January 09, 2010
Avatar, avatars, ataris
Everything means something, of course, and I am starting to think that Avatar gives us a very interesting window onto where we are, and what it is we believe. (and like all art, it does have a particular political and emotional starting point- for the most part, one I agree with, so keep that in mind as you read)
At the heart of the experience of Avatar is a very interesting contradiction, one that doesn't necessarily seem out of place in this day and space. For the most part, the good guys are organic: natural. So much so that they even reject fire. The Navi are perfectly in sync with their beautiful natural world, and are connected to it in much the same way you and I are connected right now through the internet.
The Bad guys use technology, and for as awesome (and as overwhelmingly kick ass) as some of it is, it is understood that is some evil evil shit.
Nature is Good, right, beautifull. The artificial is dumb, mean, evil.
The funny thing about this is that Avatar is HIGH HIGH Tech- perhaps the most complicated thing that I have seen in my lifetime. It is insane how wonderful and enrapturing the damn effects are, and how physically and emotionally affected by it I was. (Not in an art-film sort of way mind you, but like in a heart pounding sort of adrenaline way.)
This inherent contradiction reminds me of those Prius adds from last year which are trying to sell you the car as a beautiful object which is perfectly in Harmony with nature, though the nature it is in harmony with is entirely artificial, and perhaps a bit too saccharine.
Which is not to disparage the Prius or Avatar; I am a fan of both. But both are offering us a new, somewhat strange idea:
We will find our harmony with nature through advanced technology.
It strikes me that one of the main conflicts of the movie is also one of our cultures' biggest conflicts. This amazing thrill ride of a world that Cameron so beautifully creates is entirely artificial and cerebral. It is a world of great physical joy and physical beauty- lusty adventure after lusty adventure beckons us...
but we are just sitting here, watching math projected. We are not unlike the wheelchair bound Jake: We want a deeply physical terrestrial experience of life, but we are bound by our sedentary life, and it is through technology that we explore our wildest dreams.
My old friend Alex wrote me yesterday with this succinct series of thoughts:
I agree that the audience *is* Jake -- the real thrill of the movie I think is waking up with him in that new body and flying around Pandora (that we're chair-bound in the movie theater doesn't hurt either) More than anything else I think the film points to where virtual reality will be a few decades hence. (Speaking of which --they just created a sex robot -- evidently the engineer who did it lost a friend in 9/11, so created this in honor of her, I guess, so he could, um, keep fucking her memory? Who knows)But I also like that the Na Vi have there own technology (wired into the mother tree) so while it can be read a noble-savage back-to-nature parable, it also points to a technology that would be completely organic (and that might also be just round the corner).
In any case, what I think the movie gives the audience is "Longing" and "Awesome" - which is all I ask out of art.
I was reminded of his letter when I read an article on CNN.com today which starts with:
James Cameron's completely immersive spectacle "Avatar" may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.
The entire article can be found here. Obviously, it's a article which is sensationalizing the thoughts of a few select individuals, but it is interesting to me that it would affect people so strongly. I did find it a bit funny though, that this picture was used to illustrate the article:
Perhaps the first step in becoming a Na Vi is in not eating an entire pizza during a movie? Anyhow, I have to get to the gym and stop compulsively checking my Facebook every 20 minutes.
Posted by felix at 05:47 AM | Comments (1)