Tarantino's work is genius

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2012)

I really liked Django. I fully understand that some people not unreasonably dislike the movie because of the extraordinary amount of violence, use of the N word, and depiction of slavery in a way that they find demeaning. I respect these views, but reach a different conclusion.
I think that Tarantino's work is genius. Amidst all of the violence (of which there is a lot) there is real subtlety in his recounting of some of the worst aspects of American history. Slavery was an awful period in American history, and its effects have lingered too long. The slave culture was filled with inhuman behavior and very complicated human interactions (white/black, black/black, male/female, and white/white). The movie caused me to reflect a lot on these things, both with sadness and understanding. When I say "understanding," I do not mean acceptance; I mean comprehension.
Tarantino uses notions of redemption and retribution, some humor, and some embracing relationships -- none of it realistic -- to cushion the blows of history that his story exposes. Tarantino's devices caused me to feel no less disgust over slavery, nor did they cause me to feel that history had been corrupted or demeaned. He used exaggerated forms of art to drive home things that we should never forget going forward. It is a hard way to learn lessons, but Tarantino pulled it off majestically (in my view). And the four lead actors - Waltz, Foxx, Jackson, and DiCaprio -- were truly brilliant.