Film, Literature, & the Human Condition

When Star Wars was released back in 1977, it unleashed a cultural phenomenon, one that only cultivated with the release of its two sequels. Over the years, these films have achieved a level of recognition both for the breadth of its popularity and for its cinematic brilliance. To some people, the Star Wars universe transcends beyond movies. I am one of those people, but not in the sense you may think. If you tried to start a conversation with me about the different makes of starships or models of lightsabers, my expression would turn into a chasm of obliviousness. My favorite of the original trilogy of movies is The Empire Strikes Back, because it most deeply explores the reason I am drawn to this world, going into a profound meditation about some of the themes that were introduced in the first film. It begins exploring the mystery and power of the Force. George Lucas only gives us vague impressions of what the Force is exactly. It could be a religion judging by the way both the Jedi and Sith lead their lives in accordance to it, but the Force is not something they worship. It is created by life, not the creator of life. It is closer to philosophy, but there is still an inherent spiritual element that elevates it to something more. Whatever the Force may be, in the space of three movies, it made a simple, yet powerful statement about existence, that the universe thrives on a conflict between two equally matched spiritual forces, one good, the other evil. And we need to pick a side. (continue reading…)

The Sopranos is the greatest show in television history. To even regard it as merely a television show does not do it justice. Everyone who’s seen even one episode knows this. The entire series is collectively a masterpiece of the human condition. It has made us afraid, laugh, cry, and ponder, not all at the same time, but in intermittent periods throughout our glimpse into the lives of these characters. In that sense, it is the closest representation to real life as can be, simultaneously switching gears between the banality of nothingness to the harrowing consequences of investing emotions into anything. Despite its exploration of characters whose existences are far more exciting than the average person, it manages to speak to our deepest personal concerns. Because of this, The Sopranos is like a feeding ground for discussions about a wide variety of subjects. A lot of people may think it’s silly, but throughout the show’s entire run, one character in particular sat with me for a long time. Not Tony Soprano himself or his gold-digging wife Carmella.  No, it was Gloria Trillo, the complicated saleswoman whom Tony had an affair with. She was reduced to a mistress even though she truly loved him. Tony himself began to recognize this and started reciprocating her sentiments, but her emotional turbulence eventually drove him away. Watching Gloria Trillo’s final moments is very difficult. She was a minor supporting character only in a few episodes, but the writers used her as a means to most prominently flex the show’s acute sense of the failure of human relations and aspirations that is at once cruel and deeply compassionate. (continue reading…)