Processing Our Past on the Screen

On Monday I went to MOMA to finally see some of the Spain UnCensored series before it ended. Lucky for me, Victor Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive was screening one more time. I've seen the film before (and I own it) but never on the big screen and being that it is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen on the small screen I knew I was in for a treat!

Of course, I was right, the film looked amazing, but what struck me more than the aesthetics this time were the political undertones, which I knew were there but had never left such an impression on me. It got me to thinking about how politics work in the framework of American cinema today. Current politics of course are present in our theaters - ranging from In the Valley of Elah to Lions for Lambs, but these films highlight their politics in plot, often wearing their opinions on their sleeves. I'm hard pressed to think of a current release that is a subtle as The Spirit of the Beehive, let alone as creative and heartbreaking.

Ana Torrent's eyes speak volumes about the state of Spain during Franco's regime - comparisons between the community of the bee and human communities, ideas of drones and dictators and visuals of Frankenstein and a soldier on the lam all come together to paint a portrait of childhood fantasy as well as a chilling comment on fascism. Perhaps it's just me, but I find films that don't hit you over the head with their message much more effective in relaying a feeling or having an audience understand an idea about a political point. You may not directly understand it, or be able to put your thoughts directly into words, but in the end a more intuitive comprehension is likely more swaying than an intellectual one (we are great rationalizers.. I mean who doesn't think Starbuck's coffee tastes great?.)

Of course, what really bugs me more than the content we are creating, is the content many Americans, especially young progressive folks, are watching. While in years past, young people flocked to films with subtitles, today they are less inclined to do so. The attendance rate of people under 30 at this year's NYFF would seem ample proof of that. I find it interesting that young people who work so hard to try and get Americans to stop selfish capitalistic ways and embrace the rest of the world, don't watch many foreign films. Iran, a country we have a very tricky relationship with, is responsible for some of the best cinema in recent years, but of my friends who spend their time trying to change the world, very few know who Kirostami is. It isn't just a matter of entertainment, it's about supporting an industry and content that only furthers American domination ("cinema" is without a doubt one of our biggest exports and more than that places a cultural stronghold on the rest of the world).

The stories we choose to tell and share, express who we are and how we are processing what happens to us as a society and while films like the current releases I mentioned above, as well as the current surge in documentaries, are important as more direct dialogues on our situation, I can't help but long for an American Cria Cuervos (Carlos Saura) Father (Istvan Szavbo), The Marriage of Maria Braun ( R.W. Fassbinder ) or The Spirit of the Beehive. I guess I want stories that teach us something about humanity as well as recount political presents and pasts, I want movies that entertain as well as evaluate without having to tell me they are doing so, I want to feel it. Is that asking for too much...?