Maladaptive daydreaming: Rami Malek in Mr. Robot, Blade Runner (Unicorn Dream)

Rami Malek says he’s more cognizant of how technology is harming the ways we socialize and relate to one another. And as his star continues to rise, the 35-year-old is retreating inward. It’s a consequence of spending so much time in the hoodie and shoes of a cynical cybersecurity engineer who hacks at night and suffers from social anxiety and clinical depression.

“It’s a very vulnerable process being in Elliot’s shoes because I can’t help but ask the same questions of myself that he poses in the show,” Malek says, two weeks into production on the second season. “Sometimes that can be quite devastating.” He adds, “But there’s something very comforting, sadly, about putting that dark wardrobe back on. It draws a lot from me as a human being and an actor. Once we started shooting again, there was a sigh of relief that came over me, even though I knew I was going into some pretty dark waters.” Source: www.vulture.com

Mr. Robot, Elliot’s deceased father, Edward, is unmasked as a projection of Elliot’s subconscious. The relationship between Elliot and his father is arguably the most contentious, ranging from friendly to outright dangerous. Such a violent shift in behavior is rooted in Elliot’s childhood, and has informed his relationships with men as an adult. This is perhaps best realized in Elliot’s vigilante hacks, all of which have targeted men.

Though raised by an emotionally and physically abusive mother, who undoubtedly worked in tandem with Edward to support Elliot’s maladaptive schemas, she does not seem to be as influential a factor in Elliot’s relationships with women. In fact, those are the healthiest relationships he engages in. Despite trauma and abuse, Elliot managed to make and keep a childhood friend, develop sexually, and exercise a general concern for those in his life, allowing him to act as a source of support and protection for others.

Sam Esmail has made a statement on the inability of the individual to address what is corrupted within them on their own. In fact, when Elliot’s memory is stitched back together, and the fabric of his hyper-reality is torn again, he finds himself angrier and more anxious than before—for the program that is his mind, these traits are not bugs, but features. Elliot is incapable of deleting these files no matter how corrupted they may be because they are essential. 

Source: www.neondystopia.com

“Maladaptive daydreaming naturally necessitates isolation from others and is almost always accompanied by repetitive body motions, such as pacing or rocking,” Professor Somer said. “About a quarter of these individuals had endured childhood trauma and many suffered from social anxiety.” “People with this disorder have developed an extraordinary ability to become completely immersed in daydreaming, to such an extent that their daydreams can make them laugh or cry,” Somer explains. “This ability to feel fully present in a self-directed imaginary plot is not only a powerful source of the attraction, but it also makes it difficult to disengage from it, creating a mental addiction.” Source: nocamels.com

In the director’s cut of Blade Runner, there’s a short scene where Deckard daydreams about a unicorn; later, near the end of the film, Gaff (Edward James Olmos) leaves an origami unicorn for Deckard to find. “The unicorn that’s used in Deckard’s daydream tells me that Deckard wouldn’t normally talk about such a thing to anyone,” Scott explained to WIRED in 2007. “If Gaff knew about that, [the origami unicorn] is Gaff’s message to say, ‘I’ve basically read your file, mate.’” He knows about Deckard’s private daydreams because those daydreams were implanted in his (bionic) brain.

Actress Mackenzie Davis has joined Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford and Robin Wright in the Denis Villeneuve-directed sequel to Ridley Scott‘s 1982 sci-fi classic “Blade Runner.” Davis made notable turns in the 2015 Matt Damon hit “The Martian” and in “That Awkward Moment” (see above with Miles Teller). “Blade Runner 2” is slated to open opposite a Marvel-related event film from 20th Century Fox, which previously had “Gambit” opening on that date. Source: www.thewrap.com