¿HOW FAR WILL FERGUS'S ALTRUISM GO?: ONE SCENE TOLD ME SO

“A scorpion asks a frog to carry him across a river. The frog says: «¿How do I know you won’t sting me?», and the scorpion replies: «Because that would cause us both to drown». The frog agrees, and halfway across, the scorpion stings him. When the frog asks why he did it, and reminds him that they are both going to die, the scorpion replies: «I can’t help it, it’s my nature»”.

This fable teaches us how, under any circumstances, our character does not change. Such is the case of the protagonist of The Crying Game (1992), Fergus (Stephen Rea), who is a member of the IRA, and is assigned the task of guarding Jody (Forest Whitaker), a soldier that the subversive group has kidnapped, demanding the release of one of their own. If not, Jody will be executed. During the kidnapping, Fergus appears compassionate and kind to the prisoner. The ambiguity of his personality is surprising, as he is a man accustomed to the hostility and harshness of his surroundings. Jody is then able to speak to his guard, making a request. He asks him that if he is executed, he should look for his girlfriend in London. He shows him a photograph and tells him where she can be found.

When the subversives see their demand unmet, they instruct Fergus to kill the hostage. Jody runs away. Fergus doesn't dare shoot him in the back. But unfortunately, Jody is hit by a truck, dying instantly.

Fergus is far from being a frivolous and unkind man, as he now fulfills the deceased's wishes and goes to London to fulfill the request he made before his death. He goes to the hair salon where Dil (Jaye Davidson), Jody's attractive girlfriend, works. He only talks to her as a customer, without revealing anything about her boyfriend.

Dil and Fergus fall in love, beginning a romantic relationship, in which Fergus keeps secret the fact that he knew Jody and what happened to him.

Then, there comes a time when Fergus wants to have intimate relations with Dil, but discovers that she is not the girl he had fallen in love with, because she is transsexual. Shocked by the truth, Fergus rejects her, however, his disgust does not last long and he forgives her for having hidden who she really was. Although he was disappointed, he does not abandon her. He continues to help and protect her, although he no longer has any romantic interest in her, because he is heterosexual.

But the past is looming, and Jude, the member of the group who tricked Jody into kidnapping him, returns. This time, she wants Fergus to kill a judge. Fergus doesn't do it, and instead changes Dil's appearance to hide her from her returned companions.

Fergus finally reveals the truth to Dil, telling him everything that happened with Jody. Despite this declaration, Dil still loves him.

Jude arrives armed, looking for Fergus to reproach him for having disobeyed. But Dil emerges with a gun pointed at her. She insults her for having seduced Jody, blaming her for his death. Then shoots and kills her.

Here comes the impressive part of the story. Fergus's excessive generosity progressed until it reached its peak. This is the scene that showed how far his good heart could go.

Fergus allows Dil to escape justice and takes responsibility for the crime himself. He then erases the fingerprints on the gun, placing his own on the trigger. His personality never changed under any circumstances, as in the fable of “The Scorpion and the Frog.”

The Crying Game is a love story, but not like any other. It's about true love, the kind that expects no reward, the kind that sacrifices, the kind that cares about the other's welfare, not its own. It's sad to admit, but such perfect love is pure fantasy. In reality, human beings are immersed in their egos, and that kind of love is nothing more than fiction.

To finish, here is the film's theme song: