(as published in Rage, The Star Malaysia - Feature
29/06/2007)
WHEN the movie adaptation of comic legend Alan Moore's V for
Vendetta hit the screens last year, almost every local movie critic gave it a
gigantic "thumbs-up".
The movie follows the plot and deeds of V, a victim of a
tyrannical, totalitarian government, who was consequently empowered by its
cruelty to take vengeance. Yet, this avenger executes more than a personal
vendetta, but goes all the way to spark a revolution, which would eventually
lead to the crumbling of the entire system.
In all the bleakness and banality that Hollywood can be when
it comes to graphic novel adaptations, this film is probably the first pop
movie in many years to invite actual discussions beyond the mere
entertainment or film critique, and the first to invite
everyone into discourse, even here in Malaysia.
Sure, the movie's subjects or premise doesn't remotely
reflect Malaysia in any way at all.
However, as the character Evey Hammond so eloquently puts
it, "Artists use lies to tell the truth."
We too, have our hidden fears in this nation, we too have
our doubts, and we too carve our illusions and lie in the tranquility that is
provided.
Which is perhaps why this movie was massively well received
by Malaysians; albeit for some, only for entertainment value.
"Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath
this mask there is an idea ... and ideas are bulletproof," Hugo Weaving,
as V, says in the movie.
What V, this man in cape and a Guy Fawkes mask embodies, is
beyond a regular superhero's campy moniker.
Instead, he becomes the idea of a sound, calculated
rebellion by the people both in mind and in action against an unjust, unfair
and corrupt authority.
His means to an end may be drastic when considered
literally, but what he symbolises ultimately transcends beyond being a mere
character, rather the every man state of vox populi – the voice of the people.
That is also what makes the movie's message universal.
Another Hollywood film with a similar quality is perhaps the
1999 satirical thriller, Fight Club.
It's been eight years since the movie's release, yet its
consumerism-driven, advertising-pacified perspective of society, is still
applicable today.
The movie tells the tale of a nameless Jack, a white-collar
working class man in a corporation, who loses his purpose of life and sought to
seek an out by teaming up with neo-anarchist Tyler Durden.
Drown in a life of perpetual consumerism, Jack finds an
unconventional solace in a gathering of similarly dissatisfied men in
underground fighting rings.
But as the plot unfolds, these gatherings of
"stress-release" and "character building" slowly become a
recruiting ground for a revolution of higher purpose: the destruction of the
corporate power.
Like V for Vendetta, the methods taken by the
revolutionaries in Fight Club, should not be taken as literal answers to an
existing social dilemma.
Instead, the anarchist character Tyler Durden becomes the
vehicle that carries the idea of "enlightenment", rather than
"destruction".
One does not need to destroy to make changes, but it is
crucial to carry a cautious and knowledgeable perspective.
However, these movies may be a little daunting for those who
are new to the concepts they present.
Although a fantasy background that these stories are built
upon gives a certain freedom for their interpretations, not all would be able
to relate to them completely.
It's also a rarity to find creative works that challenges
their own often loop-sided perspectives.
But perhaps one such rarity is the 2004 German-Austrian
film, The Edukators.
The Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm Award nominee tells the
story of three young adults, Peter, Jan and Julie living in the city of Berlin.
The three are anti-capitalist activists who use their skills
with home security alarm systems to break into the mansions of the rich and
re-arrange their furniture. These seemingly pointless pranks may be seen as a reminder in their own perspectives – a message to
the viewers that the rich are not inaccessible, and a call to release social
segregation by economics.
However, this "noble" concept is challenged when
one of their pranks gone awry and they had to abduct a wealthy victim to a
secluded cottage away from the city.
Immediately, the romantic image of a revolutionary is
challenged as we see the three panicking about how best to deal with the
situation.
The scene also goes into a cross-examination of youthful
ideals, how idealism often does not amount to the utopian outcomes we often
dream of.
Then, we're presented with two optional views of the subject
– in the face of reality, do we abandon our ideals? Or do we seek ways to
retain them, although they may seem utterly impossible?
Ultimately, the solutions lie with the audience as changes
begin with the individual.
Movies like V for Vendetta, Fight Club and The Edukators do
not provide the answers, but merely poses the questions for our own
contemplations.
So as the dust settles from these silver-screen revolutions,
perhaps it's also time we seek our own revolutions – within ourselves