Watching Casablanca: realizing we’re all kind of “performing”

 At first, I thought Casablanca was just a classic love story. But the more I watched it, the more it felt… real. Not because of the plot, but because of how the characters behave.It actually reminded me of ideas from Erving Goffman—especially the idea that in everyday life, people are always “performing” in front of others.

1. Is Rick really cold, or just acting?

Rick Blaine appears as someone who doesn’t care about anything—no politics, no emotions, just business.

But is that really true?

Not really. When Ilsa shows up again, everything changes. You can clearly see that he still cares a lot.

So it feels like his “cold” personality is actually something he puts on in public.Kind of like how we sometimes act indifferent in front of others, even when we’re not.

This reminds me of Goffman’s idea of the “front stage”—the version of ourselves we show to people.

2. Everyone is managing their image

No one in the film is completely open or honest all the time.

Rick hides his feelings, Ilsa struggles between love and responsibility, and even the side characters adjust how they act depending on the situation.

Ilsa is especially interesting. She’s in love with Rick, but she also feels loyalty toward her husband. So she presents different sides of herself depending on who she’s with.

Honestly, this feels very relatable.We all do this—acting one way with friends, another way with teachers, and maybe another way with someone we like.That’s basically what “impression management” is about.

3. The hardest part: choosing who you want to be

The ending is famous, but what stood out to me wasn’t just the romance—it was Rick’s decision.

He doesn’t choose love. He chooses what he believes is the “right” thing to do.

You could say it’s noble, but it also feels very real.Because in life, we often have multiple roles, and sometimes we have to choose between them.

For example:Do you follow your emotions, or do you do what’s responsible?

At that moment, Rick chooses the kind of person he wants to be.

Final thoughts

Without theory, Casablanca is a story about love and sacrifice.But with a bit of Goffman in mind, it becomes something more—A story about how people live in front of others,and how we decide who we are in different moments.

And that’s what made it interesting for me.