after watching 'Warrior', i stand corrected... in so many ways... yes its a 'fight' movie... but no it's about the fighting with the fists... its the ache of the heart and years of nursing pain... it is about letting go it's about letting in... it's about having the guts to forgive, forget... sad as well as happy things... about grey... Oh! so many shades of grey.
it's about 3 men... who have been hating each other for years... holding grudges, unable to see past those years... of misunderstandings, death, loss, loss of love...
does a sibling really hate another... hate his own... does that work... is is that black or white?
does a drunkard love his offspring? does a sober man deserve kindness and acceptance?
does a neglected child grow up to be respect life?
do these wounds ever heal .. the ones that you pet and nurse over the formative years of your existence?
does a father get redemption? does a son forgive? do you forgive yourself? do you?
how much and how often, is a question that's paramount....
when tommy fights brendan what are you thinking? does it break your spirit and logic? your rational approach to life is ashamed in the face of this story... can you decide which brother to root for? how uncomfortable does that make you?
About today.. when i stand corrected , more humanised... more aware of myself and my 'morality'... it's vital for me to remember and acknowledge that a commercial venture such a feature film 'warrior' is infusing thought, inducing conflict, in me.... it's not just ridiculous debatable bullshit such as inglorious fckin bastards, that move me(in a more disbelief shocked angry 'burn tarantino' way)... not just funny games.... it's also simpler, more delicious more daring films such as warrior that make me feel alive... like i could burst with life with feeling with a heart as big as my body.... torn between three characters... nuanced (as k would say).... tearing my tears apart.About today.. when the fight starts and brendan asks "tommy, where's pop?" what goes through your mind? who are you rooting for? the battered hurt soldier whose childhood was abused by a drunken father, the one who wants to help a deceased friend's wife and kids... or does it go out to the one that hides in his 'regular joe' teacher's costume, stares at his little girls' faces only wanting to give them a home... who is filled with anger... feels alone.. trapped by a system....
when tommy comes down hard on brendan at the beginning of the game, do you feel scared for brendan? or do you feel confused? what do you think about tommy dressed in black shorts, and brendan in white? what does that make you feel? is it on purpose then? is the film maker telling you to support brendan? i dont know... i hope not
when brendan pops tommy's shoulder.... are you rendered relieved? aghast? shocked? the underdog v/s the frontrunner?
are we still rooting for the underdog? but who was really the underdog?
the guy who lost his childhood and mother to his father's drunken abuse, fought in the army and heroically saved a few soldiers' drowning lives and lives to fulfill his one promise to his late friend?
or the physics teacher who wants to save his home from the greedy and manipulative clutches of an American bank?
About today... like every day is a feast of emotions... a quest to feel and be reminded that i have a thinking heart... doesnt just pump blood through my organs.... it beats with thought... confused always... but yes human...
i thank thee Gavin O'Connor and your 'warrior(s)'
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