the most art positive film I've ever seen that's cunningly masquerades as a
Shakespearean Tragedy. hell, this is as Shakespearean as it gets.
The Romantic and Transcendental nature of this film aids to it's mission of inspiring
people- to think for themselves, to establish autonomy and simply be a moth clinging to
your own light, for when ambitions aren't indoctrinated into you is truly when you really
begin to elevate yourself into a higher plane of being, a step closer to your ideal self, the
grand individual.
Poetry is a gateway to authenticity. And this film shows that brilliantly. What makes you
human is your yearning for romance, for meaning and for 'becoming'. Schools were
initially designed to introduce conformity amongst the younger masses, produce slaves
of traditionalist ideology, and just like any authoritative figure, they prevail in this film
too. One can be a romantic and break themselves out of the indoctrination.
John Keating is a profound and genuine liberator, an almost Socratic figure, the likes of
whom Plato wrote about. He taught the kids how to dream, reminded the beings of what
it means to be human again. Yeah, what if they're too young to handle that? Doesn't
matter. Got too crazy over love, go risk your life for it. Potentially throw away your career
to defend your teacher? You'll be morally superior than the conformists. The film spoke
to me that even the act of killing yourself is the noblest thing you can do if it meant you'll
be revolting against the pangs of conformity and societal restructuring. Nobody can clip
your wings.
Nobody should be able to clip your wings. The film also highlights one of the most
important problems in society throughout history, ie, not everyone should become
parents. If you have a child just to puppet them around in the veneer of care while in
reality you're projecting your own insecurities and inabilities and shaping them to be the
exact copy of your miserable self so you can have a subconscious sense of relation that
"they're not different than me". That's why Neil's death is so poignant. It's a class act of
"fuck you father".
The school indoctrinated concept of success is worldly, transient, material and fleeting.
Keating recognizes children on the brink of losing themselves to their parents' ambitions.
He wants them to think for themselves. That life's more than a six-figure job. That Love
makes Life worth suffering. That it's the gift of being able to choose for oneself that
makes someone so powerful.
Brilliant Film. Thanks Agni, Carpe Diem