I talked some yesterday about emotions in the context of androids; today I delve further into the topic and its relationship with human existence. A few years ago I was discussing Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 with one of my college professors and he suggested that I watch the movie Equilibrium (2002). I immediately raced out to rent it, and to this day it is one of the most unusual and interesting movies I've ever seen. (I am not alone in this – while the film was largely panned by critics, it's now considered a "cult classic" by fans.)
The film is set in a dystopian world under a totalitarian regime with a VERY strong military presence. Human emotions have been deemed the cause of all conflict, and thus outlawed and controlled through the use of a suppressive drug called Prozium. Grammaton Clerics – such as the protagonist John Preston – search out and destroy any art, film, music or books that might stimulate an emotional response, as well as persecuting “sense offenders” for their crimes.
However, the question must then be asked: what do we live for, if not emotions. Love, passion, sorrow – what is life without them? When John arrests and interrogates resistance member Mary O’Brien, she opens him up to this uncertainty . . .
This is one of my favorite scenes, not just in this movie, but any. As Mary suggests, life is nothing without emotion. If you cannot feel, then you cannot really live. I think this is a concept that a lot of science fiction attempts to warn us about – Philip K. Dick in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Lois Lowry in The Giver. I wonder if it stems from a fear that scientific and technological advancement might be leading us further and further away from human connection.
Regardless, I’d highly recommend Equilibrium for those who have never seen it.
__________________________________________________________________________________
This post is part of the Blogging A through Z Challenge 2012. My theme is (in case you didn’t already guess) science fiction. Stay tuned for the rest of the alphabet, and if you’d like to check in on the rest of the participants, simply click here.
__________________________________________________________________________________
This post is part of the Blogging A through Z Challenge 2012. My theme is (in case you didn’t already guess) science fiction. Stay tuned for the rest of the alphabet, and if you’d like to check in on the rest of the participants, simply click here.
Another great movie! Before I watched it I was thinking it'd be just another action movie, but found it having a lot more of interest in it.
ReplyDeleteI tend to really enjoy dystopian pieces. Probably because it is so important to warn ourselves.
I think your wonder has a lot of truth to it. It seems that the more our civilization grows, in number of people, in population density, in technological interactions & reliance, the less we actually do interact with other people, the less real those connections feel and the more inability to feel empathy grows. Odd that more people means less human interaction, but it does seem to be the case.
I've not seen it. Sci Fi in literature is full of amazing ideas. It's rare when those make there way into movies. I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic. One could wonder if we are not heading in that direction as a society. We are becoming more and more judgmental and less ok with someone having an opinion which varies from the mob. Intriguing line of thought. In Star Trek, Data was without emotion and it was his greatest quest in order to be more human. Emotion was his biggest desire which, of course, is an emotion itself so can anything truly be devoid of emotion if it has the ability for deep thoughts? Ok. I've thought way too hard before my second cup of coffee.
ReplyDeleteWithout emotion I think we'd quickly lose all sense of self-preservation. Why would parents care for their children if they don't love them? I might go see this, but I think the concept is almost too flawed to be believable.
ReplyDeleteI loved that movie! My favorite scene is when he finds the dog.
ReplyDeleteExcellent clip. "It's as vital as breath." This is so true. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI read this, but I'm not sure how to respond.
ReplyDeleteOkay, now I've got to see if this is available on Netflix. Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteErin
I watched Equilibrium several years ago and it became an immediate favorite of mine. For some reason I always forget the title of the film when I try to recommend it to someone.
ReplyDeleteGun-kata! That was my favorite part of the movie. Though I'm not a huge fan of this movie. Of course, that may because I watched this as research for an essay, but then determined it was very useless. But I do love the pretense of this story.
ReplyDeleteLooks interesting. And it has Christian Bale... :)
ReplyDeleteSarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)
I've not seen this movie yet, but you have me so ready to go out and rent it!
ReplyDeleteOne of the best sci-fi movies ever made. Your prof was smart to turn you on to that movie. The best scene, though, is when they open the trunk and find the puppy. Oh, man, that's the point of no return, and let's not forget the sword fight at the end.
ReplyDeleteGun Kata. How do you even think of something like that?
The movie certainly addresses our obsession with mood-altering medications.
- Eric
As always, thought-provoking blog. And, great movie -- particularly because it is not as creepy as reading Brave New World at a much-too-young age.
ReplyDeleteNever seen Equilibrium, but it sounds really good, so I'll definitely be watching it in the near future.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen EQUILIBRIUM in a long time. I should watch it again soon. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI don't know this movie, but I'm gonna go look for it RIGHT NOW!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of the movie, but it sounds good. And I agree, what do we live for if not emotions? Life wouldn't be life without them.
ReplyDeleteMichelle :)
www.michelle-pickett.com/blog
Hmmm, looks very interesting.Christian Bales is an android. Did you know that? He's just got that chiseled otherness to him. I'm checking this one out. Blade Runner remains one of my favorites. Visiting from A to Z.
ReplyDeleteTo address your penultimate point: I dunno if it's technology that isolates us from one another so much as it's mankind's inherent narcissism. I don't mean to say that we're all a bunch of self-involved jerks, but that to some degree every one of us is caught up in her/his own drama (and emotions!) and that the more caught up we become, the less room there is to even desire meaningful connections with one another, much less make them.
ReplyDeleteThese (uncustomary) deep thoughts were brought to you by Some Dark Romantic :-)
Laughing Ferret – dystopias are so fascinating (I will be writing about them again under V). And I agree…it does feel like the more we’re “connecting” with people via social medias the less we sometimes connect with the people around us. It’s oddly disconcerting.
ReplyDeleteJunebug – I’m thrilled to give you something to contemplate over your coffee! Especially when such interesting comments come out of it. Thanks so much for posting!
Kimberlee – it really is fascinating, even if it stretches belief a little. I definitely think it’s worth a look.
Danielle – agreed! That was a great scene within an already great film!
Gwen – if you liked the Gun-Kata then you should check out Ultraviolet. Not the best movie I’ve ever seen, but it has the same fighting style (invented by the director of both films – Kurt Wimmer).
Eric – I’m so glad to see another fan. I agree with your comment about mood-altering medications and the scene about the puppy. It’s really one of the best scenes in the film. And I love Gun Kata – see my above comment for Gwen!
Michelle – Agreed. I think that’s what’s so great about this film.
On my list. Thanks for the suggestion. And the clip is perfect.
ReplyDeleteHow odd? I watched this film just the other night. It has it's good points and one or two bad ones. Overall, I enjoyed it. Thank you for stopping by the hearth and commenting. I'll be following you as of today and interested in what else you have in store for us :)
ReplyDeleteKind regards
Mark K
I watched this film a couple of years before I ever read 451. As soon as I opened the book, I recognized where the film got its inspiration. I love them both. great blog.
ReplyDeleteThat is such an underrated film!
ReplyDeleteI saw that. I liked it. I didn't love it, but I did like it. I think it was the ending that bothered me, but it's been a while, so I don't quite remember.
ReplyDeleteYou'd probably be interested in my zombies as a cultural metaphor post.
Excellent clip. I'm adding it to my list. It looks great. Loved your post. So very challenging to us all. *waving*
ReplyDeleteIn Lauren Oliver's 'Delirium' being in love is treated as a horrible disease. I think she calls it amore nervosa or something. Anyway, teens hit a certain age and are given an operation that's basically an emotional lobotomy. If you don't have the operation, you're considered dangerous and outlawed.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great read - and now I'm wondering if Oliver was influenced by this movie.
cool. I'm adding it to my netflix list. thanks :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome scene! I've never seen the movie...it's definitely on my 'to watch' list now!
ReplyDeleteHappy A to Z! :)
Life is dead without emotions. And so are books. Loved your post.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my page on your way through the A-Z list. I'm so glad you did. This is one of my favorite movies of all time and it doesn't hurt that is has my beloved Christian Bale in it! I loved the movie because it is so similiar to the book A Brave New World, which is a must read if you haven't read it. The movie is almost a combination of all my favorite political driven books. I.E. Farenheit 451, 1984, A Brave New World, and not really Animal Farm (but it's a good one, so I'm going to throw it in there too!) Great Post... happy blogging!
ReplyDeleteAlex – Agreed. It’s one of those movies few know about, but I feel everyone should see.
ReplyDeleteAndrew – A metaphorical zombie post? I’m there.
Melodie – I’ve heard of Lauren Oliver, but never read that particular book. I just looked it up and am super excited to add it to my must-read list. Thanks so much for the suggestion!
ejwforeman – Brave New World is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I will be talking about it during this blog fest for sure. In fact, pretty much every book you just listed tops my favorites list. You have excellent excellent taste.
Hmm, never seen it...but now I'm definitely going to check it out!
ReplyDeleteI think I just emailed this to you but just to be sure:
ReplyDeletehttp://strangepegs.blogspot.com/2011/06/zombies-cultural-metaphor.html
OH MY GOSH!!! I seriously LOVE Equilibrium!!!! *swoon* Christian Bale!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting movie. Thanks for posting about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that - haven't seen the film but I'll have to seek it out now.
ReplyDeleteI saw Equilibrium shortly after it came out. I adore it but my hubby isn't into it. :(
ReplyDelete*spoiler*
I espeically love the Bale vs Diggs fight seen! You're expecting this epic battle but he just slices his face off. No big deal. Whatever.
*spoiler*
So many classic dystopia themes told with a faily originall story. Love it!!!