Explosive Film

I rented a particular film this evening because a) I like period dramas and this one was set in one of my most favorite ancient cities b) had one of my favorite actress’ in the lead role c) I needed to fly away to a land long ago for a little fun.

I am always intrigued in what the director intends, what is the message they are trying to communicate? What are they trying to stir in those who watch? There is a reason why they edited this way and not that…and use that shot but not this one… it all contributes to the message being given, subtly or overtly.   The cinematography was so deliberate in this movie (and done very well) and was a major player in the feel as well as the message.  That is one of the reasons I love film, and any story telling medium really, because it can speak many different things to many different people.

Tonight I needed a break from thinking….what I got instead was a film that snuck under my exhausted self, past my defenses and walls, and unleashed a ravenous domino effect of situations, meanings, histories, facts, fictions, questions…. not, is blue better than orange kind of questions…. but the kind of questions that all of life and existence are connected too.  Those grand meta-narrative questions….

I can barely stand up for more than a couple minutes I am so exhausted… and for two plus hours I was trying to turn my brain off, stop the onslaught of falling dominos in my mind and soul.  It was like rolling a handful of marbles down a board that has spokes in it….they roll in every direction, many of them taking off different ways, some hindered by the spokes and rapidly changing course, some moving further before hitting obstacles

There were too many marbles in my soul rolling in different directions, I couldn’t keep my eye on all of them to follow them.  …reactions and causation’s…making sense of history…applications for today…if you hold to “a” then “m” over here has to change which then changes “c”, now apply that cross cultures….generations…..centuries….

This wasn’t a negative experience.  It was just very unexpected…ominously overwhelming.

I’d be curious to know if there’s been a film that has had this effect on you?

I doubt I am done spouting on this topic…I have a feeling this film will arise in another post….