A Hidden Thought Provoking Movie

Rating: 8/10 (29 May 2013)

The Beach is a movie I saw and has grown on me. There are many aspects of the movie that seem to be an analogy to our real life. And many aspects that make you think about how we view things. I also see it as chasing Moby Dick, in this case paradise.
Short summary: A young man finds an island that is "paradise", which is a community living on a hidden beach. No rules, just fun.
The problem with paradise is kind of like asking someone if they would like to be happy all of the time. It is a paradox. Yes, you want to be happy all the time, but you can't because you would not know happiness if you were happy all of the time.
Do you want to live in a paradise? Yes, but it is a paradox. You can't have a paradise just like you can't be happy all of the time.
Richard finds this island through someone he met named Daffy. Daffy commits suicide after kind of going crazy from realizing the paradox of paradise.
Eventually Richard realizes this and becomes crazy, and then "grows up" and accepts the reality of things.
I found many thought provoking issues in this. The one that really stayed with me is the when the two members get attacked by the shark. One dies and the other lives but moans and groans in the community until they drag them outside the community and leave him to die. Richard narrates that "as soon as he was out of sight and out of mind, the problem was solved". I think about this with disabled people, mentally insane people, and especially the elders. If they are out of sight then we have no problems. Put the old folks in a home and be done with it.
Another issue I find interesting is the classic case of paradise is when you have no rules and you live however you want. But Richard finds this to not really be paradise after all. Kind of like a teenager that rebels and then finds out later in life that they were really correct on things. Not so simple.
In the end, I think Richard grows up and realizes paradise is not really paradise. He also finds his true self and accepts it.
Overall, an interesting and entertaining movie. Not award winning but worth the view. Enjoy!