Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Mankind is No Island

This short film by Jason van Genderen was shot on a mobile phone with a $57 budget. The movie has just won both the 'People's Choice' and 'Best Film' category at the New York Tropfest short film festival.


Art, as this video demonstrates, can challenge and inspire us in a way where spoken words sometimes fail. It has the ability to winnow its way deep into our souls and whisper into places in our heart that may have become numb due to time and familiarity. We have all experienced a time when art challenged our worldview and made us question our desires and motives.

At the same time, I don't think it's the role of art to always provide concrete answers to the questions that it raises. If so, it runs the risk of becoming overly didactic, thereby losing its artistic value and veering dangerously close to the realm of kitsch. However, images, words and music woven together into a rich tapestry can encourage us to think more, feel more and maybe even act differently in response to difficult issues. That's what good art can do.

I could go on...but I think I'll leave it at that.

1 comment:

Nathan said...

Wow, what an interesting concept and powerful message. I have to admit it took me a minute to figure out what was going on...Thanks for posting this. Would it be idea theft to do/use something like this to promote Josh's project with Paquin or other service projects going on through the church?