not a movie critic

Rating: Null/10 (25 July 2004)

First, a disclaimer. I am not a movie critic. In fact, I tend to NOT read any reviews prior to seeing a movie. Never a believer that others should influence MY interpretation of a movie, and plus, many movie critics seem to possess some universal standard of "good" that I find, ummm, stupid - can't enjoy a simple movie, or just be entertained for 2 hours, because the actors seem "hollow" or the plot "tedious", yadda, yadda. Get a life, is my immediate reaction. Having said that, I do appreciate a movie (and its creators) that attempt to SAY SOMETHING about life and the human condition. Some will "suspend disbelief" in an action or drama film so they can enjoy the overall effects of the movie. Likewise, sometimes, such as movies like Pi, you must suspend your disbelief in order to hear the message of the movie. It's not the details (is there a 216 character code that can explain all life? don't know, don't care, and not the point)but the overall message of the movie, and whether it's told in an interesting and novel manner, that truly matters. Point of the movie (my interpretation): can "truth" and a perfect understanding of reality ever be fully understood by the limited capabilities of humans? The movie has an almost Buddhist interpretation that, no it's not possible. And any fanatical belief that it can will only lead to frustration and insanity. Yes, knowledge can be exploited for economical and religious purposes (as implied by the movie)but in answering the ultimate questions of life, and, more importantly, how one lives their life, objective science and knowledge are inadequate to live (again leaning Buddhist interpretations) a "good" life. At the beginning of the movie, one looks at the tree top, the branches and leaves, and as Maximillan explains his numbers theory, one can not resist looking at that image and attempt to think of the mathematical equations those branches and leaves can be expressed as. Max finally understands the inherent limitations to this interpretation (haunted by the "life" visions - a singing subway rider, the faint moaning of a woman during sex as he begins to break the "code" of life. He eventually lobotomizes himself and, in the end, looks at those same branches and leaves and finds peace in the acceptance and beauty of life as is, regardless of intellectual capacity and understanding. A very interesting and well-told message. I am not sure I completely agree with it, but I love a movie that makes an attempt to challenge us intellectually. I guess for movie "experts" they can belabor the acting, lighting, plot movement and "reality" aspects ad nauseaum and find fault with any movie - forever caught among the trees and completely missing the forest.