Mr. Rogers : Are We Our Image? Spoilers

I can’t say that I have particularly strong memories of my childhood, but I know I watched Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. While I don’t remember the show anymore, I still feel warm just reading about Mr. Rogers, so I figured the chilly winter months were as good a time as any to watch A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a biopic about the man himself. It was a deeply moving film that was clearly carefully thought out, and yet I felt somehow that I didn’t really get to see Mr. Rogers as more than the person he played in his children’s program. So now, I can’t help but wonder, is that the real Mr. Rogers?

In A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Mr. Rogers is played by Tom Hanks. It’s the perfect casting choice, really, as both have developed an image of being friendly, down-to-earth, gentle people. While their energies aren’t entirely the same, the parallels make it almost feel as though Mr. Rogers himself had magically returned. We also see Mr. Rogers working on his show at various points, as the film becomes grainier and the aspect ratio shrinks down, transitioning into that comforting and intimate space Mr. Rogers was so skilled at creating. Despite all the effort put into creating a loyal depiction of the man, though, he isn’t the protagonist of the film. Instead, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood focuses on the story of Lloyd Vogel, a character seemingly inspired by Tom Junod, a writer for the film who also wrote a famous profile of Mr. Rogers which he said changed his life.

Vogel is a cynical reporter with a new baby and a longstanding grudge against his father, one which once again flares up when his father reenters his life. Not knowing how to deal with the emotions he’s being forced to confront, he escapes into his job despite feeling that the profile of Mr. Rogers doesn’t suit him in the least. What he meets, however, is the modern-day saint we all know and love. Mr. Rogers is as empathetic and level-headed as ever, turning Vogel’s interviews around and asking him questions, seemingly seeking to give him what he gives everyone he runs into : the ability to accept oneself and the ability to recognise and control one’s own emotions. He succeeds, of course, and Vogel ultimately ends up happier and more at peace by the end of the film - all is sugar and roses, and Mr. Rogers once again proves himself to be the wonderful man we all know him to be.

One moment that stood out to me, however, is when Vogel asks Mr. Rogers if it’s at all a burden for him to constantly hear and empathise with other people’s problems. Mr. Rogers tries to dodge the question, thanking Vogel for recognising that things can be hard, and when pressed he once again skirts around the question, simply saying that every life has pain in it. Vogel asks how he deals with it all, but Mr. Rogers stubbornly holds onto his image, referencing a song from his show by saying strong emotions can be dealt with by pounding clay, swimming fast, or playing all the lowest keys on a piano at the same time. Vogel then asks if he talks to anyone about the burden, and Mr. Rogers just mimes banging on the piano. When I first watched this scene, I found it intensely frustrating because I wanted the truth, just like Vogel - some part of me wanted Mr. Rogers to admit to something toxic that he had done, or to complain for once about how terrible things were. I wanted that image to shatter so I could identify with and therefore aspire to be as good as Mr. Rogers… but the image remained.

At least, it remained for that moment. I would keep complaining about that scene if not for the final moments of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. After a day of filming, the crew leaves one by one until there’s only Mr. Rogers left in the studio, sitting at his piano. There, he plays a gentle tune before suddenly pounding the lowest keys all at once, and the cacophony disrupts the peaceful atmosphere for a few beats until the more pleasant melody returns. This one moment makes the entire film. Until now, we’ve seen Mr. Rogers as he was to others, and finally we see the human he was when he was alone. It’s heartbreaking to watch, as you begin to realise that Mr. Rogers had the same emotions we did but kept them in to show the world a better way. In doing so, though, he had to sacrifice a lot of himself. For all the people he knew and helped, he is entirely alone in his moment of need.

Many of us wish we could be more like Mr. Rogers, endlessly kind and gentle with everyone around us. What we fail to realise, though, is that we could be. Deep inside, Mr. Rogers wasn't so different from any of us. He simply chose to try to do better, to be the kind of person he thought the world needed. It's something any of us could do, and the film shows us that, but it also gives us a warning. Being a model of kindness like Mr. Rogers doesn't mean you don't feel or have problems. It merely means you have the control to handle those feelings and let them out only in "appropriate" ways at "appropriate" times. To live like he did means to isolate yourself and sacrifice yourself in order to help others, which takes an enormous amount of strength and willpower. The more people grow to love and adore your image, the more lonely you will feel, unable to be seen for your true self. So yes, you can be your image - if you do good, then you are good even if you don't mean to be. If you do bad, then you are bad even if you don't mean to be. Our external self is a part of who we are - the risk comes when we never give our internal self the space to exist.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is, ultimately, a very good film. I wish I could say it was perfect, but there were a few blunders. For all I appreciated how Vogel’s conflict with his father was approached, the ringing sound that plays every time he is overwhelmed by it is a clear indication of severe trauma. That he overcomes the conflict so easily, and more importantly that Mr. Rogers seems to advocate exclusively for forgiveness without considering how some wrongs are unforgivable just seems unrealistic. Still, the story is both visually interesting and deeply touching, reminding us of the love and kindness Mr. Rogers had for everyone. With its warm feeling and kind messages, it’s a perfect film to watch during the holidays.