When
we were discussing the Decalogue, and Midrash in film, this
quote in the reading stood out to me.
“It
is here that we turn this background discussion to hermeneutics and
the Jewish tradition of Midrash. Kieslowski did not want to make a
film that simply repeated the Catholic Church’s teachings on the
Commandments. Rather he wanted the films to say “we know no more
than you. But maybe it is worth investigating the unknown, if only
because the very feeling of not knowing is a painful one.” In this
vein of expression he continues, “we endeavored to construct the
plot of this film so that the viewer would leave the film with the
same questions in mind which we had asked ourselves when the
screenplay was only an empty page fed into the typewriter.”
Kieslowski’s musings indicate that his film making is consistent
with Midrash.”
Investigating
the 'unknown' is a great way of helping the audience relate; too
often we see in films, the investigation of the 'known.' Maybe this
is more of a comfort zone for film writers. I appreciated that they
pointed out that this feeling of the unknown is a “painful one”
(a real human emotional response) and that they try to get the viewer
to ask questions, the same ones we asked ourselves. This really puts
the audience right in the middle of the film, involves them in a
edifying way.
Later,
we see them explain the importance of Midrash in Jewish culture, and
how, “the laws seemed to apply to circumstances of the past and
needed to be adapted to contemporary life.” It talks about
relevancy, and the importance of a person being able to construct
meaning of their own in these re-telling of stories. I think the
Decalogue did a good job of this. It took circumstances that
we understand, and through a series of promptings, force us to ask
ourselves the important questions, and thus, leaves us with a level
of personal meaning.
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