DiCaprio : The Chief of Broken Souls

No single soul requires an introduction for Leonardo Dicaprio. The man who succeeded in grabbing the attention of millions at a very young age. The man who was destined to be a renowned actor, who was able to take home many awards and accolades. So let's take a moment to appreciate the highly talented and handsome Leo. Undoubtedly he is one of the most excellent & exceptional actors in the world. He has a special capability to lure us into his charm through the portrayal of unconventional characters. He can also literally strangle our thoughts and emotions at the same time. The characters he portrays are not superheroes who can do anything, but simply ordinary people who are broken and are left to face fate.

Leo specifically chooses edgy avant-garde characters in most of his films because it can always bring out the best in him. He not only presents a broken man's depression and hopelessness but also his inner turmoil very convincingly. Teddy, Dom, Glass, Billy, and Frank in him does not come back and retrieve everything they have lost. But they are ready to be killed or get lost in oblivion. 

No matter however broken the man is, Leo is immensely capable to portray the character exactly as the script demands. Alejandro Inarritu's Glass in The Revenant for which Leo won his Academy award gives life to the broken man with the touch of savagery. The pain of betrayal, loneliness, helplessness, and fear of impending death in Glass can only be shown by Leo and he did complete justice to it. He makes us empathize with Glass in his plight and pain of watching his son being murdered in front of him.

In Nolan's Inception, Cobb is also a bird with broken wings who has lost the connection with his nest. The death of Mal and the guilt followed constantly gets projected in Cobb's subconscious which he finds difficult to come in terms with. Cobb's helplessness and his longing to go home and embrace his children touches our hearts. Leo carries the nuances of a guilty man flawlessly in this sci-fi movie.

The beautiful dream scene in Scorsese's Shutter Island where Teddy embraces his wife who is nothing but a burning body soon to become ashes torments the viewers because Leo, through his exceptional acting skills shows Teddy's longing to be with his wife and the painful fact that she is no more. The scene along with Max Ritcher's "On the nature of the daylight" in the background literally gives us a heart wrenching ache.

Sam Mendes's Revolutionary Road in which Leo portrayed Frank Wheeler marked his reunion with Kate Winslet. The movie which tells the story of the couple whose life gets caught in the web of the American Dream created another memorable character of Leo, the insecure and frustrated Frank Wheeler, who is unable to decide his career preferences and the life he wants. He is tired of the monotonous suburban life and the increasing emptiness of their marriage. In the final scene of the movie, we see a soulless and broken Frank who waits at the park while his children play. The burden of guilt and disappointment in the face of Frank along with Thomas Newman's melancholic music forces us to think if we could go back in time and fix things for him.

Scorsese's yet another famous character of Leo is Billy Costigan of The Departed where he works as undercover for the police force. The two identities make things worse for Costigan who was already torn between two worlds right from his young age by his divorced parents. Costigan really wants things to go back to normal because he is frustrated by leading a double life. He wants his identity back. The constant fear of getting caught by Costello and the disappointment in not having anyone to be called as 'his' or 'home' have successfully brought out by Leo.

DiCaprio can definitely be labeled as a brand like Al Pacino or Robert De Niro because his presence in a movie gives us the air of assurance and guarantee. His excellent and accurate ability to bring timely emotions gives immorality to the characters. The desperation, helplessness, and mental agony of the common man are quite safe in his hands. The characters like Rick Dalton, Jordan Belfort, Candie Calvin, Jack, Gatsby, and others are surely other excellent examples of the hard work and dedication of Leo. All the characters still live and have a great impact on us because we don't see Leo in them, but normal people whom we know, with whom we share the same emotions and pain. Most importantly, all his broken characters remind us of the truth that we cannot choose our family or decide our fate, instead, we are left to strive in the hands of time and wait for a ray of hope. And it is this distinctive potential of DiCaprio that makes him a phenomenal actor.

A.C