Film is an absolute powerful medium that can express complex ideas and feelings with relative ease. Of course most people look at film as a source of entertainment, escapism, and fun, but film can also express ideas that get people to think and feel and convey complex ideas that no other art medium can express. I want to use the Before Trilogy as an example of this, mostly because I just watched it and it's on my mind, but also because it expresses the idea of love and connection in a real, true, human way that art or music could never really do. We live in an age where love is often commodified through sex, or products that will "make our love life better." It's often hard to see true love and connection in today's world, but the Before Trilogy discovers it and shoes it in a way that isn't trying to sell you the idea of love, but what love really could be between two people and it does that through one relationship in three different periods of time. Before Sunrise is the beginning of this love story. Two strangers who meet on a train and have an instant connection through conversation and decide to spend the evening together in Vienna. You know like normal people. But that's the thing about this film. It feels like someone got a camera, and just followed these two people around and documented their day. It just feels so real. The conversations that they have don't feel fake or cheesy, the way they interact feels genuine, and the connection they share feels like a real love, not a Hollywood-esque love. Fast forward 9-years to Before Sunset, these two people are reconnecting for the first time since their special night in Vienna, as they walk around Paris remembering the night they had and what could have come of it. Once again this film is juggling these complex feelings with relative ease and it doesn't feel cheesy or fake. The actors show with their faces and performances that they are broken people who wish that their lives were different and that they were with each other. Then we finally move forward another 9-years to Before Midnight. We see these two, now with twins and navigating their adult lives and feeling the sting that is failing love. This film tackles the idea of unconditional love and how love can persevere through built up emotions, painful arguments, and fading feelings. What happens when that initial connection fades? When life is beating you on all sides? Will love prevail? Through clever writing, beautiful scenery, amazing performances, and masterful directing, The Before Trilogy takes an honest look at love through time that I don't believe many other mediums could handle. The power of film is very evident with this trilogy and it may very well be the best trilogy I've ever seen (sorry Dark Knight Trilogy). Hopeless romantic or not, I would highly recommend this Trilogy to anyone who wants to think about or be challenged by the idea of love and connection, because that's what great films do, they challenge us to think about our lives and how we live them. We may not always agree with a films message, but if the film gets us to think and come to a conclusion than I think that makes a powerful film. And that's why in the month of June I'll be watching at least one film a day and blogging about it, to find the deeper meanings and to catch up on my increasingly huge backlog of films. I'll be watching all types of films, from action to comedy, sci-fi to horror, animation to historical drama, and anything in between, to continue to show that there is more to film than just entertainment. Please subscribe to my newsletter if you are at all interested in the film journey I'm taking this upcoming month! I am beyond excited and thrilled to watch some great films!
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The other day I watched The Truman Show for the first time and as a Media Arts major I FREAKING LOVED IT!! This film tackles so many subjects from media to ethics to consumerism, it's just great. Now one thing that really stood out to me was not just what was happening to Truman, but the effects this sow had on the people watching it. Throughout the whole show they put in multiple product placements, they create story lines for Truman to live through (even though he has no idea about it), and subtly planting ideas of what a perfect life is. And people are fascinated by it! These messages are subtly telling the viewers what you need to be happy. This is EXTREMELY relevant to today. And I really hope we are all aware of this but sometimes we just consume media and don't ask ourselves what there are telling us. The Truman Show was all about the money and call me cynical but that's all media is for today. Even this movie, that is commentating on the problems of media, made money and had a goal of making money. So media is going to subtly tell why life is better with their thing. The Truman Show was not only trying to sell different products, but trying to sell the idea of the traditional family will make you happy. Sometimes, that's what people want and that's great! But sometimes that's not what is going to make people happy and that's alright! We shouldn't be looking to the media to tell what will make our life better, but we should be looking to God and the Holy Spirit to reveal to us His perfect plan for our lives. That could mean a traditional family, 8-5 job, suburbia lifestyle, but it could also mean traveling, being single, freelance work out of a tiny home. I don't know what your life will en-tale, but don't let the media be your informer, please look to God for the guide of your life. It's been awhile but I'm back with the blogs and I'm planning on going through the summer with plenty of blogs! Please subscribe to the newsletter for updates whenever I put a blog out! |
Austin VincentJust a guy with a passion for film and Jesus who's trying to show that He can be found in our creative endeavors. Archives
November 2018
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