CONSCIOUS CINEMA
Catholic cardinal (Michel Piccoli) who’s unexpectedly elevated to pontiff at a Vatican conclave, a prospect that sends him fleeing in fright into the streets
of Rome in the Italian comedy, “We Have a Pope”
(“Habemus Papam”) (2012). Similar circumstances
arise in the Swedish domestic comedy “Force Majeure” (“Turist”) (2014), in which a young husband
and father (Johannes Bah Kuhnke) abandons his
wife (Lisa Loven Kongsli) and children (Clara Wettergren, Vincent Wettergren) to save himself from an
approaching avalanche while on a skiing vacation
in the French Alps, an act that leads to considerable
family discord (much of it wryly comical).
At other times, paying attention to our integrity may
prompt us into making heavy sacrifices, regardless
of how difficult that may be. However, if the choice
comes down to being truthful with ourselves (and
others), or willingly abandoning our sense of authenticity, the sacrifices we make may ultimately be
well worth it. A number of biographical films portray
this notion effectively, such as “Fair Game” (2010),
the story of CIA undercover operative Valerie Plame
(Naomi Watts), who was outted in an act of political
retribution against her outspoken husband, Joe Wilson (Sean Penn), a professionally devastating development that cost Plame her career but that brought
highly questionable government practices to light;
“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” (2013), the epic
biography of once-imprisoned South African president Nelson Mandela (Idris Elba), who endured years
of incarceration for his beliefs on his way to becoming an inspirational leader of his country; “Of Gods
and Men” (“Des hommes et des dieux”) (2010),
the moving saga of a group of Trappist monks who
lived peaceably among Algeria’s Muslim population until civil war broke out in 1996, a conflict that
severely tested their faith and spiritual convictions;
and “Trumbo” (2015), the biography of Academy
Award-winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan
Cranston), who was blacklisted during the 1950s Red
Scare but refused to give up on his views – or his craft,
even if it meant clandestinely writing under a pseudonym, an effort that covertly won him two Oscars.
The pressures put upon us to carry forward with
our endeavors can be tremendous. But, when we
know we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing, we operate from a position of integrity, one
that, with sufficient time and effort, is bound to pay
off. In “Gattaca” (1997), a genetically “inferior” everyman with dreams of space flight (Ethan Hawke)
goes to great lengths to live out his destiny in a society where such ambitions are restricted to those
of allegedly “superior” stock. That kind of intrepid
determination also drives the efforts of forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) in his quest
to determine the cause of neurological damage to
pro football players, despite serious pressure from
the NFL to quash his investigation, in the inspiring
biographical drama, “Concussion” (2015).
Achieving success under such conditions can be particularly challenging – but ultimately satisfying – for
those operating under the added burden of extenuating circumstances, as evidenced by three films
with gay community themes. In “Far From Heaven” (2002), a closeted husband and father (Dennis
Quaid) struggles to come to terms with his sexuality
under the repressive social pressures of life in 1950s
suburbia, a challenge full of its share of disappointments and triumphs. Similar pressures characterize the narrative in “Viva” (2016), which chronicles
the journey of an aspiring young Cuban drag queen
(Héctor Medina) seeking to make a name for himself
while dealing with the homophobic attitudes of his
47 | New Consciousness Review