Who Am I This Time?

The film Who Am I This Time? starring Christopher Walken and Susan Sarandon revolves around a character named Harry Nash, who is an extremely shy and introverted man. However, when he plays a role in one of the local theater productions, he seemingly becomes the character to an intense extent. Helene Shaw, just having moved into town quite recently, falls in love. She does not fall for Nash, but his character in the play. After Helene mistakes Harry’s shyness for partial avoidance, she then discovers their relationship can grow by using plays to express emotions towards each other, such as A Streetcar Named Desire, Romeo and Juliet and The Importance of Being Earnest. These plays are a symbol of their growing relationship. The first play Harry and Helene perform in together is A Streetcar Named Desire. She quickly falls in love with Harry’s persona while she tried out for the part of Stella. As he read the script, she stared at him in awe. Helene found herself to be attracted to Harry’s dominant personality. When it came to performing the play for an audience, she noticeably is stunned by Nash’s fake persona. This play shows her feelings for him growing. Helene even says with her friend that “He is the most marvelous man I have ever met”. Her relationship with him continues to grow, but doesn’t remain one-sided for very long.
The first time Harry speaks his feelings about Helene, she brings him a copy of the Romeo and Juliet script as a gift. They read through one of the love scenes, and his growing love for her is then obvious. He remarks, “I take thee at thy word, call me but love... and I'll be new baptized. Henceforth...” She discovers that it is more manageable to communicate through plays, instead of casually trying to talk to Harry. Once again, a play demonstrates their growing love for each other. This play is the climax of the film, leading to the final play involved.
As Who Am I This Time? comes to an end, Harry begins to narrate a scene from The Importance of Being Earnest, expressing his growing love for Helene. He states “Miss Fairfax, ever since I met you, I have admired you more than any girl I have ever met since I met you”, improvising slightly from the actual script. He continues to express his love to her by emphasizing, “I’ve never loved anyone in the world but you”, and eventually proposes to her. It appears that Helene’s attempt to grow their relationship with scenes from the plays was successful, and they will soon be wed. Harry then proudly asks “Will you marry me?”, and she replies with “Of course I will, darling”. This play concludes the film, leaving it to the audience to imagine their happy ending.

Harry and Helene fall in love throughout the film, and the plays they recite show their growing love for each other. A Streetcar Named Desire shows Helene’s growing feelings for Harry’s persona. When they read Romeo and Juliet together, it is clear that Harry starts to have feelings for Helene as well. The last play they recite is The Importance of Being Earnest, and this play leads to their engagement. The plays they reenact are a way of having a neutral interest that brings them closer together. Their feelings are stated in the lines they speak to each other, and show just how much their relationship has blossomed.