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I think a problem that's very much mirrored in both the Israeli left and the US left is a widespread unwillingness to tackle the full implications of Land Back. A lot of times leftists (or what constitutes left of center in this cursed political climate) talk about these concepts as if they're a metaphor, or as if they can be brought about by modest reforms to the current system. But the thing to understand is that it's not just a fringe part of the system that promotes these policies, but rather the very core of the system itself. The core of the system ensures violence, enacts violence, and then accuses the victims of causing that violence. It is impossible to truly embrace the cause of peace without acknowledging this violence and working to end it. And no, there is no easy answer to that question by design. But ignoring the existence of a problem will not make it go away, and in fact only allows it to grow.
Some Thoughts on Parasite and Us
Feb. 10th, 2023 11:14 pmParasite had such an immense emotional impact on me. It's given me much to think about. But I haven't been able to watch it again. Because watching it was like...ripping away the veil of tolerability to show society at its bleakest. I'll be thinking about it for a long time though, whether I have the courage to rewatch it again or not. One thing I find so fascinating about Parasite is that...
(under a cut because while there are no specifics the following could be considered mild spoilers about the protagonists of the film)
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...it doesn't depend on the virtuousness of it's protagonists to convey its horror. In fact its protagonists all at various points engage in some pretty deplorable acts. I feel like some people completely miss the point of this because it doesn't fit into the narrative of virtuous impoverished victim who exists only to be pitied.
But I think it's much more real in conveying the desperation of existing at the margins and how suffering and loss doesn't necessarily make someone a better person. And I think it's also much more real about what 'pulling yourself up by your bootstraps' entails in a cutthroat world of dwindling opportunity.
Meanwhile I've already seen Jordan Peele's Us twice and even though it is a scary, scary film on more than one level it's also just...way more cheery while still going some bleak places.
Both films employ quite a bit of humor and deftly mix it with drama and horror. I also thought it was cool that Bong Joon-Ho namedropped Us in the interview I watched of him talking about Parasite, not long after I'd watched Us myself. The movies definitely have some overlapping themes and imagery, so I can see why he'd bring it up.
I probably sound like a film buff right now but in truth I usually don't watch many movies. It's just lately that I've been going back and watching some of the many movies I haven't seen before. Also, whenever I watch a film, I will then go read and watch a bunch of reviews on it so they can help me pick up on all the cool connections I missed.
Watched Jordan Peele's Us movie recently. This is probably one of my favorite movies and easily my favorite horror movie. It's also the movie where he draws the most on horror genre elements and easily the scariest of the Peele movies I've seen. Which is interesting because I also don't watch much horror in general, so I wouldn't expect to like the most horror-steeped film the most. But it's also such a fascinating story to think about, and I think that's why I enjoy it so much. I think you can probably interpret it in a lot of ways, but there are clearly themes relating to social class, superficiality, and Americans being their own worst enemies, an allegory made literal by the dopplegangers in the film. It's a story that explores the vacuousness of the American Dream. If I ever get enough energy and focus, I'd love to write a long meta essay on it.
