Question the Questioner

What are the agendas behind films? Are they designed to brainwash us into thinking a certain way? They raise questions, and provide (usually) answers. It can be done through our connecting with a character, or a story line hits close to home, or the visual effects can wow our minds into a state of numb submission. Basically, a lot of hard hard work goes into concealing and revealing the story/messages of each film.

What about a film that is just for entertainment? Certainly there are no messages in there that are deep and disturbing, right? Now, understand right away that I'm not trying to scare people into fleeing from this art form (watching movies) b/c they are afraid of falling victim to its snares. There is a wealth of helpful life lessons that can be learned from the screen in front of you, just like words in a book can speak straight into a person's life and help change them forever. But with such power, there needs to be an awareness of what we're doing. Nothing great in life ever comes easy, and if we want world changing truth to connect in us, we're going to have to be willing to help change the world. If this doesn't make sense to somebody, hopefully it will someday.

I don't think that the approach to films should be so intellectual that we miss the heart level things they are offering. If we're so concerned with the framing and the lighting and the possible symbolism in the background, we can miss things right in front of our noses. Not all films are brilliant. Sometimes we're looking for buried treasure that the film does not offer. But believe me, there is almost always more there for us than what we are taking away.

Here's the hardest part. Once you get your mind open to the fact that they're trying to feed you a worldview, enticing you and even expecting you to swallow it, you'll start to look for things. And once you start to look for it, you'll find it almost everywhere, trust me. The hard part is not identifying what messages you are being sent; they're all over the place waiting to be found. What's hard is questioning the film that is raising these questions within you. They don't have to be right. Their messages don't have to be true, and you don't have to agree. You don't even have to agree in order to like the movie! Think of a movie as a conversation with a person (b/c in a way, it sort of is). I don't always enjoy conversing with people I agree with. At times, they express themselves in a way that puts me off; or any number of things can affect whether or not I enjoy the discussion. But I agree with their views. Other times a person can express their sentiments in a way that is much more compelling, thought provoking and humble... but I end up not agreeing. I love them for making me think about it the way that they did, even though I don't share all the same views. This is true of movies, also.

Wherever you are and whatever your experience is with understanding this part of the world around you, don't be fooled. Don't fool yourself into thinking "I'll never understand, b/c my mind can't look for things." Don't fool yourself into thinking that there is nothing rewarding about watching a film you might not agree with. Is it ever rewarding to hear a fresh opinion outside of your own? Seek them out; they will sharpen your own worldviews, and sometimes, possibly, maybe... change you for the better.

Director Stanley Kubrick