 Empathy for the Devil
Recently, the film industry has been in the mood to challenge viewers with a bold idea: empathy for the "others." The "others," are, basically "the evil," since they don't live like us, act like us, or have the same ethics and morals as us. The usual human ego, threatened by the challenge the "the others" carry tends to ignore and isolate what's not recognizable or understandable.
Some extraordinary scriptwriters and directors are able to take the lives of "the others" and intersect them with our own lives, telling us about the hidden world of those who have been judged, misunderstood and blamed. Their medium is film! The Hollywood remake of Stephen Sondheim's, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," is maybe the most emphatic. Tim Burton doesn't only provide stunningly dingy Victorian scenes combined with Johnny Depp's interpretation of charisma; but provides a vision of existence, created by a murderer! Each moment is fed slowly to the viewer with the density of blood extracted from his victims. Still, it isn't hard to see a foolish, weak barber, trying to hide his anger with vengeance; and still carrying a devoted and unaltered love for his wife and daughter.
Then there is serial-killer Aileen Wuornos in "Monster," played by Charlize Theron, who was awarded "The Best Actress in a Movie" Oscar in 2004. We realize that under her brutal, monstrous and animal-like motives, there still remains a hidden glimpse of the most human of feelings: love. We admit the need for some "mad-vision," like the one the Joker possesses in "Batman Begins," to cope with the black-and-white dullness of everything we encounter; and become aware that even in the greediest person in the world's overflowing population, there is still a belief in change. This thought is fed by Daniel Day Lewis's award winning portrayal in "There Will be Blood."
Woody Allen's 2007 movie, "Cassandra's Dream," doesn't just reflect the lives of two middle-class brothers turning into miniature Raskolnikovs when someone from the family proposes they turn to crime, but also addresses who we are in the most frightening way we can ever imagine. Even in the blankest pages of our lives, and the whitest souls we possess, dwells a small amount of darkness, a little passion for illegitimacy, and an unexpected condition created by Lucifer. That's why a simple student can kill for money in "Crime and Punishment," or a devoted son ends up robbing her parents' jewelry store in Sydney Lumack's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead."
Of course, the "conscience" that ignores the Satanic-mist must be loyally protected. The burden that detaches empathy from sympathy must be seen, yet it would be wise not to underestimate the understanding movies can offer. Even if our lives are limited and ruled by society, we can liberate our souls with a great amount of empathy, especially nowadays when we need it most. Evil may be a misspelling of "live" literally; but not always in reality.
Farewell, stay tuned, and please, empathize.
Işıl Kutluay (ECON/II)
i_kutluay@ug.bcc.bilkent.edu.tr
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