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2007-02-20 issue:

Lessons from the best films of 2006

Mediaculture column

by Gordon Houser

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While the best feature films do not set out to teach lessons, we can still draw helpful insights from them. Here are some lessons from my top films of 2006 (see list below).

Films often reflect the issues current in the world of their audiences. One of those issues is the pervasive violence around the world. Cinema is filled with images of violence, and many of these are gratuitous, i.e. not germane to the story but for the “pleasure” of the audience. Many of the films on my list show violence, but it is portrayed more as a problem than as an answer.

Susan Mark Landis (page 8) discusses the “myth of redemptive violence” that pervades our culture. Many of these films tend to judge rather than reinforce that myth.

For example, Letters from Iwo Jima (my #1) shows the effects of war on Japanese soldiers left to die on the island of Iwo Jima. It contradicts our tendency to see these “enemies” as inhuman or uninterested in living. It shows the ugliness of war and how fickle our political loyalties can be.

United 93 (my #2) helps us in our grief work after 9/11. By reenacting many of the events of that day in a realistic rather than propagandistic manner, the film serves as a kind of catharsis, helping us relive that day and grieve rather than seek revenge.

Pan’s Labyrinth (#3) looks at violence through the eyes of a young girl. In her imagination, she faces three tests from a faun. In one she overcomes fear, in another she is tempted by forbidden food and fails, and in a third she learns self-sacrifice, all Christian virtues from a film that does not claim to be Christian.

The Queen (#4) offers lessons in leadership. Queen Elizabeth II practices dignity and discipline but learns to adjust to the needs of her people.

By focusing on a future world with no children, The Children of Men (#5) shows us the redeeming effect children have on our world and the importance of hope in living an ethical life.

The Departed (#6) comes closest to being an exception to my point about violence. As with other films by Scorsese, it can seem excessive. And while the film may tempt audiences to root for revenge, it shows the tribal violence and betrayal of gang war and greed. And the writing is terrific.

While it satirizes the glitz of beauty pageants for young girls, Little Miss Sunshine (#7) is really about how the love of a family helps each member deal with the death of their dreams.

Babel (#8) reflects our globalized world, weaving together stories set in Morocco, Mexico, Japan and the United States. As the title implies, the film shows the ill effects of failed communication. It also shows how government bureaucracies based on fear lead to other problems and destroy people’s lives.

I’ve written about An Inconvenient Truth (#9), the only documentary on the list and meant to teach a lesson about global warming (see July 18, 2006).

As you watch films, look for insights you may find helpful.

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