There have been some fantastic politically centric films in our age. Politics can make for some fantastic drama, mystery, intrigue and entertainment. But the thing is, it seems like most people enjoy political movies when they really have little to do with real politics. We love seeing great movies like “Dave” (man I do love that movie) or “The American President” (don’t laugh, it’s my favorite Annette Bening performance), films that may have political figures… films that may have political environments… but a lot of people seem to cringe at movies that have political topics.
When movies come out that address political situations in our world, some people seem to recoil. Films like “Stop Loss”, “Rendition”, “Lions For Lambs” and others ended up getting blasted by a lot of people even before their first screenings simply because they were political in nature (or because of the specific political topic). The upcoming Oliver Stone movie on George W. Bush simply titled “W” is already starting to get some of that treatment.
One of the obvious observations I’ve made in the past is that people who complain about these sorts of movies (or about celebrities who are vocal about their political beliefs) usually only do so when they disagree about what the movie or celebrity is saying about certain topics. Some will love hearing Sean Penn talk about the war in Iraq and say he’s just being a good citizen trying to bring about change… but then loudly complain that James Belushi should “shut up” and that he shouldn’t talk about things he’s not an expert on when addressing the exact same issue, only from a different point of view. The opposite is true as well when we see some people praising Charlton Heston as a great american for speaking out and supporting the political causes he believed in, and then call Tim Robbins a traitor who should shut up when doing the exact same thing, only from a different point of view.
I think most people would agree that the United States has never in its history been more divided politically than it has been for the last few years. Right and Left hate each other with a dripping venom where neither side can do anything right in their eyes. So in an environment like this… are movies about political issues a good idea?
Let me give my personal opinion on the matter as a starting point and we can go from there.
To me, from the creative stand point, movies are by nature art. As art, film is subjective, giving everyone who looks at it, observes it and engages it a slightly different experience than the next person who stands in the same place and sees the exact same thing. That, in essence is the single most beautiful thing about film. But from the creators perspective… art is also about expression. Expression of ideas. Expression of experiences. Expressions of how they see the world. Expression of how they think the world should be. Expressions of love, fear, hate, loneliness, despair, excitement, hope and joy in serious, silly, parody or frightening ways.
If then, movies are at a base level a medium for that very expression, then why should certain topics, especially large topics that effect our society, our culture and our world be considered “off limits”? Why would we say it’s alright for an artist to express their thoughts and observations on the quirks of modern dating, but not allow for them to give their expressions on issues that seriously effect thousands or millions of people?
Much like art itself is subjective to those that observe it, the artists themselves will each have their own unique way of seeing the world around them and their art reflects that. Why must we precondition our appreciation of their unique expressions as long as we AGREE or share their views? I’ve never understood that. Why is it that something someone has to say is only valuable as long as we deem it “correct”? Why is something only worth observing as long as it already aligns with what we already believe? Isn’t there value in the expression itself? Isn’t there worth in the perception of the artist regardless of its synchronicity to our own perceptions?
For example, I don’t really think high school kids should be constantly getting hammered and humping like rabbits. But I still appreciate Super Bad. I personally don’t think force and violence are what will end the world’s problems… but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate and enjoy Tears of the Sun or Rambo.
So to me, movies about political topics should be made, regardless if I agree with them or not. To limit that, is to ask an artist to limit what or how they see the world, and I don’t think that makes much sense. Everything that expresses an opinion is “preachy” and promoting a certain point of view to one degree or another, and in and of itself I think that’s fine. Just because we engage and even enjoy the expression of a certain point of view doesn’t mean we have to agree with is. To me all that really matter is “Does the expression come off to me in an engaging or entertaining way?”
But that’s just my point of view on this issue. I’m sure lot of you guys have a million variations of opinions on this matter. Share your thoughts below. Should movies address political issues? Why or why not?
