Category: themes

‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’ – Film Review and Analysis

“What I enjoyed about ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ (directed by Scott Cooper) is that for a biographical film, it really does dive into the effects of fame, expectations, struggling with one’s past, and reconciling it with a future very much unlike where you once came from.”

Everyone knows who Bruce Springsteen is by now, the Rock superstar and legend who has produced over twenty studio albums, won dozens of awards, and sold out shows over many decades. He is the extrovert’s extrovert on the stage producing marathon 3 ½ – 4 hour live shows with the powerful energy and stamina of a man half or one third of his age (Springsteen is 76 as of this writing). What I enjoyed about ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ (directed by Scott Cooper) is that for a biographical film, it really does dive into the effects of fame, expectations, struggling with one’s past, and reconciling it with a future very much unlike where you once came from.

‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’, the film has excellent source material in the book of the same name mostly due to interviews with the man (i.e. Springsteen) himself in the book, previously released in 2023 by author Warren Zanes. I highly recommend reading the book before seeing the movie to get a fuller picture of how Springsteen’s unlikely first solo album came to be in 1982. While the movie takes some time away for some side plots not related to the album’s making, it does do justice to how ‘Nebraska’ came to be and how it almost got completely derailed. The romantic subplot, while competently acted, feels tacked on and somewhat distracting from the core narrative. I found myself wishing the film had dedicated more screen time to the mechanics and mindset behind Nebraska’s creation as the book had done that it is based on; its stark originality is one of the most fascinating aspects of Springsteen’s career, and the film sometimes glides past that too quickly and not deeply enough.

Commercial success puts a lot of pressure on any musician and even Bruce Springsteen was exhausted both mentally and physically from ‘The River’ tour with his first taste of super stardom. It’s hard to top that kind of album so his decision after the tour to seek some peace and quiet at a rental home in Colts Neck, New Jersey seems like a good step to get the writing process started again. In the film, Bruce seems introverted almost to a fault when he gets off stage, must sit by himself to have some quiet and enjoy the peace of his dry towel hanging over his head.

While he responds warmly to fans and to his love interest especially during his guest set at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, you still sense he’s caught between who he was and who fame is forcing him to become. I enjoyed how the film shows that he is battling himself at times in terms of what direction to take his life on top of his unresolved issues of his past highlighted by his turbulent relationship with his father (played by the great Stephen Graham). Even when you’re popular and famous for your music, sometimes anyone would want to do, including Bruce, is to isolate oneself for a while and be somewhere where you aren’t recognized or don’t want to be recognized. Bruce wants to focus on his musical range and channel his creativity away from the record executives’ wants, away from the band, and perhaps away from everyone.

Jeremy Allen White nails the role, embodying Springsteen’s physical stillness, haunted expressions, and the restless mind of a young artist wrestling with ideas he doesn’t yet fully understand. Being able to master guitar playing, the singing, the panic of not knowing who he is at times and searching for lyrics and the meaning behind them are tall tasks for any actor to convince an audience of and Jeremy nails it throughout the film. White’s performance works because he understands Springsteen not just physically but emotionally: a rising star caught between inspiration and uncertainty, trying to decode the meaning of his own lyrics as he writes them.

Coming up with an album different than anything you’ve ever done before takes time, effort, and introspection, which helps Bruce to look for movies, books, and stories that help create the theme for what Nebraska becomes. While Bruce and the E Street Band are shown in the film as a tight band, hitting on all cylinders, and creating great music for their own album, Bruce feels passionately about making something of his own and letting it not be changed or influenced beyond what he put together in an upstairs bedroom of his rental house on a simple four track cassette. Even in the early 1980s, technology could have given Nebraska a cleaner, more polished sound. But Springsteen refused to smooth out the edges. He believed the atmosphere, imperfections, and claustrophobic intimacy of the demos were the very thing that made the album special.

In both the book and the recent film, Springsteen is not afraid of Nebraska failing or his other music not being well received. Rather, he is afraid of how not to crack up from what is haunting him internally. Money, fame, and a bright future do not make him whole, and being able to carve out your own identity, deal with your past wisely, and find a way to deal with depression in a healthy manner takes time, support, and sometimes admitting when you need to seek help.

Luckily, Bruce has a loyal manager, Jon Landau (played by Jeremy Strong) who is more than looking out for making money off the next hit Springsteen album. He shows that he cares for Bruce as a person and more importantly as a dear friend and wants what’s best for him, even if Nebraska is not the album he would have hoped to promote or the kind of musical direction, he wants from Bruce either. Landau wants Bruce to find inner peace and happiness more than just fame, success, and wealth, which not every manager wants for their star.

Bruce, like the characters in Nebraska, are imperfect people in an imperfect world, and even if the stories are ghostly, gruesome, or unpolished, like the album, they must be told and given room to breathe. Even from great solitude and from introversion, Bruce’s personal struggle in that time led to one of his best albums and is still being covered and listened to over forty years later. Nebraska wasn’t built for radio or for Top 10 charts, even if it did outperform expectations, but it was built for truth and showed the underbelly of hard lives and harder circumstances. Bruce’s childhood and dealing with his past are covered in the film and you get the sense that there would be no Nebraska if the artist hadn’t any struggles in life or not been tested by family or by fame or by his search for the next song.

‘Deliver Me from Nowhere’ isn’t just a book or a film. It’s a reminder that even legends hit that crossroads where success, identity, and truth collide. It’s a thoughtful, beautifully acted portrait of an artist wrestling with his past to shape his future. For Springsteen fans, it adds new insight into one of his most daring albums; for newcomers, it’s an unforgettable introduction to the man behind the myth. Nebraska was never meant for radio or music videos; it was meant for honesty and truth-telling. More than forty years later after this album first came out, that honesty still cuts through all the noise.

Mi Cuarto Conjunto de Poemas en Español (My Fourth Set of Spanish Poems)

My fourth set of Spanish poems with various topics focusing on freedom, money, dance, forgiveness, and about natural settings.

La Plata
Tienes que cuidar mucho
la herramienta más constante en el mundo.
Porque la plata te puede seducir,
creación o destrucción de vida.
Cuidado con ese instrumento;
si no, la plata puede destruir tu vida.

Libertad
La libertad no es una garantía.
Generación tras generación,
todos nosotros necesitamos luchar.
La libertad existe en nuestros corazones y nuestras almas.
Sin luchar por la libertad,
puede extinguirse para siempre.

Cómo tú bailas
Cómo tú bailas,
no puedo resistirte.
No puedo dejar de mirarte,
no puedo dejar de pedirte:
¿Si puedes, bailarías conmigo?
Toda la noche podemos bailar juntos.

Perdóname
Yo tuve la culpa.
Viste a través de mí.
Sabías que no era perfecto,
pero aun así me acogiste.
Con tu tierno cuidado,
perdóname, mi querida.

El Lago Profundo
Bucea más rápido.
Sigue buceando conmigo.
Lleguemos juntos al fondo,
a mil metros de cualquier lugar,
azul cristalino, profundo y puro.
Me pierdo en tu profundidad.

El humo en tus ojos
¿Tú puedes mirarme?
Con el humo en tus ojos,
¿a qué eres adicta más?
¿A mí o a tus cigarrillos?
Elige sabiamente, porque
ambos podemos matar.

Mis Poemas en Español #2 – Diciembre 2024 (My Spanish Poems #2 – December 2024)

Mi Segundo Conjunto de Poesía en Español – Diciembre 2024 / My Second Set of Spanish Poetry – December 2024

Te quiero
Te quiero
Te quiero en el día
Te quiero en la noche
Te quiero para toda la vida
Te quiero conmigo
Te quiero, mi corazón
Te quiero.

Ignorancia
La ignorancia es una plaga,
causa mucho daño a la gente.
La ignorancia puede desparramar.
Podemos dejarla afuera,
porque si no,
La ignorancia puede matarnos.

Hasta El Final
Hasta el final,
yo puedo cuidarte.
Hasta el final,
yo necesito besarte.
Hasta el final,
yo quiero abrazarte.
Hasta el final,
yo miro tus ojos.
Hasta el final,
yo soy tuyo.

La Luna
Brillante, belleza y bonita,
la luna me hace sentir así.
En inmensidad siento su profundidad.
La luna es mi guía por la noche,
porque sin la luna existiendo,
no podríamos sobrevivir.

Mi Mano En La Tuya
Tengo todo de ti en mi mano.
Manos juntas unimos nuestras almas.
Siento tu corazón en mi mano.
Podemos caminar mano en mano,
hasta el fin del mundo.
Sin tu mano en la mía,
una pieza de mi vida desaparecerá.

‘Mystic River’ – Film Review and Analysis

“This book-to-film adaptation, praised for its emotional intensity and thematic complexity, remains one of Eastwood’s most acclaimed directorial efforts to this day. Mystic River is a powerful combination of stellar performances, masterful direction, evocative cinematography, and a carefully crafted screenplay making the film a standard bearer of cinematic storytelling.”

Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood in 2003 and starring an amazing cast including Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and Tim Robbins, is an intricate and darkly intense film that has left a lasting impact on audiences and critics alike since it first came out in theaters over two decades ago. Based on Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name, the film explores deep themes of trauma, guilt, vengeance, and the ways in which past experiences haunt the present and future. This book-to-film adaptation, praised for its emotional intensity and thematic complexity, remains one of Eastwood’s most acclaimed directorial efforts to this day. Mystic River is a powerful combination of stellar performances, masterful direction, evocative cinematography, and a carefully crafted screenplay making the film a standard bearer of cinematic storytelling.

The plot begins in a working-class Boston neighborhood, not too far from the Mystic River, and centers on three childhood friends: Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn), Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon), and Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins). As young boys, the trio spends their days together, playing stick ball, hockey, exploring the neighborhood, and strengthening their bond as friends. However, one traumatic incident forever changes their lives, marking them all in ways that will resonate through their adult years. Decades later, their lives intertwine once more when Jimmy’s teenage daughter, Katie, is found murdered, prompting a deep and painful investigation into both the current crime and the unresolved scars of the past for each of the three main characters.

Set against the gritty, blue-collar backdrop of Eastwood’s Boston, the environment reflects the rough and bleak outlook shared by many of the characters, most of whom never left the neighborhood as adults. This urban setting becomes almost a character, embodying a sense of entrapment and suffocation and what ifs. Eastwood and the film’s cinematographer, Tom Stern, create a cold, foreboding atmosphere that mirrors the psychological darkness of the characters. The use of shadows and natural light throughout the film provides an eerily realistic tone, further immersing the audience in the story’s weighty themes. As a film, Mystic River, sets itself apart by giving each character room to grow and develop over the course of the two and half hours of screentime. Each of them has a unique backstory despite the overlap and they each have their own personal scars and demons to bear.

To understand the film better as an audience, we must go through each character’s backstory, motives, and circumstances:

  1. Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn) – Jimmy is a reformed ex-convict who did two years in prison who now runs a local convenience store. He’s fiercely loyal to his family, especially his beloved daughter, Katie, who he has tried to shield her from his checkered past. His character is marked by a volatile personality and a deeply ingrained sense of loyalty, one that can easily turn to vengeance, if provoked. This trait becomes particularly apparent when Katie’s murder brings his hidden rage and pain to the surface. Penn’s portrayal of Jimmy is raw and gut-wrenching; he conveys a sense of intense, bottled-up pain that feels as if it could erupt at any moment at any one person who he is feels is responsible or partly responsible for her murder. Jimmy’s background as a former criminal, his letting his emotions cloud his judgment, and the rawness of the recent loss of his daughter drive much of his actions, adding layers of complexity to his character.
  2. Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon) – Sean, one of Jimmy and Dave’s friends, is now a detective with the Massachusetts State Police who is investigating Katie’s murder, and his ties to Jimmy and Dave complicate the case. Although he’s become more distant over the years from both men, Sean feels a sense of duty and friendships to bring closure to Katie’s murder and perhaps, in turn, to his own fractured past. His unresolved feelings about the childhood trauma shared by him, Jimmy, and Dave gives his character a detached yet conflicted edge. Kevin Bacon’s performance as Sean is understated but poignant, particularly as Sean grapples with the uncomfortable ties between his childhood friendships and the demands of justice. Sean’s role in the story is not just as a detective but as someone attempting to reconcile his past with his present responsibilities. During the film, we also give glimpses into Sean’s present struggles with an estranged spouse and his own personal turmoil surrounding his commitment to his job as detective, which may have led him astray from the woman he loves.
  3. Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins) – Dave is the most visibly affected by the traumatic events of his childhood because he is the one who was physically and emotionally abused until he escaped from the nightmare one day, and Robbins’ portrayal of a victim of child abuse is haunting. As a result of the childhood abduction and abuse, Dave is marked by a pervasive sadness and paranoia that set him apart from others including Jimmy and Sean. Married with a son now, he still struggles with feelings of inadequacy, unresolved trauma, and the psychological scars left by his past. His character raises questions about the psychological ramifications of unresolved trauma, and Robbins plays Dave with a quiet and unsettling vulnerability as he is a boy trapped in a man’s body who never got to really grow up into what he wanted to be. This kind of trauma and sadness culminates in behavior that others in the film including his wife interpret as suspicious, especially as Sean’s investigation of Katie’s murder begins to close in around him. Dave’s struggle for normalcy and acceptance is central to the film’s portrayal of trauma and his seeking redemption for what had happened to him in the past, through no fault of his own.
  4. Celeste Boyle (Marcia Gay Harden) – Celeste, Dave’s wife, represents the emotional turmoil that affects loved ones in the wake of trauma. Marcia Gay Harden’s portrayal brings depth to the character of Celeste, illustrating the complexity of being married to a man who is emotionally distant and troubled. Her suspicions and insecurities about Dave’s behavior create tension within their marriage, which becomes another focal point in the larger mystery of what Dave was doing on the night of Katie’s murder. Through Celeste, the film explores how the impact of trauma reverberates through relationships, and her doubts contribute to the suspense as she becomes uncertain of Dave’s innocence.

The thematic core of Mystic River lies in its exploration of personal trauma and its long-lasting effects on those around the affected person. Eastwood skillfully illustrates how the characters’ pasts influence their present, emphasizing the psychological toll of unhealed wounds. The trauma of Dave’s abduction and abuse is a powerful throughline, shaping his entire personality and decisions, and is indirectly responsible for the fractures in his relationships, friendships, and the suspicions cast upon him, whether justified or not. The themes of guilt and retribution are intricately woven into the story, particularly through Jimmy’s character, as he vacillates between his roles as a loving father and a man haunted by his own past mistakes and violent tendencies.

The film also dives into the notion of justice, both formal and informal, in our world. Sean’s role as a Massachusetts State Police detective represents the lawful pursuit of justice, yet the lack of resolution to certain aspects of his past shows how incomplete the law can be in addressing psychological scars, especially in a community where the lawful pursuit of justice is looked upon with skepticism especially by Jimmy. Jimmy, on the other hand, seeks a more personal form of justice, operating on a visceral level almost as a vigilante for Katie and the community who were also affected by her loss, guided by his own sense of right and wrong. This contrast between official justice and personal retribution forms one of the central tensions in the film and between Jimmy and Sean, estranged friends who are brought back together because of Katie’s murder.

Mystic River subtly but powerfully engages with a subtle theme tied to the Catholic Church and refers to one of Dave’s abusers in the early part of the film’s plot. This also is shown in the film particularly in the Catholic Church’s allusions to the trauma and secrecy that have historically been associated with the institution, especially around issues of child abuse. Although the film does not explicitly delve into the church’s scandals, the storyline of Dave’s childhood abduction and abuse parallels the real-life abuse scandals within the Catholic Church that would become a dominant public conversation in the years following the film’s release in 2003. The film portrays the silence, guilt, and repression surrounding trauma for abuse victims, especially for male victims, in ways that align with the complex and devastating effects of institutional abuse later revealed in widespread reports that came out in the 2000s and 2010s.

Eastwood’s sensitive handling of these themes amplifies the emotional impact of the film, allowing Mystic River to serve as a quiet commentary on the long-lasting scars left by abuse, trauma, and lives that could have been different. The cultural resonance of the film deepened as these themes became more publicly discussed, especially with the Boston Archdiocese scandal coming to light just months before the movie’s release and other subsequent revelations about abuse within the Catholic Church. The film’s nuanced portrayal of silence and trauma thus became eerily relevant, mirroring real-world struggles for justice, accountability, and healing.

Eastwood’s direction in Mystic River is marked by a disciplined, almost minimalist style that avoids sensationalism or quick cuts and jumps. His choice is to keep the film grounded in the characters’ experiences, which creates an immersive atmosphere, allowing the audience to connect deeply with each character’s journey because they are fully fleshed out individuals by the end of the film to us. By focusing on small, authentic details—the cold, grim environment, the weathered textures of Boston’s streets, and the understated settings within homes and local establishments in the neighborhoods surrounding the Mystic River, Eastwood crafts a world that feels palpably real and one we can believe in as viewers.

Cinematographer Tom Stern contributes to this atmosphere by using a muted color palette dominated by grays, blues, and other cold tones, mirroring the bleak outlooks of the characters and their surroundings. The naturalistic lighting helps underscore the characters’ emotional states, with shadows and half-lit scenes, hinting at hidden secrets and unresolved traumas. The camera work is frequently restrained, using lingering shots that capture subtle shifts in the actors’ expressions, allowing their performances to be the focal point of each scene.

As an adaptation, Mystic River succeeds largely because of Brian Helgeland’s screenplay, which translates Lehane’s complex narrative into a visually evocative and emotionally rich script. Helgeland captures the essence of the novel’s psychological tension and moral ambiguity without resorting to heavy exposition, instead allowing the characters’ actions and interactions to reveal their deeper motivations and conflicts. The adaptation retains the novel’s depth by focusing on character development rather than plot mechanics, preserving the source material’s thematic weight.

The film’s pacing, controlled by Eastwood’s direction, also serves the adaptation well even at two and a half hours long in length. Rather than racing toward revelations, the narrative unfolds gradually, mirroring the pace of real life in how trauma is dealt with and the need for closure. This approach preserves the novel’s introspective tone, making it not just a crime thriller but a meditation on human resilience, the search for true justice, and the impact of unresolved pain.

Mystic River stands out as a masterclass in adapted screenwriting, direction, and performance. It is perhaps one of the greatest films in this young 21st century as well. Eastwood’s subtle yet unrelenting vision creates a haunting atmosphere that perfectly matches Lehane’s themes of trauma, revenge, and the flawed pursuit of justice. The ensemble cast delivers compelling performances, each actor bringing depth to their own character’s unique struggles and inner turmoil. With Stern’s atmospheric cinematography, the gritty Boston setting feels almost oppressive, creating a visual landscape as intense as the narrative itself.

Through its slow-burn approach, Mystic River probes deeply into the characters’ psyches and decisions, making the experience both unsettling and profoundly affecting. The result is a powerful film that not only respects its source material but elevates it, offering a cinematic experience that explores the human capacity for both destruction and redemption. Eastwood’s restrained direction, combined with the richness of Lehane’s story, makes Mystic River a film that resonates long after the final frame comes to an end.

‘Up In The Air’ – Film Review and Analysis

“The choices he has made haven’t caught up to him yet, but he is on the path he has chosen that while unorthodox to most leaves him satisfied and content with who he is.”

Ryan Bingham has chosen a different life path than most people he knows. Instead of staying in his hometown, reveling in the glories past of high school and the diner down the road, he wanted to leave his roots and his family for his true passion in life: being up in the air and striving for excellence as a motivational speaker. The choices he has made haven’t caught up to him yet, but he is on the path he has chosen that while unorthodox to most leaves him satisfied and content with who he is.

Bingham (played by George Clooney) is at a crossroads in middle age where he has forgone the responsibilities that are normally achieved by most people his age with a house and a picket fence, being married, and maybe having children. He has forgone all that for an industry on the rise sadly at the time the film is set in and for being out on the road and up in the air for 250+ days of the year. He advocates for a life in motion because if he is not moving, he is not actually living.

His work like his constant travel is an unorthodox industry where he works as a human resources consultant traveling both domestically and internationally to do the dirty work of firing or ‘letting go’ employees in person and providing them with transition packet(s) that the company that’s firing them is leaving them with to help them in the ‘transition’ period. It is a rough job that due to the 2008-2009 global recession has made his HR consultancy firm as needed as ever. The one industry at the time that is gaining jobs rather than losing jobs, Ryan finds himself at risk of having his life of work travel outsources to advancements in video technology (about ten years before Zoom and Skype became mainstream).

While Ryan Bingham is not at risk of getting laid off like so many other working Americans during the period of the Great Recession, the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s, Bingham is at risk of losing his life of travel on the road due to firing people via telecommunications video instead. To make matters worse, his boss Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman) is tasking him with having a new hire out of Yale University, Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) shadow his in-person firings for a few months as the company, CTC, makes the transition to virtual consulting instead of letting those employees go in-person from now on.

That is not the only change that threatens to upend Ryan’s life choice as he has met a charming, attractive woman who has the same lifestyle as him and appears to see life as he does with less commitments and more choice. Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga) is the constantly traveling business woman for whom Ryan may have finally met his match. While they started out as a casual fling, Ryan begins to develop feelings for her as he ponders his uncertain future of life on the road as well as the fact that once he achieves his life goal of ten million airline miles accumulated may not have much to strive for.

Ryan and Natalie may not show it at first but the firings and the emotional weight of being responsible for upending people’s lives cause them stress, anxiety, and a desire to break free of their own pains in doing the job they have chosen. While Ryan is content with travel on the road, he hears from his estranged sister, Kara, that his other, younger sister, Julie is getting married. Ryan left home when he first could leave and never looked back, and his family still remembers that. He is the ‘black sheep’ of the family, known to pursue his own gratification while letting his relationships deteriorate over the years.

Having Alex as a love interest has reignited his desire to see his sisters again and to be there for the wedding in northern Wisconsin. Him and Alex are still a bit of a mystery to each other, but they enjoy each other’s company, and he invites her to join him as the +1 guest, not wanting to be the ‘guy alone at the bar’ watching all the couples enjoy a dance together. There are these moments of vulnerability interspersed through ‘Up in The Air’ that remind the audience that all these characters have their own flaws and shortcomings. They are not perfect people, and the film does not judge them outright but allows the audience to decide if they are admirable or detestable or a bit of both. What I love most is that the film director and writers allow us to decide if we agree with Ryan’s choices or if we would have chosen to go the other route in life that he has neglected.

Sometimes, it is never too late to choose a different path than the one that we have set out for ourselves. However, whether we can pull back from previous choices made and to get a fresh start on a new path, is one of the underlying themes of ‘Up in The Air.’ Ryan can try to start a real relationship with Alex, make amends with his sisters and be more present in their lives, and still achieve his 10-million-mile goal but life can get in the way so it’s possible he will not be as successful in salvaging both his relationships, his career goals, and his need for travel. Even if he thinks he can be successful at keeping everybody in his life happy, he may have to make sacrifices as in life, it can be nearly impossible to keep all options available to you.        

The priorities we make now while end up defining us far into the future and there may come a time where the sacrifices, we make in one area may lead to a lack of connection or attachment or fulfilment in another area. Throughout the film during Ryan’s motivational speeches, he talks about the ‘stuff’ in life weighing us down whether it’s our relationships, our possessions, and even our desires. He makes the point in the audience that ‘life can be better footloose’ and not as tied down to suffer from it. However, what the film makes clear is that when you find real happiness in a relationship, can you pivot to slowing down with that heavier backpack you carry around because you feel fulfilled to do so? Can Ryan make room for a real relationship with Alex or his sisters to give up life on the road so his backpack will be heavier, but he’ll still be happier as a result, and maybe that what’s he was missing all this time around?

While Ryan is a ‘road warrior’ and enjoys not being attached to anyone or anything, who will be there for him if he must stay at his scant one-bedroom apartment in Omaha or if he were to be fired from his job where he fires other people. The film brilliantly shows real people who’ve been through real loss in terms of their jobs and livelihoods, and how while it is almost impossible to get through it, they could not keep going on without their responsibility to their families or the love that their families show for them in those tough times. In life, it always helps to have a good support system or to have good people like family motivating you to get you through the tough times.

Ryan may be prepared for a life unattached now, but he may find as he gets older, that his choice to not have many or any attachments at all may lead to the loneliness and pain that then can come from facing life’s hurdles alone, especially when you don’t truly get to know the person because you are so busy traveling and can’t make time for them at all. As Ryan says to his sister Julie’s husband-to-be, Jim, on their wedding day to help him get over his ‘cold feet’ at getting married, “Life’s better with company.”

Anatomy of a Scene – ‘A Small Measure of Peace’

“To be at a certain place or with a certain person for the rest of your days and to be at ease with your decision, that contentedness is to have found the ‘small measure of peace’ that we can spend our entire lives trying to capture but only a few ever truly find.”

The Last Samurai (2003) – ‘A Small Measure of Peace’

There is a distinct moment in our lives when we realize that the fight is done, and the work is over. It is a pleasant realization that all you can do has been done and that you must take the rest of our days to welcome ‘a small measure of peace’ in one’s life, which is not easily found or embraced. To be at a certain place or with a certain person for the rest of your days and to be at ease with your decision, that contentedness is to have found the ‘small measure of peace’ that we can spend our entire lives trying to capture but only a few ever truly find.

It does not mean that the work is over but rather that the trials of our life have come to pass and that what we have fought for, bled for, or even cried for have now come to pass. While there may no final resting place until we depart from this Earth, finding a small patch of land to call your own, a garden or a farm for you to mend, and a woman (or a man) for whom you can love freely, that is the ‘small measure of peace’ to strive for obtaining, especially in one’s later years.

One man who was able to find his small measure of peace was Nathan Algren, who in ‘The Last Samurai’ can redeem himself, end his alcoholism, and fight with courage and honor in preserving the memory of the Samurai. While the Samurai age came to an end, Industrial Japan, and its Emperor, partly thanks to Nathan leading the Samurai into battle, to preserve their dignity and honor, were able to leave their mark on Japanese culture and history. While he may have been the last Samurai and a foreigner in Japan, he was able to rally them to a glorious end for which Imperial Japan would never forget.

“Tell me how he died.” “I will tell you…how he lived.” Even after losing his close confidant and friend in the final battle, the samurai Katsumoto, who took Nathan under his wing, told him the ways of the Samurai, and introduced him to the woman he came to love, Nathan wanted to preserve his memory to the young Emperor and to let the Imperial Japanese court know how special the age of the Samurai was and how it should not be forgotten.

“Nations, like Men, it is sometimes said…have their own destiny.” While nations choose to look forward to the future, they must also embrace the past to preserve their identity. What was once part of their culture may go away but it can leave an imprint and be remembered by generations to come. Japan’s destiny lies in looking to the future but always remembering the past, such as the age of the Samurai. Nathan Algren, the American who learned the ways of the Samurai, was able to throw off his own turbulent past as a Civil War captain by learning to fight with dignity and honor as a Samurai in a cause bigger than his own ego.

“As for the American Captain, no one knows what became of him…some say…he died of his wounds…others…that he returned to his own country…But I like to think…he may have, at last, found some small measure of peace…that we all seek…and few of us ever find.”

After trying to get himself killed or trying to deliberately drink himself to death, being able to survive as the last Samurai and tell of their traditions to keep the memory of Katsumoto alive, Nathan Algren was able to finally let go of the demons of his past and find the small measure of peace in a small Japanese village where he was first introduced to the only woman he truly loved. In her, Nathan finds a reason to stay alive, to make a life away from war and suffering, to be part of the woman’s village again, and perhaps start anew where he could be at peace with the past and have a pleasant future that is filled with love and peace.

As Nathan gathers his horse and rides down to Taka’s village, he is a man who is content, who is at peace, and who knows what exactly he must do for the rest of his living days. Taka and Nathan have a history together over the course of the film but by the ending scene, she is happy to see him alive and well again. Her beauty, grace, and femininity shine through as she gazes at Nathan, giving him a heartfelt smile, happy to see him in her presence again.

One look at each other says it all and they have been through so much in their time together that just to be making eye contact again is enough to fill up both of their hearts with joy. Like how Japan was willing to move forward to a new age while remembering the last Samurai, Nathan is also ready to be at peace with his past while looking to the future with Taka.

“Got to, This is America, Man…” – Anatomy of a Scene

“‘The Wire’ is the greatest television show of all-time. Even as the show nears the 20th anniversary since when it first aired on American cable television network, HBO, it still rings as culturally relevant and as emotionally stirring as it was when it first debuted in the Summer of 2002. While technology may be different now, the characters would not be the same, the setting could be different from the show, the overall themes, and messages from ‘The Wire’ as well as the institutions that the show focused on for five great seasons have not changed that much.”

‘The Wire’ is the greatest television show of all-time. Even as the show nears the 20th anniversary since when it first aired on American cable television network, HBO, it still rings as culturally relevant and as emotionally stirring as it was when it first debuted in the Summer of 2002. While technology may be different now, the characters would not be the same, the setting could be different from the show, the overall themes, and messages from ‘The Wire’ as well as the institutions that the show focused on for five great seasons have not changed that much.

I could write a thesis on ‘The Wire’ and devote at least 10,000 words on the show in terms of an in-depth breakdown on how it’s the modern equivalent to a Shakespeare tragedy or drama. However, in this ‘Anatomy of a Scene’, I am going to focus on one of my favorite scenes in this classic television show. This scene is the opening one for the entire five-season series and discusses a core tenet of the show not just about what kind of ‘game’ that the characters play, but also the ‘game’ inherent to the setting of Baltimore, Maryland as well as America as a country.

The opening scene, more than any other scene, even if it is the 1st, one pinpoints exactly what ‘The Wire’ is about. In the first shots, you can see a young man lay face down dead on the ground on some dark city street with the police collecting evidence and a main character, who is a detective, questioning a potential witness. The associate of the victim talks about how they were involved with street gambling and how it was not fair that it was not right to kill the victim, non-ironically known as ‘snot boogie’ to the game’s players. The victim of the crime has a real name but is endeared to the rest of the game’s players by that nickname alone.

As the witness explains to Detective Jimmy McNulty of Baltimore Police, ‘Snot Boogie’ was the victim of the crime, but his associate did not expect him to be killed for stealing from the other players of the street game for playing craps. The associate tells McNulty that the victim is known for stealing and grabbing the money to run away but they never want beyond just ‘beating his ass’ up a bit.

While it is a grim description of the dangers of gambling illegally on the streets, the witness to McNulty’s murder case explains that there is an unwritten rule to the ‘game’ of street gambling and that ‘Snot Boogie’ should not have been murdered for stealing from the other players. Nobody ever tried to kill the victim even after he was found guilty of stealing money from the street game players even if they did often catch him and beat him for having done it multiple times.

The witness refuses to tell McNulty who killed his associate in this game and does not want to go to court even though he believes it was disgraceful how ‘Snot Boogie’ was killed because they always let him play even though he would always steal from them.
“I got to ask ya, if every time Snot Boogie would grab the money and run away…why’d you even let him in the game?”
“…What?”
“If Snot Boogie always stole the money, why did you always let him play?”
“Got to, This America, man.”

McNulty looks incredulously as the witness tells him this reasoning because at its face, it does not make much sense for a guy who steals from folks repeatedly to continue playing a dangerous and illegal craps street game. It’s clear to both characters that life itself, and life in America is far from being fair at the end of the day especially a man got killed, which was against to how the game was being played, according to the witness, even if he was stealing from them.

Even if the game is fair or is rigged to some degree, it occurs to the witness and then McNulty after he sees the guy’s reasoning that even if the game was not meant to be won and the result would always be the same, you still let the game play out. The game may not be fair like life itself in general or in America, but it must be played by everyone. It may not be a fair shot and there is no equal outcome, but there is equal opportunity out there for each player to be involved even if someone cheats, steals, and comes back to play again. The game exists for everyone to be given a shot at it and if they don’t, that’s against the principle of life itself and life in America.

There are tragic consequences to this craps game for Snot Boogie who loses his life senselessly as well as for the men who will go to jail for it or lose all their money, but the game goes on and it’s open to everyone. Like the witness explains, the game deserves to be played by everyone equally although the outcome may not be something everyone will like or even will cost some people dearly. This excellent opening scene opens with the most prominent themes of The Wire perfectly and almost seems like a graphic novel come to life. Its visuals are striking, the characters are who you can relate to on a human level, and there is a lot of foreshadowing about the rest of the show and its messages to the viewers from this tone-setting scene.

‘The Wire’ is a show about the early stages of 21st century America in its first decade of the 2000s but it is as still as relevant about 20 years later. The metaphor of this opening scene for not just a couple of guys in a craps game gone wrong in the street can pair directly too what can happen when capitalism can go off the rails when someone tries to beat the rules or try to gain an advantage when they are put at a disadvantage to begin with. If the game is rigged from the get-go even if you’re given a shot at it, what’s the point in playing by the rules? If you can beat the system even if there are dire consequences, is it not worth trying?

‘Snot Boogie’s associates knew he was a thief and a cheater because they believed that he still deserved a shot at winning like everyone else even though it was likely rigged so he would never make it after multiple tries. As the opening scene of the greatest television show of all-time shows the viewer, everybody can play the game even if they are a cheater in the sense of having equal opportunity, but what happens when no one is held accountable when the odds are stacked against them from the start of the game and there is no other way to win than by cheating the system and facing serious consequences?

The show may not be defined by its iconic opening scene but as you find as you watch the entire series, the metaphor for what that scene represents about the show and about the ethic that binds American society together long after you finish watching each of its five seasons.

Anatomy of a Scene – The Dream

“In his 30+ years as a police officer, he means well but he has noticed an increasingly brutal fact that is inescapable. The world has become more unforgiving, violent, and it is hard for him to make an impact whereas at the beginning of his career, he sought to make it a better place.”

Tommy Lee Jones is an elderly police officer overmatched in the excellent ‘No Country for Old Men’ (2017). He is overmatched for a number of reasons including not being able to keep up with the actions of violent men who show no compassion or no remorse. Throughout the film, he is always just a step behind the sociopathic Anton Chigurh and fails to either apprehend him or to prevent him from killing innocent people. In his 30+ years as a police officer, he means well but he has noticed an increasingly brutal fact that is inescapable. The world has become more unforgiving, violent, and it is hard for him to make an impact whereas at the beginning of his career, he sought to make it a better place.

Ed Tom Bell is your average protagonist who means well, wants to do right in his work, and believes he can do good but finds himself overmatched and overwhelmed by what he is asked to do. When he thinks of his future, he wonders what is left for him and if retirement will bring him peace or have him think back on what could be.

The dream scene begins with Ed Tom, now retiring, looking out of his window at his farm’s seemingly barren landscape with a sole tree to his left through the window behind him. A man of seemingly few hobbies and fewer words, he thinks about his day ahead and thinks about the possibility of riding around on his horse. Not too enthused about it, he also asks his wife if he should help around the house. Seemingly because he is less than skilled at this work, his wife believes it’s better that “he not.” He asks if his wife will join him riding but she is still working and a member of society actively.

Resigned to his fate as a retiree instead of being an active police officer, he reflects to his wife that he’s had dreams and he wants to share them. She says that he has time for them now and that she’ll be polite while he remembers them. He goes ahead and states that there were ‘two dreams’, they were ‘peculiar’ and both of them involved his father who has long passed away. Ed Tom is an older man than his father ever was indicating his father passed away at a younger age that of which Ed Tom will live to be longer.

The first dream is almost like a flash as most of our dreams tend to be with the details muddled and hard to recall. Ed Tom only states that he meets up with his young father in town and he leaves him some money perhaps as a way of his father being there for him even if he wasn’t present physically in his life. Similar to losing his father early in life, Ed Tom believes he lost his money in the dream as well leaving him without help as his father’s early death may have inadvertently done.

The second dream is much more imaginative and involve Ed Tom and his father living in ‘older times’ perhaps when the West was not settled and was lawless. He is no longer a police officer maintaining law and order but rather a horse rider having adventures with his father as he wishes they perhaps would have had time for had he lived longer.

This second dream is much more vivid as Ed Tom recalls how it is cold, they are going through a mountain pass together. They ride together in the snow among the mountains of the night until his father rides past him with no explanation and his blanket wrapped tight against him. This is confusing to Ed Tom at first knowing how hard it is to be without his father who he loves and must face the cold world without him as if he has been abandoned again. Though he may have lost his father, Ed Tom recalls how his father was carrying ahead a fire and a horn of a golden moon color, which gave him comfort despite the fact that he was not with him riding together.

“He was going on ahead, fixing to make a fire.” Ed Tom believes his father in the dream is out there doing this noble act in the middle of all the dark and cold, which is brutal to handle. “I knew whenever I got there, he’d be there…then I woke up.” The hope that Ed Tom haves is that his father even though it seems like he abandoned him as the son is that he really is instead looking out for him and paving the road ahead with light so he would not abandon his hope.

He believes that his father even though he may not be there with him wants him to keep going ahead and to meet him eventually instead of becoming deterred. He paves the way for his son to chase the flame of his absence and to resolve to not let the dark encapsulate him fully. Ed Tom’s expression about the dream is one of resigned sadness that his father is no longer around but also one of lingering strength to believe his death was not in vain and that he will reunite with him one day. His father, like him later, use their lives to keep the flame and the light moving forward even when surrounded by the darkest aspects of human nature.

Like any dream scene in a movie, this one has a deeper meaning behind it related to one man’s grief involving the loss of not only his livelihood but of his hope for a brighter future for humanity. Having seen the horrors that people inflict on one another, he may be resigned to that fact but he also believes his father would have wanted him to keep the flame ‘alive’ and to keep carrying it forward throughout his life even if things looked bleak. His death did not stop Ed Tom from keeping the flame moving in his own life and to carrying it forward in the hopes that he would bring it to his father someday when they would eventually be reunited in another lifetime or in another dream that seemed real.

‘First Reformed’ – Film Review and Analysis

Man’s struggle with God can almost be as endearing yet painful as his struggle against man. If there is one way to sum up the excellent film, ‘First Reformed’, that would be it. First Reformed (2017) focuses on the environment, one’s faith, and the struggle to find hope when things seem rather bleak. “Can God forgive us for what we’ve done to the world?”, a troubled environmental activist asks Pastor Ernst Toller and the Pastor replies to his congregant, “Who can know the mind of God?”

While this movie did not receive any Oscar awards, the acting by Ethan Hawke (Pastor Ernst Toller) and also by Amanda Seyfried (Mary) is excellent as well as the cinematography, the adapted screenplay by Director Paul Schrader which helps this film earn its critical acclaim and some Independent Spirit award nominations as well as one Academy Award nomination. I still believe Mr. Hawke was snubbed from getting an Oscar nomination since this film’s performance was one of the best he has ever done and deserved more praise. In many of his films, I find him to be one of the best actors of his generation and able to produce genuine emotion regardless of the situation his character finds himself in.

In ‘First Reformed’, Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke) finds himself faced with difficult questions surrounding his faith, morality, the environment in 2017, and what lies ahead in the future for humanity. These are weighty questions for anyone to deal with let alone a pillar of a community like Toller finds himself to be in Snowbridge, New York as the head pastor for the colonial era First Reformed church that dates back to the time of British colonization and the underground railroad movement later on.

This historical church is seen to be losing its membership and interest and Pastor Toller has to resort to touristic gimmicks and a small gift shop to help make ends meet to keep the church going. There is a noticeable parallel to the decline of Christianity in terms of active members of the Christian church in the United States so a fictional movie such as this one has some real-life parallels that seem plausible. The crisis of faith in churches in certain communities has a coinciding similarity with Toller’s own faith in God and in himself. He is an alcoholic struggling to find meaning and purpose in his life at the beginning of the film.

While making the church more touristy, he has also made the church more spiritual as well instead of its Calvinist origins. He sticks more to sermons than to scriptures and has enlisted the financial backing and ownership of an evangelical megachurch in nearby Albany, New York, which is likely to take over the church in the near future much to Toller’s apprehension. As we go through the film, we peel back the curtain on who this pastor is and like any of us, he has his own personal flaws and past sins but has also suffered for them and wishes to make amends in some way.

We find out that Pastor Toller lost his son, Joseph, recently while serving in the Iraq War and feels guilt for having told him to enlist having come from a military background himself as a chaplain. During that difficult time, he committed adultery and started drinking but also found his faith again to then become a pastor at First Reformed after going through grieving his son’s loss. However, a chance encounter with one of his congregants and his wife puts his faith in God and humanity to the ultimate test.

Mary, a devout congregant and believer in God and her skeptical husband, Michael, a stern environmentalist and becoming increasingly radical meet with Pastor Toller separately in their house. Mary has concerns about Michael’s well-being and tells the Pastor they expect to have a child soon. Michael is sincerely struggling with the fact that he will be a father soon when the world’s ecosystems are steadily collapsing, sea levels are rising, and the effects of global climate change are to be felt beginning in the next few decades. For any of us watching this pivotal scene including Pastor Toller himself, there are no easy answers from God or from man either regarding the future of humanity. Ernest finds it difficult to comfort Michael but asks to keep seeing him and to look out for Mary and the unborn child.

This particular scene leads to the rest of the film’s deeper dive into the effects of capitalism and greed on the environment as well as the relationship between big industry and religious institutions. Pastor Toller’s awakening from meeting with Mary and Michael leads him to questioning why the environmental situation is so dire, who is responsible for it, what can be done to stop it, and how far should measures be taken. Because the Pastor has no easy answers for Michael, he starts looking for them and is obviously dismayed by what he finds out regarding the local environmental situation in his community and how greed, industry, and the lack of stewardship for his community have led humanity down towards an unsustainable path.

Without spoiling the film, The Pastor struggles with what he can do as one individual to counteract the forces aligned against good stewardship of the planet and what a person can do to draw attention to the problem. Not only is there a crisis of faith in God but in each other and what is being done to the only planet we have ever known. The Pastor, with certain health issues related to alcoholism, is reconciling with the fact that he is mortal and what kind of impact he wants to leave behind.

He is comforted by the fact that Mary is still a believer in the future and wants to have a child even with the future of the planet looking relatively bleak. Pastor Toller knows however that he has the responsibility now to hold those accountable for their actions whether it’s the Evangelical church, a big industrialist doing environmental damage, or even himself when he strays from helping those in his congregation who need it the most.

‘First Reformed’ poses a lot of weighty questions and it is an extremely timely film in terms of its messages and themes. It is bleak because it has to be and raises a lot of issues that we have neglected regarding the environment and now we may be finding that time to make a difference in this escalating problem is running out. ‘First Reformed’ asks us how an ordinary man of faith yet a pillar of the community so respond to those in his congregation who are in despair regarding environmental damage and destruction.

How far should he go and how radical should he be to get people to listen and understand what is being done? Can love and faith overcome the desire to do harm and take revenge against those who have sinned against the planet? Like any good film, there are no easy answers and the director does not condone or condemn the thoughts or possible actions that Pastor Toller weights leading up to the climax of the last scene.

What this film does an excellent job of is warning its viewers about the consequences of greed, ignorance, lack of stewardship, valuing profits over the health and well-being of people, and the unholy alliance of organized religion and big industries. There are numerous fingers to point at regarding the worsening state of climate change going on in the world currently but perhaps those who watch this excellent film will realize that the finger should be pointed at ourselves first about the damage being done. Perhaps that kind of introspective thinking is what it will take for massive external action to occur and for the worst of the consequences to be avoided.