I just saw Into the Wild last night. The new film by Sean Penn that tells the tale of Chris McCandless's jouney to Alaska to find truth. The story itself was great, but the film and it's editing left something to be desired. The one thing that stuck with me was when he quoted Thoreau, "Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth." It has been a long few weeks writing my own truth into the new film I'm making, and I find myself "spicing it up" from time to time with nuggets of fiction. I do this simply because I know that an audience (as with films) don't often want the truth, they want the fantastical. But I must stick to my guns, so I'm keeping it as close to home as possible; bending truths to be what might happen, instead of what has happened. It's funny what begins inside of you when you do this. You're not as close to the story any longer. There are pieces of you in it, but you can work on it without knowing you're completely invested in it...body and soul. I think that's what's happening to our world. It's too hard to bear having the truth so close. It's too much to be reminded daily of what's wrong and what changes need to be made. It's easier to omit a few truths and keep it at a distance, than it is to embrace the mess and deal with it.
Recently the French actress Marion Cotillard was lambasted by the US media for saying that 9/11 might not have happened exactly as we think it did. I'm no conspiracy theorist myself, but I've seen enough of what this administration has done to know I'm not getting the whole truth. I'm pretty sure there was more to the story than we'll ever know...OR really want to know. Isn't that the reason that those who lost family in the tragedy were calling for her head. Isn't it funny that when it's so close to us we cannot even seek the truth...let alone see it. I saw Marion's speech on Oscar night and I'm sure she wasn't as crass as the papers made her out to be. I'm also sure it's quite hard to have a family member lost in the 9/11 tragedy. I'm not, nor would I ever, downplay their loss or any other useless loss of human life. However, we need to stop being so offended at the thought that our government isn't telling the truth and perhaps start asking questions. We need to rally together, mourn our losses, and demand answers.
All of this reminds me of the song by Immortal Technique with Mos Def. It's a bit harsh, but there is a message in it. Thanks Chris for turning me on to it.
This one's for you Marion.
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