viewer to decide what is reality and what is fantasy. This is not the traditional vision of how films should be made and viewed, but it works for Kaufman, and now he is becoming more well-known as a writer who breaks boundaries and blend fantasy and reality in some unusual ways.

In the world of filmmaking, most professionals would agree these films break the boundaries of filmmaking, and go places films should not go. At one point in "Adaptation," Kaufman berates himself for using an "inner monologue" when that is simply "not done" in films. That is the point. Kaufman is not afraid to break the rules and push the boundaries in his films, and so, they are "quirky," unbelievable, and very entertaining at the same time. Perhaps more filmmakers should push their limits as Kaufman does, so the audience has more of a choice in the films they see, and what they choose to believe.