An Image of Humanity
Well, my essay wasn’t rubbish after all, which is a relief. It has such things as "beautiful" and "perfect" written on it, which cracks me up – love the enthusiasm of this lecturer. Comments say my references to Augustin and Calvin were a highlight! (reading between the lines does that mean ‘rather than anything you wrote’ – maybe, but well, I must at least have put my references in a suitable place). Anyway, thought it was time to change tack slightly ... and what better way to do it than blog about another movie. A movie that provides a little portrait of humanity, in a setting not unapt to our times, is Birthday Boy. It’s a beautiful animation that was nominated for an Oscar in 2005, and is ten minutes of your life well spent. I went looking for my copy, to enhance the writing of this blog, and discovered a flat mate had borrowed it to use in her high school English classes on "images of humanity".
The film is a true story (made by another friend of mine actually) set in Korea in 1951 and opens with a little boy playing in the wreck of a war plane. He watches a train, laden with tanks and equipment of war, chug past in fascination. He imagines he is fighting in the war with his absent father and has an make believe conversation with him as he plays and throws a stone, come hand grenade, on the unsuspecting postman.
We know from the title of the movie that it is this little boy’s birthday and so when he wanders home and finds a package on the verandah he simply assumes it’s a present for him. He opens the package in great excitement, which isn’t dampened at all by any understanding when he pulls out his Dad’s wallet, complete with picture of himself and his Dad in the front, then his Dad’s medals, which he hangs around his neck in great pride, and then his Dad’s boots, which he joyously puts on and then begins to stomp around the front yard playing soldiers. He’s still just a little boy who thinks war is a great adventure and he's received a fabulous birthday present.
The film ends with the little boy’s mother calling out to him as she comes home. And you know that life for that family will never be the same again.
It’s a tragic little portrayal of the effect of war on individuals.
I don’t think I need to say anything more ...