****************The Dark Knight SPOILER ALERT***********************

Courtesy spoiler alert extended– but if you haven’t seen it yet, you probably are not going to or don’t care if the movie is spoiled.  In which case, keep reading.

So I promised a thematic review of The Dark Knight (TDK) in a previous post about TDK and even though no one was really holding their breath for it and even though most people have probably already long forgotten the plot of TDK, it makes a lot of sense to me to write about it right now.

I’ll admit that I’ve been putting this post off for awhile because I’m afraid I won’t do justice to it.  Even today, I came home from another hospital orientation (I’m pretty sick of orienting myself at this point, I just want to get started), I cooked myself dinner, and read through half of my RSS feeds and am only now finally starting to write.  I’m terribly tempted to upload, tag and organize photos on Flickr, load the dishwasher and organize my underwear and sock drawer before I go any further but the husband is coming home from his business trip in about three hours so I better make the most of a quiet house on a Friday night.

I do wish that I wrote this earlier today because most people surf here on Friday afternoons when things are slow at work but it’s too early to cut out for the weekend.  But I’m okay if you don’t get to reading this until Monday.

Alright, let’s jump in:

Evil vs. Less Evil Theme

This is the most basic theme in the story of Batman.  Unlike other superheroes, he doesn’t have superpowers and his drive is not quite as noble as that of Superman.  He is largely motivated by anger and vengeance and he has notably restrained himself from murdering any villain or criminal.  This can at times be frustrating because the villains rotate through the revolving doors of Arkham Asylum like clockwork.  But this theme is the reason why I like the story of Batman the most.  I relate to it the most.  I don’t believe people are naturally good and evil.  I think we are all naturally evil and sometimes we just act less evil than others.  I believe we all spend most of our lives trying to fight that evil — some through a faith in God, some for the promise of nirvana or rewards in an afterlife, some through spirituality, some through a contemporary version of karma, and others through a simple cultural work ethic.  The story of Batman gives me hope that a person with every right to be bitter and angry at the world and its darkness can somehow still work for the good.  As a social worker, I have seen and heard the stories of young people who have the odds stacked against them.  Stories about murder, rape, neglect, loneliness and all the ugliness and darkness of this world.  If I didn’t have hope that people who are victims of evil can turn their lives around and achieve great things and pursue goodness, I don’t think I would have the strength to do what I do.

Criminals/Villians are Usually the Product of our Society

At the same time, when Harvey Dent becomes Two-Face, it’s a difficult but necessary reminder that even if a person strives their hardest for goodness, the circumstances and incidents of reality can sometimes be heavy enough to bring that person down.  Our first reaction is to marvel at the fact that Harvey Dent, the upright and honest District Attorney, could be pushed to the point of kidnapping Commissioner Gordon’s family and wanting to murder innocent people.  That the symbol of integrity and justice in Gotham City could so quickly become a villain is alarming.  But it makes perfect sense to me.  The person with the most hope for justice usually has the greatest fall when he/she is confronted with the injustice of reality.  This is also why I think truly overcoming evil is only possible by nothing short of the grace of God.

Hey, the same thing happened to Michael Corleone in the Godfather trilogy, didn’t it?  Michael was different from his brothers.  He wanted to separate himself from the “family business.”  But circumstances sucked him in deeper than he would have ever predicted.  Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

A lot of people blame criminal behavior on mental illness but a lot less people are willing to blame criminal behavior on the circumstances of reality.  Whether it be lack of education, unemployment, economic deprivation, psychological stress, or a simple cost-benefit analysis that leads to crime– it is usually inaccurate to attribute crime to mental illness.  I really enjoyed the portrayal of the Joker in TDK, not just the acting performance, but the suggestion that perhaps The Joker is actually more aware and more lucid than the masses.  Did any of you feel that way?  That despite his gruesome gags and his chilling detachment from death, The Joker was the most real character in the entire movie.  He was the most tormented, for sure, but he was the most honest about his pain.

An example that hits a lot closer to home is the creation of terrorists and international criminals.  Countries where living conditions and economic opportunities are poor are typically fertile breeding grounds for fundamentalist terrorist groups.  Syriana portrayed this dynamic in a compelling way.  I sometimes wonder if the tragedy of the Holocaust would still have occurred if the people of Germany weren’t as economically devastated and low in morale as they were after WWI.  It’s easier for us to dismiss terrorists as mentally ill than to consider that perhaps they are ordinary humans pushed to their limits without an ounce of hope outside of the violence or the twisted fundamentalist belief.  It’s frightening to consider that the human mind and heart could be so fragile.

The Masses

This is always a difficult theme for me in movies.  I am absolutely terrified of the masses.  I shudder when I read historical accounts of mob mentality.  Whether it be Nazi Germany, the genocide in Darfur, city riots, soccer stadium stampedes, or even the Salem Witch Trials, I am chilled to the bone to think of the vulnerability of groups of people to powerful ideas– or rather, the vulnerability of people to the ideas of power.  There are countless global conflicts that follow the formulaic story of an oppressed group organized by a charismatic leader to brutally oppress their former oppressors.  The drastic power shifts that can take place in a politically unstable country are really disturbing.  Even more disturbing are the power shifts that can sometimes take place in a seemingly non-war, non-political environment such as a business meeting or a church.  Some readers will probably argue that business meetings and churches as just as political as any other venue.  But you get the idea.  I think my fear of the mindless masses is part of the reason why the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Beijing creeped me out so much.

So I haven’t really figured out what I think about this theme in the movie.  The movie portrays the masses as simple minded people who are influenced and essentially controlled by a handful of men behind closed doors.  This is why this post is relevant right now.  After watching my country approach the presidential election, I keep getting the sinking feeling that this is all just a charade to influence and control the masses.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe there are informed voters and die hard theorists and economists that are voting in accordance with their well-thought out beliefs, but then there are just as many voters who are swayed by the propaganda, the media (whether it be CNN or Fox News) and their friends.  This bothers me to no end.  I really want to believe that individuals are more autonomous and more intelligent than this dismal diagnosis.  But I’m not so sure.

———————————

So, are you tired of reading?  Cause I’m tired of writing.

The Masses Need a Leader that Fits Their Needs

The Masses Need a Scapegoat that Fits Their Needs

Those are the last two themes I outlined when I first set out to write this post.  I think they are pretty self-explanatory.  Of course I could write a hefty paragraph or two for each theme (don’t doubt me) but I’ll spare you.  Depending on which camp you are in, ObamaBiden, McCainPalin and BushCheney could easily make appearances in either paragraph.

In summary, I think the movie was pretty good as a movie but its true greatness lies in its ability to be a launchpad for exploring life themes.

——————————————————–

In unrelated news, this personal email written by Anne Kilkenny, Alaskan housewife, has been getting a lot of press (heard the story on NPR this afternoon).  Of course, it’s just a personal email without substantiated numbers but it’s definitely an interesting read.  And I think it’s fun to see just how accessible information is these days.  In the NPR interview, Anne admits that she’s not quite sure what a blog is and that she is still on a dial-up connection.