Midrash

In the first film, the first Commandment is depicted as the father holds his computer as his most prized possession. He relies on the information and calculations that he computes to direct his life. The computer is depicted as a powerful symbol of contrast to the blind faith that the boy's aunt has for her Roman Catholic faith. There is no definite answer with God, but even the definite answer given by the computer happens to be incorrect and costs the father his son's life. In the beginning of the film, the boy finds a dead dog and becomes emotional while explaining what he saw to his father. The father explains, without emotion, that death is an anatomical occurrence in which the heart stops beating. The emotion and blinding faith that the boy has is juxtaposed by the father's very calculated and practical outlook on life events. The father teaches his son how to rely on calculations and naturally, the boy becomes interested in his father's passion. The aunt, however, introduces her nephew to the idea of faith. There is a man sitting by a fire throughout the film with no explanation and no dialogue. From what I gathered, this man is symbolic of God. While everyone is trying to find reason in tragedy or reason in any circumstance, sometimes there is none. The man is watching and waiting throughout the whole film, until the point where the son dies. I thought the placement of this mysterious man made the film the most interesting. 

The second film addressed the fifth Commandment, thou shall not kill. The main character is portrayed at first as a criminal, however later in the film exposes the tragedy in his past which evokes empathy and pity for him. While the murder that he commits is brutal, he seems to second guess himself throughout the scene and appears to be in a miserable state. The only time he smiles is while he is in a cafe and he sees two young girls who, we later learn, may have reminded him of his sister who passed away. The making of the film is interesting because the main character is portrayed as a mischievous boy, while the man he ends up killing is first portrayed as a creepy and perverted man. It is interesting because the audience is challenged with empathizing with a murderer or seeking justice for a sinful man. At the end, the boy is sentenced to death, but killed in an inhumane manner. The institutional death is very similar to the murder as both are drawn out including a struggle from the victim. There is also symbolism in the rope, as the boy murders with a rope and ends up being hung as a death penalty. Once again, there are average and human depictions of God, as a janitor and a road worker. God is present but not directly involved in the deaths.