Christian Holmes "Northfork"

One theme in the film "Northfork" was the idea of a lack of permanence. Two of the best visual examples of this theme are the lack of foundations found on the remaining houses and the dug up graveyard. Of course, since the town of Northfork is under going evacuation, people are being either uprooted from their homes or moving them. In addition, people would want to relocate the graves of their loved ones before the new dam is created, flooding their final resting place. However, the film does not just treat this lack of permanence as a sort of plot point, but as a philosophical theme throughout the movie.

This lack of permanence does not just exist within the objects of the film but the people as well. Families, for example, the polygamist family, lived in a house that had been converted into a boat. Although they were dead set on their choice to stay in the house, the house, by its very nature, could not stay in any one place. The family lacked a state of permanence. The construction of this dam and the families reaction to the construction removed a sense of consistency and stability from their lives. The graveyard is another example. When one thinks about graveyards, terms such as "final resting place" come to mind. However, in this film, because of the dam being built, people are digging up and relocating their relatives.

Overall, I think this movies raises the point that life is full of uncertainty. It is full of flux and change. The foundations of ones home are even in shift and change. There is no solid ground to stand on. Even in death there is no certainty and permanence. The film seems to want to make viewers question what solid ground they really have to stand on in life and how much of what they know and live is really permanent and in their control. Just some food for thought. I thought the movie was really thought-provoking.