The socially conscious film is making a profitable comeback, with recent movies such as Jarhead, Good Night and Good Luck and Hotel Rwanda focusing on issues of political and social import. These films succeed at being both critical darlings and box office successes, proving that the American public has an appetite for more than just Vin Diesel-driven futuristic adventure flicks. We have been heartened by the success of several recent films and we hope for more of this thought-provoking fare in the future.
Films such as Fahrenheit 9/11 actually cheapen the debate, relying on the heavy-handed rhetoric and oversimplification, often leaving reality by the wayside. These new films, like Jarhead, rely on actual artistry and masterful storytelling, rather than simply provoking a gut reaction. We prefer these films, in the tradition of The Battle of Algiers and The Manchurian Candidate, which subtly cloak their critiques of the present in their treatments of the past.
Indie heavyweights Peter Sarsgaard and Jake Gyllenhaal star in Jarhead, a reflective examination of the first Gulf War that hit theaters last week. The film portrays the distance?physical and emotional?U.S. Marines had from any actual fighting. Released while American soldiers are deeply immersed in the violence in Iraq, the movie slyly juxtaposes the two wars and raises uncomfortable questions about our involvement.
2004’s Hotel Rwanda, which has earned $23,472,900 worldwide to date, is a stark depiction of the genocide in that small African country, but hints at the current conflict in Darfur. Don Cheadle, who in the film portrays a Hutu hotel manager who saves hundreds of Tutsi from the machete blade, urged members of Congress in February to stop the genocide in the southern Sudan so that Hotel Darfur never has to be made.
In a cultural climate where the creation of real dialogue seems dependent on having an attractive celebrity spokesperson touting a cause, actors serve as emissaries???for better or for worse. While we hope that the public gets information on important issues from a diversity of sources, we encourage the dialogue these movies create.
We laud Hollywood for its recent return to politically engaged filmmaking, as well as the American public for paying these worthwhile topics notice. We urge moviegoers to continue to frequent these films and to support the causes they endorse. However, the test of these films will be in their capacity to move people to action that is more uncomfortable than eating popcorn.
