In one of my Humanities classes in college, my teacher told us that with the invention of the camera, art suddenly had the freedom to capture more that what their eye could see. Thus, modern art became a pursuit of imagination, doing what has never been done before, introducing worlds people have never seen. It made art more powerful.
NOAH is exactly that. The makers of this movie, in my opinion, were not setting out to tell the story of Noah. If you want to see it, go watch a cartoon you were always shown in Sunday School. If you want to see it, go read Genesis. BUT, if you want to see the idea of Noah presented in a powerful, thought-provoking, fantastical (as in fantasy-like) way, go experience NOAH. For it truly is an experience.
What is the theme of the story of Noah? What is the idea? I've been thinking about this ever since I talked with my sister about her experience seeing this movie. She said Noah was, for her, always a story of obedience. For me, Noah was always a story of..... well, I didn't even really know. For Darren Aronofsky, Noah is a story of starting over. So many different ways of getting off the path intended for you and various ways of getting back on. That was the driving theme of this movie-- people getting off a path and how to get back on it.
Humanity, for example, had strayed so far off the path intended for them by the Creator. (It didn't really bother me that they never called him God because the movie is about creation. Creating new life, creating original life so it seemed fit to call him by that title.) Aronofsky's depiction of the evil humanity had succumbed to was both subtle and in your face. I finally understood what the Bible meant by saying men were so wicked it disgusted God. I was disgusted by humans in that movie; by their subtle pride and reliance on themselves alone, to their destruction of the creations around them, to the cold, hard hearts. Sometimes, we get so far off the path that there is no way to get back on but by starting completely over. Thus, the Creator decided to wipe humanity off the Earth and start again. Try again. So he did.... obviously by a flood because that's the story.
But Aronofsky and and Handel (the second writer) didn't stop there. They saw and portrayed other examples of getting off the path. They used this biblical story as an avenue for exploring that.
Noah himself got off the path. He became so blinded by one commandment, one idea-- the wickedness of man-- that he forgot all other commandments. He was consumed with wanting to be so obedient because he could feel the weight of his calling. Could this be a commentary on religion in general-- how sometimes extremists focus so much on one commandment, they forget about mercy, love, change, and faith? Yes. This idea is both universal and personal. I found myself reflecting of how often I've done that in my life-- and how, like Noah, I learned to get back on the real path. Noah did it through realizing the love in his heart, taking control over his own decisions rather than assuming God would take control, and through forgiveness. Making Noah human made him real.
Sometimes we get off the path because we do not allow ourselves to get on it. We do not allow ourselves the happiness the Creator intended for us. Ila (Emma Watson's character) went through that journey. She did not let herself on that path because of she was damaged (I don't want to give too much away!). Whether it be through tragedy, illness, disabilities, circumstances-- we are not on the path of the Creator but just as with Ila, it is through God's mercy that we can begin walking. Ila's story hit me more than others perhaps because I'm a woman so I felt as though I could understand exactly what she was feeling and so, when the Creator blessed her, his mercy and love overwhelmed me to tears. Truly God is good. He does want us to be on the path of happiness.
You know, I said a silent prayer in my heart as the movie was starting. I said "God, I want to see beauty. I want to understand." I saw. I understood. And I'm grateful for the artists who were brave enough, inspired enough to create an avenue where I could draw closer to the Creator, be inspired to be a kinder human to all creations, and feel hope that no matter how I get off the path I can always get back on.
NOAH is exactly that. The makers of this movie, in my opinion, were not setting out to tell the story of Noah. If you want to see it, go watch a cartoon you were always shown in Sunday School. If you want to see it, go read Genesis. BUT, if you want to see the idea of Noah presented in a powerful, thought-provoking, fantastical (as in fantasy-like) way, go experience NOAH. For it truly is an experience.
What is the theme of the story of Noah? What is the idea? I've been thinking about this ever since I talked with my sister about her experience seeing this movie. She said Noah was, for her, always a story of obedience. For me, Noah was always a story of..... well, I didn't even really know. For Darren Aronofsky, Noah is a story of starting over. So many different ways of getting off the path intended for you and various ways of getting back on. That was the driving theme of this movie-- people getting off a path and how to get back on it.
Humanity, for example, had strayed so far off the path intended for them by the Creator. (It didn't really bother me that they never called him God because the movie is about creation. Creating new life, creating original life so it seemed fit to call him by that title.) Aronofsky's depiction of the evil humanity had succumbed to was both subtle and in your face. I finally understood what the Bible meant by saying men were so wicked it disgusted God. I was disgusted by humans in that movie; by their subtle pride and reliance on themselves alone, to their destruction of the creations around them, to the cold, hard hearts. Sometimes, we get so far off the path that there is no way to get back on but by starting completely over. Thus, the Creator decided to wipe humanity off the Earth and start again. Try again. So he did.... obviously by a flood because that's the story.
But Aronofsky and and Handel (the second writer) didn't stop there. They saw and portrayed other examples of getting off the path. They used this biblical story as an avenue for exploring that.
Noah himself got off the path. He became so blinded by one commandment, one idea-- the wickedness of man-- that he forgot all other commandments. He was consumed with wanting to be so obedient because he could feel the weight of his calling. Could this be a commentary on religion in general-- how sometimes extremists focus so much on one commandment, they forget about mercy, love, change, and faith? Yes. This idea is both universal and personal. I found myself reflecting of how often I've done that in my life-- and how, like Noah, I learned to get back on the real path. Noah did it through realizing the love in his heart, taking control over his own decisions rather than assuming God would take control, and through forgiveness. Making Noah human made him real.
Sometimes we get off the path because we do not allow ourselves to get on it. We do not allow ourselves the happiness the Creator intended for us. Ila (Emma Watson's character) went through that journey. She did not let herself on that path because of she was damaged (I don't want to give too much away!). Whether it be through tragedy, illness, disabilities, circumstances-- we are not on the path of the Creator but just as with Ila, it is through God's mercy that we can begin walking. Ila's story hit me more than others perhaps because I'm a woman so I felt as though I could understand exactly what she was feeling and so, when the Creator blessed her, his mercy and love overwhelmed me to tears. Truly God is good. He does want us to be on the path of happiness.
You know, I said a silent prayer in my heart as the movie was starting. I said "God, I want to see beauty. I want to understand." I saw. I understood. And I'm grateful for the artists who were brave enough, inspired enough to create an avenue where I could draw closer to the Creator, be inspired to be a kinder human to all creations, and feel hope that no matter how I get off the path I can always get back on.
2 comments:
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your heart!
Wow! That was a great perspective. I haven't had a chance to see the movie yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing it with new eyes. Thanks Corrine.
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