Thought provoking: Foucault!

Rating: 10/10 (27 August 2010)

I have just watched the film last night on Foxtel and so pleased that I did! Only very disappointed that did not get my act together and see this on the big screen and would not pass up this opportunity if any of our Luna cinemas decide to show it again. Hint hint!
Martin Scorsese is probably my favourite director and as another reviewer so aptly said, this is something different from the great man - and once again he excels. The narrative is just fantastic and will have you on the edge of your seat and the edge of your mind. I kept thinking of Michel Foucault, the French theorist who wrote so much about the discourse of 'madness' and there is a scene where Foucault's ideas (once you are 'named' insane, anything you say afterwards is always just the ramblings of a delusional mad man) are voiced. I have taught introductory media studies and any student out there looking for a good example to illustrate the theories should definitely get hold of this film.
Not only is this a great tale, wonderfully directed, it is also uniformly (pardon the pun) brilliantly acted. There is no weak link here. Which says so much for the actors, because this is not a black and white narrative and - thinking about it now - so much would have been lost in depth if not for the emotional intensity of the performers. One of those rare films where nail biting edginess combines with emotionally charged performances. In other, lesser hands, this could have been really awful.
Spoilers Coming Up!!
There is so much I could say about this film, but will try to cut to the chase: A couple of major things that struck me apart from the Foucault 'madness' stuff:
The Wicker Man: I am talking about the original by the way. If you have seen the 1970s Edward Woodward film, see what you think about this. The 'pretend' missing woman, the island where you can't get off, the lure to the lighthouse on the rocks - all suggesting allusions to The Wicker Man. There is only one ferry that joins the mainland to the island in both stories. Both films interrogate the notion of 'belief' and how particular belief systems become 'fact' and 'beyond question' (paganism, psychiatry and Woodward's protestant Christianity).
The Civil War Prison: North versus South but also the lead protagonist's Sanity versus Insanity. The battle within. Is it real? Or is it just the place where the lead protagonist must go to face his demons?
The Liberation of Dachau: The lead protagonist is correct to see the links between psychiatry, power and oder he witnessed here and the Island. In both places, 'doctors' using the language of 'science' decide who lives and who dies. (the Lobotomy is a kind of death)
Discussion question: If he did kill his wife after she killed the children - and even this is still up for grabs to me - should we completely trust these 'experts?' - is it so bad that he creates a fantasy in order for his brain to deal with so much trauma? Is the 'Truth' of his situation - and saying it out loud to people - so important, that by not speaking it he deserves a lobotomy? Mmmmm....this brings to mind a strong element in American cultural history - the 'speaking publicly of your sins' (a central tenet of the early puritans' religion) is still a major factor in programmes like 'Oprah' for example.
I see a thousand Phd papers coming up on this film - and would love to read them! Why can't all films be this layered and thought provoking??
Once again: Just wonderful. Already planning to watch it again.