David Clarkson- Film as Midrash

February 18, 2016

Krzysztof Kieslowski's hermeneutic style of making films is demonstrated in his series, The Decalogue. To start, these two films were relatively hard to watch because of the immense violence and tragedy that was demonstrated in the two films, which were written in defense of two of the ten commandments: Thou shall have no other Gods before Me, and Thou shall not kill. The happenings were real life events that could occur, and do occur everyday. In the first film, the father sees the computer and calculations as the God of his life. All his decisions are based on rationality and reason. There is nothing he does out of pure faith or emotion, as everything is calculated and comfortable to him. Things change quickly for the worse for him, as his son falls through the "frozen" lake to his death, after his calculations deemed it was safe for his son to go skating. The trust the father had put into calculation and reason completely breaks into shambles, as his beloved son is now dead because of his failure. To me, the message the director is making is clear- It is detrimental to put other Gods before the one true God. Some questions I had were, did the man sitting by the fire kill his son? Or did he just fail to save him? And what about the computer, was God speaking to him or mocking him through the device?

In the second film we experience and extremely violent murder carried out by a troubled young man. There is not doubt that this young man was wrestling with his life, as he seemed like a lost outcast to society. Scarred by the part he played in the death of his sister, the young man has had a troubled and complicated past. Clearly, he is planning to do something, something that he believes he HAS to do. Soon, we are able to begin to piece together his plan, and soon enough he strangles and beats a random taxi driver to death. This murder leads to his death, as he is hanged for his actions. Again, to me the message the director is attempting to make is clear: Killing a human will only lead you to death and despair. Some questions I had were, Why didn't he try to run and hide after murdering the taxi driver? How and Why did he believe that this action would rectify his past shortcomings?

David Clarkson Tree of Life

February 18, 2016

The Tree of Life was way different than I first expected. I did not expect to be as drawn in and interested as I was during the movie. During the film, we are taken on a journey that we as humans can relate to on multiple levels. The Texas family is a very relatable group of people through, where we can see a lot of similarities between our life and theirs. Through this family we can see the main theme that the director, Terrence Malik, presents- the conflict between nature and grace. Mrs. O'Brien is the representative of grace in the film. Her children love her deeply because she loves them unconditionally even when their father, the representative of nature, is disciplining them. No matter what the situation is, Mrs. O'Brien always finds a way to make her children happy. This was easily noticeable when the father went on a business trip, leaving her alone with the kids. While he was gone they could have fun, and enjoy themselves together without limits. The children's love for the mother seems to continually grow throughout the movie. The father on the other hand is always disciplining the children. They seem to love him because they have to, and because they fear his punishment instead of loving him because he is their father. There is no doubt that he is deeply in love with his children, however his love is hard to grasp for the younger children, especially at such a young age. His discipline is blatantly highlighted, as he makes his son Jack practice closing the door quietly 50 times, because he has closed it so loudly the first time. This makes me wonder what the correct balance of nature and grace is in the family setting for parents? I think both extremes can have the upsides and downsides, but the line seems to be unclear. Should parents act more like Mr. or Mrs. O'Brien when they are raising their children?

In the end, it seems if the director's answer to this question is revealed, as Mr. O'Brien loses his job, and the family is forced to move. Mr. O"Brien seems to regret his previous style of parenting. Grace triumphs, as the family is ultimately brought closer together through the tough time they are going through. Even Jack seems to come around and forgive his father by giving him a second chance. Grace brings the family back together, grace brings them back into love, but if they had not gone through the suffering and hardships they experienced would they have ever found this redeeming and transforming grace?

Nature and Grace

Nature and Grace 

February 8, 2016

Class Film 

Terrence Malick’s film, Tree of Life, depicts two ways of life: the way of nature and the way of grace. Nature only takes for itself. It is harsh, cruel, and unforgiving. Grace enjoys, shares, loves, and cherishes life. It overlooks all wrongs gives without asking. Throughout the film, these two ways are held in tension with one another. Mr. O’Brien becomes so consumed by his work and driven for success. He warns his sons that in order to make it in life they must suspend goodness. One must exercise the will to power in this world of cruelty and unfairness. Mrs. O’Brien, on the other hand, represents the way of grace. She loves her boys unconditionally, delighting in their innocence, playfulness, and curiosity. She struggles with the loss of her middle son mightily, asking God why He took him from her. It is at the end of the film when she says, “I give him to you,” realizing that he was God’s all along. The way of grace and the way of nature clash in the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien, perhaps symbolizing how these two ways clash in nearly all of life. In the end, however, grace wins out. “The nuns taught us that no one who loves the way of grace ever comes to a bad end.” The loss of his job makes Mr. O’Brien realize his own disillusionment in life and how he had acted foolishly for so long, thinking that the way of nature would put him on top. The family is forced to leave their home. As the car is driving away, Mrs. O’Brien is heard saying that “the only way to be happy is to love. Unless you love, your life will flash by.” Grace triumphs over nature in the end because it comes from a power far greater than that of nature. Nature is man’s creation and projection onto the world. Grace is God’s designated order of all things. In the end, grace must win, as reality is unveiled.

The Rise of Film

The Rise of Film

January 18, 2016

Topic of Choice

After the invention of the printing press, ideas spread all throughout Europe with a rapidity unparalleled in history. Books became accessible to the common man and the secrets of the university became a part of the average layman’s everyday dialogue. This extraordinary historical and social transformation may be compared to the rise of film in the contemporary age. Whereas books were the medium for stories during the early modern age, film has become the most prevalent medium for stories in contemporary society. The power and ascendency of film is found in it’s ability to portray image, sound, and narrative together. When it comes to books we are left to our own imaginations in hearing and seeing a character. Film is perhaps the most complete form of art, bringing together the whole of the human experience onto a screen. Movies depict the human condition in a complete way that other forms of art fail to do. Understanding how film has risen as a contemporary form of art evokes the question of how film will continue to develop as art. In every other medium of art, besides film, there is a category for the sacred. This begs the question: will there ever be a sacred category for films? I believe the answer is no. All other forms of art seem to capture a part of a whole. Film is exclusive from other forms of art in it’s ability to tie all other forms together in a complete whole, incorporating words, dance, music, architecture, ideas, etc. Film cannot be contained in the way that other expressions of art can be, since it contains elements of them all. For this reason, I believe, film has the power to reveal and communicate the sacred but that no sole film will be considered sacred. 

Tree of Life

Tree of Life is a film that is very philosophically rich. Director, Terrence Malick, explores many questions about our world and about human nature. The theme that Malick explores in most detail is the affect that the clash of nature and grace has on human life. The film follows the life of a family in the 1950s. the mother serves as the provider of grace, while the father embodies the idea of nature. 

The eldest son, Jack, is harshly disciplined by his father, while his mother serves as a source of comfort. He is an incredibly complex and dynamic character. He is stuck in between this battle of nature versus grace. A good chunk of the film is Jack dealing with the quintessential difficulties of boyhood. He begins to disobey his mother and runs off doing destructive things with the neighborhood boys. This is Jack following the path of nature. He does these things to be accepted by his friends rather than doing what is right. When Jack steals the night gown, he is overwhelmed with guilt and feels compelled to rid himself of the stolen gown. This serves as a reminder to the audience that despite all of the destructive behavior that Jack has engaged in recently, he still is a good kid with a good heart. It is easy to stray away from the path of grace and Jack has certainly experienced this, but we are led to believe that Jack has decided to pursue a path of grace. He is shown providing love and compassion to his younger brother who is very upset. Additionally, Jack’s father also expresses glimpses of compassion. He apologizes for being so harsh on his son and asks for his forgiveness. 

I think Terrence Malick was trying to make a statement about humans and free will. Because humans have free will, it is incredibly hard to choose to live a life of grace. We are constantly being influenced by different forces of nature. Unfortunately most of these forces are negative, and this makes it difficult to be virtuous. The path of nature preceded the existence of humans and it is deep rooted within all of us, making us inherently self- interested and covetous. However, when an individual chooses grace and acts compassionately or selflessly, it is especially powerful. It is as if once a seed of compassion is planted, it has the power to grow into something beautiful. 

Tree of Life - Dusty Nelson

The Tree of Life was a unique movie experience for me.  Dr. Balay ended his paper on the tree of life saying something along these lines, "only where wonder grows does the tree of life blossom".  The movie seemed to focus on how we make sense of the big questions that confront us.  What is the meaning of it all?  Why do bad things happen?  Do we have to choose between living on the ground or up in cities built in the clouds? (I think I'm stealing that analogy from a Josh Ritter song).  Through a mostly visual presentation, the director Terrence Malick takes us on a journey through the lives of a 1950's Texas family who are wrestling with these questions.  At the same time Malick gives us a visually striking representation of the evolution of the universe.  For me it seemed to serve as a representation of the smallness and insignificance we sometimes feel when we wonder at the expanse of it all. Yet in that expanse there was incredible beauty.  It made everything that does happen, seem to be a miracle in itself.  This "reflecting on the condition to possibility" (Dr. Balay), seemed to be at the heart of our spiritual growth. 

At the end of the movie Jessica Chastain, the mother, lets go of her struggle to make sense of her sons death. She says, "I give him to you".  It seems to be an acceptance of the way of nature and the way of grace.  Could Malick be trying to show us that the way of nature, and the way of grace, go together?  Or is this just meant to be a work of art?

Tree of Life- two paths of life

When the film The Tree of Life began, I originally assumed it was going to be about a family in the mid 1950's coping with the death of their son and learning to overcome the tragedy. I was expecting to watch a long, painful journey with the mother and father that eventually would end with the two of them overcoming the hardship and falling deeper in love. A good, cliche ending to a film. But boy, was I mistaken. This film takes on the big questions of life and forces the viewers to feel, like actually feel. I experienced more emotions than I can list while watching this film. I went from simply watching the film to emotionally investing myself into the lives of the characters and feeling what I imagined they must have been feeling at the time. The Tree of Life requires its audience to feel and ask questions. 

Personally, I believe that the overall theme of this film is the choice between Nature and Grace. There are two different paths to take in life, living by nature or living by grace. Taking the path of Nature will show you the cruel, survival of the fittest view of the world. Adversely, the path of grace is forgiving, loving, and very sympathetic.  The father in this film follows the path of nature. He wants to instill the competitive, hard working mindset onto his sons so badly that he is shown as emotionally abusive. The mother follows the path of grace and in return her husband views her as weak and admits that he blames her for turning his sons against him. The mother continuously loves her boys and her husband, even when they are far from lovable in return, because grace has taught her forgiveness and unconditional love.

Whichever path you choose, between grace or nature, it will dictate your decisions and completely shape the way you see the world. I like to think we have a choice of the path we take through life, but the way we were raised is going to have a large impact on the path we choose to take. The oldest son grew up with an emotionally abusive father, following the path of nature, and an extremely caring mother whom he loved very much, following the path of grace. One would think it would be an easy choice for this boy to see the more favorable path to follow in life, but because of the large impact his father had on him while growing up the boy finds himself falling into the path of nature. There was a scene in the film that shows the father and son in the backyard and the son admits to his father "I'm more like you than I am her." This does not seem to be something the boy is proud of, but it is something that he is aware of.

After watching this film, did you think about the path that you chose? If you did, are you confident in that path or would you considering switching?