Saturday, January 2, 2010

Invictus and(/vs.) Avatar

I went to back-to-back showings of Invictus and Avatar last night. Two very different but quite powerful movies. I can't stop thinking about them--separately and in relation to one another.

Let me say that I went to Avatar fully expecting to fall asleep. For several reasons. A) I'm an insomniac whose body seems to decide that being in a dark movie theater is a perfect time to catch up on sleep, even when I'm watching a movie that I really enjoy... but especially when I'm watching a movie I don't really love, and B) based on the previews, I didn't think I was going to particularly enjoy this movie. I don't like action movies to begin with, and the previews I saw of this were full of violence. C) I found the last 3-D movie I went to, A Christmas Carol, to be somewhat hypnotizing and thus a great sleep-aid. D) It was a late showing--10:15--which *always* exacerbates this cinematic snooze problem of mine. E) I was completely exhausted to begin with, from the holidays in general, but also from a gig we had on the 30th (note to self: sit down during breaks when doing gigs while pregnant in 40s) and then of course New Year's Eve (we have an annual party), and my longed-for long nap during the day yesterday just didn't pan out. Because I wasn't sure I was going to like the movie anyway, I didn't really mind that I was probably going to sleep through it--I figured we'd get there, I'd get a feel for this movie that everyone was talking about, and then not-too-far-in I could start catching up on my sleep and my husband (um, let's call him Bob) could fill me in later.

But I didn't fall asleep. At all. This movie held my attention all the way until 1:00am.

It wasn't just the special effects that kept me awake, though they were admittedly worth the price of admission (especially if you sneak in and use the glasses you kept from A Christmas Carol, which I'm *not* saying I did). It was aesthetically a beautiful movie, with abundant, great scenes of an otherworldly jungle. But that is actually the sort of thing that is likely to lull me to sleep as much as anything.

So, it was really the rather compelling storyline that did it for me, I guess I'd have to say. In particular, it was the transformation of the protagonist as the world of his avatar and the Na'Vi people (ok, humanoids) becomes more and more real to him than the world from which he came, a transformation we as the audience undergo as well, to a degree. But also it's a great story of good vs. evil, and will-the-underdogs-beat-the-bully and all that. But also (and I don't think I'll be spoiling it for anyone by saying this, because you keep hearing it all over) it's a movie with a strong message rooted in current events, with interesting--if rather uncomfortable--implications. But more about that in a minute.

The other thing that held my interest was my consideration throughout of a very interesting review I had read in the New York Times. A brief quote: "The remarkable thing about 'Avatar' is the degree to which the technology is integral to the story. It is important to show Pandora and its Na’Vi natives in 3-D because 'Avatar' is fundamentally about the moral necessity of seeing other beings fully." It's true. It's very much a movie about perspective. And this is related to the other things that I said kept my attention during the movie, namely, the protagonist's (and our) gradual entrance into this other world, but also the critique this movie offers of American foreign policy.

You know, when you go to a movie, a good/compelling one at least, you go on a journey with that movie, and the journey this movie takes you on is one of increasing sympathy with the Na'Vi people. It felt strange and more-than-a-bit disorienting to me to find myself sympathizing with the underdogs in their struggle against the rapacious, bullying, imperialist enemy, when all the while I could not help being aware that that enemy is really us. Now, listen... those who know me know I'm a die-hard progressive and peacenik who loves my country but has never shied away from criticizing it. In fact, I think it's our patriotic duty to question and, when necessary, criticize our great country. It keeps us honest, and is absolutely vital to the health and survival of democracy.

So it's not that I felt strange engaging in a critique of American aggression. Not one bit. But it's one thing to be critical or even to radically oppose a policy or an entire war (or even war in general). It's another thing to be cheering for this group that wants to destroy "our" soldiers. I take that seriously and it makes me kinda sick to my stomach even as I write the words, because there are people in our military right now whom I really love. My own dad was a veteran (way back in WWII, but still). I couldn't possibly be hoping for any harm to come to them! Not for a split second, not even just by extension during a movie about an alternate universe. And yet, the story does kind of try to lead you there, within its own framework I mean.

(I'm not accusing James Cameron of hating our troops; please understand! If I had to guess, I'd say he's just trying to get us to think about things from a different angle for a minute... or 160 minutes... to consider what it is that our country may be doing to other countries, to other people, to their homes, their lives. And maybe to ask ourselves, and each other, and our government: why.)

But I guess I shouldn't feel too conflicted about all that because after all, as I said, I am a peacenik. I pretty much reject violence as a solution, even as a solution to violence. I don't want ANYone to come to a violent end; I really don't. I don't have this worked out utterly and completely (the Hitler thing remains a sticking point to me), and it's pretty hard to see how in this movie the Na'Vi could have successfully engaged in nonviolent resistance. And I also know that some will consider my viewpoints naive. I'm not going to go into a full explanation of why I try my hardest to embrace peace on both a global and also the most individual level, in every single situation, because that would make this post too long. But I will say that I think all war is a tragic failure of humanity to live up to our potential. All war saddens me deeply. I do believe that we can do better and that we must find ways to do better. Not just we Americans, but we humans. In support of this, I would point to what great things have been accomplished by proponents/practitioners of nonviolence such as Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and, well, Nelson Mandela.

Which brings me to Invictus. Compared to Avatar, it was a modest, quiet movie. But it was terrific. I loved it, and found it deeply inspiring but not schmaltzy. The message of Nelson Mandela came through beautifully. I found it moving on a personal level as well as a political one: if he could forgive those people who imprisoned him for 27 years and who actually wanted him dead, and who dragged his family out of their home, if he could forgive them enough to become *their* leader and to represent *their* interests, whom could I not forgive, ever? What a great challenge Mandela's example offers to each one of us for our own lives, for how we interact with one another on an individual and a global level.

I know that Invictus was not about what to do when the enemy is attempting to destroy your home, and so in some ways perhaps a comparison with Avatar is unfair. Invictus is about what happens after the underdog has already won, and how, when the underdog suddenly finds himself in a position of power, he finds a way to heal everyone involved. He finds a way to give them the real respect they never gave him, and to treat them with a humanity they never would have expected after the way they treated him (and those like him) for so very, very long. It gives me faith in humankind. A reason to hope. For *real* change. Lasting change. For peace. And for the safety and well-being of every person on this planet.

Ok, I think I'll get off my soapbox and go make a daisy chain now. Or maybe I'll try to catch up on my sleep, finally.

5 comments:

  1. Wow. Before reading this post, I didn't have any interest in seeing Avatar - because, like you, from the previews I thought it was just violent and not interesting to me. But now I'm deeply curious to experience this movie the way you did. (Well, maybe not at 10 o'clock at night!)

    And Invictus has been on my list, too, so I'm glad to hear that you thought it was well done and fitting Madiba's message!

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  2. Definitely read the NYT piece I linked to before you go--I kept thinking about it the whole time and it really enhanced my appreciation of the film. In fact, it's probably what made me want to see the film in spite of the bang-bang-shoot-em-up previews. The previews were definitely somewhat misleading, IMHO, and did the movie a disservice. It's not as bad as they make it look!

    I'll be interested to hear what you think, of both movies, when you go... enjoy!

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  3. PS--Bob says "daisy chain" means something other than what I intended. Just to clarify: I was talking about a necklace made of daisies, like hippies (and 4-or-5-year-old-would-be-hippies) used to make back in the 60s and early 70s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_garland#Daisy_chain

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  4. Hey... I know you're enjoying the warmth and excitement of your vacation right now... but whenever you return to regular life, I'd like you to know I passed along the Sunshine Award to 10 bloggers who inspired me this week... and included you for inspiring me to get out to the movies! :)

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  5. Thanks, MamaGames!!! (Does this mean I now get to say that I have an "award-winning blog"?)

    :-)

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