A Profound Little Movie

[Exsubmariner]

Flight From Death: The Quest for Immortality

Here is the Wiki article.

I saw this movie a couple of months back. I have been mulling over it ever since. Before I go into all that, let me give you some spoilers.

Basically, the film is about human life. Contrary to the title, which is on death, the film focuses on all the things people do to affirm their life. You see, humans are unique in the animal kingdom. We have the capacity for imagination. We can imagine ourselves walking along the Great Wall of China while we are somewhere else and further, we can envision the steps it would take to get us from our present location to the Great Wall (an example actually used in the film). As a consequence of imagination, we can imagine our own death. Humans are capable of imagining a world without themselves. We can plan our funerals.

As a consequence we have a psychological need to engage in activities which affirm our existance. It can be having children, building great monuments, farming, playing poker, or whatever. Becker (whose work the movie is based on) calls these activities culture. I'm not so sure I buy his definition of culture, but I really can't argue with it. It is reasonable to place cultural activities in light of life affirmation.

In my own culture, that is, Western Culture, I know that I think, explore, learn, labor, achieve, master, celebrate, and therefore I am. So, in a sense, I have been programmed to behave in a way which I associate with affirming my existance. Personally, I think the culture is evolving to a stage where everyone gets to pick their own affirmations and no one is really programmed, so to speak, anymore, but that is another discussion.

The film goes further. It goes into what happens when divergent cultures meet. Some cultures will seek to make converts out of the new culture. We see this with Christian missionaries. Other cultures will seek to incorporate the new culture into their own. Still other cultures will seek to eliminate the new culture through violence. There are a number of responses. Basically, the more threatening a new culture is when encountered, the more likely violence is to result. A prime example of this is when Cortes saw human sacrifice on the part of the Aztecs and decided he was God's instrument in destroying them.

There are a number of interesting experiments in the film concerning symbology and the reluctance of people to desecrate the symbols which affirm their life. Such an experiment is one in which a Christian college student is tasked with hanging a crucifix on a wall, but the only implement he has which can successfully drive the nail is the cross itself (it's the last thing he tries after a long time of trying to engineer another way). Further, experimentation has been undertaken to show the level of aggression exhibited against people who somehow are a threat to life affirmation (a Christian having the opportunity to put hot sauce in a meal for an evolutionist was the experiment, I believe).

Specifically, the stages of reaction to a cultural threat are covered. 9/11 and the aftermath are extensively reviewed and the reactions, on a whole, are very much in line with theory.

The movie promises to be a profound and life altering experience. I wouldn't go that far, but it is illuminating. I now have a basis for putting events in context that I did not have before. I also have come to an understanding of my own reactions to certain life experiences which have challenged my perception.

This is a movie which has the ExSubmariner stamp of approval. Well worth it to watch this movie more than once and read more about the work on which it was based.

[Exsubmariner]

Shamelss bump.

You guys really need to go watch this movie and maybe put some Becker on the lounge book club.

If you have ever felt that there was something wrong with the world, Becker has figured it out and all you have to do is read it with an open mind.

[Keyser.]

I just ordered it, looks interesting. I'll check back after I watch it.

[chrisgl83]

Sounds fantastic. I wonder if I can rent it here in Holland.

[Mickey Brausch]

You saw the movie.

Check out the book.

[SlapPappy]

Just ordered it from Netflix. Didn't read the thread body because of the spoilers. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Blarg]

When you talked about the Christian trying to figure out how to nail up a cross, I kept on picturing a chimp trying to figure out how to stack blocks so he could grab a banana hung on a string from the ceiling.

Movie sounds like it could be either interesting, or painfully obvious and didactic. I suppose it might be worth seeing.

Your posts are usually very good, so that give me a little extra impetus.

[Exsubmariner]

Well,
When you see it, come back and tell me what you think. I'd really enjoy talking about it.

[Exsubmariner]

[ QUOTE ]
When you talked about the Christian trying to figure out how to nail up a cross, I kept on picturing a chimp trying to figure out how to stack blocks so he could grab a banana hung on a string from the ceiling.

Movie sounds like it could be either interesting, or painfully obvious and didactic. I suppose it might be worth seeing.

Your posts are usually very good, so that give me a little extra impetus.

[/ QUOTE ]

You know, watching the clip, I got the same feeling. There was a total mental block that this guy had to overcome to use his symbol as a physical tool. It was like he was making a totally new discovery for the very first time, that you could actually use the crucifix to drive the nail.

Trust me, it isn't so didactic. There are some really subtle things that you just don't scrutinize and the film really points them out. Figuring out someones affirmations isn't so obvious, either. Definately see it.

Thanks for your compliments. I hope you won't be disappointed.

[Exsubmariner]

You should at least be able to get the book....