Seeking out Redemption in the Beautiful World of Film. or My Excuse to Write About Movies

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

In The Valley of Elah

Paul Haggis (Crash, writer of Flags/Letters and Million Dollar Baby) writes and directs this controversial drama about a father's search for the truth. Tommy Lee Jones plays Hank Deerfield, a man who has just been informed that his son has returned from Iraq, but gone AWOL. Soon Deerfield and his wife (played by Susan Sarandon) find out their son has been cut into pieces and burned in a field. The murder mystery ensues. Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) is hounded by Deerfield, he wants the truth no matter what it is. Sanders, after much juristiction jostling, eventually finds some good leads, and it takes off from there.

Lets start with Hank Deerfield. He was in the military, and both of his sons follow in his footsteps. There are some major dad issues here. Not to say Deerfield is a bad father though. He is a great man, patient, strong, courageous, honorable. Yet, he seems to have sent a subconscious message to his sons that they have to be military men in order to become "real" men. What is the definition of manhood? That's a darn good question, one whose answer could solve many of our society's ills. We find out later that Deerfield's first son died service to his country ten years ago. Also, Mike, the murdered man, has wanted to come home from Iraq. He called his dad and told him he couldn't handle it anymore. Was his father diappointed in him? Mike ends up staying, and when Deerfield finds out the truth, he is devestated because he did not support his son. Jones does a masterful job as a man's man dealing with the demons from his own past as well as the guilt and remourse of losing his sons. Above all, I believe Deerfield's greatest attribute is courage. The tagline to the film is: "Sometimes finding the truth is easier than facing it." Deerfield wants to find the truth, and then look it straight in the eye, no matter what it is. He is fearless when faced with incredible pain and heartache.

Haggis has been called "a hamhanded moralist" because he tends to beat the audience over the head with his point. He has no subtlety. This can be good and/or bad, just know that there is a strong point Haggis is trying to get across to his audience: What does war do to people? What is this war doing to our young men and women? War is hell, everyone knows that, (or at least the abstract concept). If we train our soldiers to be machines, because that is essential for survival on the battlefield, how are they supposed to turn that off when they get home? Is the gain of war worth the cost? (Isn't that an age-old question?)

The film gets its title from the Bible. David fought Goliath in the valley of Elah. In one of the films more tender moments, Deerfield tells this story to David's namesake, the son of Det. Sanders. David was a young man who had great courage, and overcame great odds. He defeated the giant. So why does Haggis choose this title? The war is the giant, and the young soldiers we send over are all Davids. All war is a giant, and we as humanity are huge underdogs, it seems as if we will never be able to stop it. This murder, especially the truth behind it, is a giant, and Deerfield must be courageous in fighting it. Yet, as my lovely wife pointed out, this world does not seem so cut and dry, as it did in the time of Scripture (at least on the surface). It is hard to tell who is right and who is wrong. We all have good and evil inside of us. But we have to remember David wasn't all good either (and I'm sure Goliath actually had some positive qualities). As a side note, I love seeing films with my wife, because she helps me see so much more than I would have seen on my own. Thanks Tiff.

Haggis is as provoking a filmmaker as there is in Hollywood today. He succeeds again in making us think and feel. This film has layers upon layers, and I feel that I have only scratched the surface (plus the thing I really want to write about would give the story away, and I try not to do that too much).

This film, if it ends up being successful, will cause much controversy. Bush is famous for using us/them and good/evil language, reminding us of Biblical stories like David v. Goliath. Is it worth it that we are there? Everyone has a strong opinion on that topic already, and I don't think this film will change any minds. But we shouldn't limit it to Iraq. We must translate Elah to all of war, and to the human condition in general.

This film could be taken as anti-war propaganda, but I don't see it that way. I have many friends who have fought or are fighting in Iraq right now, and I have tremendous respect for them. But Haggis separates the soldiers from the idea of war in general. Maybe it is propaganda though, I could be wrong.

Near the beginning of the film, a janitor at a local school accidentally hangs the flag upside down. Deerfield drives up and helps the man, telling him that an upside-down flag means that whoever is flying it is in severe trouble, they need major help. The film ends at that same flagpole, with Deerfield raising the flag upside-down himself.

2 comments:

Dusty said...

I guess this movie is "based" on an actual soldier's murder after coming back from Iraq:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/17/48hours/main1625064.shtml

Haven't seen the movie but the real-life story is sufficiently disturbing on it's own.

Anonymous said...

I know someone close to my family, who was in Iraq. If a fist is thrown at him, he just reacts. He does not know how to turn it off. Surprisingly, he is more willing than some to share about his experiences in Iraq. I think that the themes and substories in the film were well placed and timed, it fit together like the patchy American flag on the pole. It did seem a bit forthcoming, especially because of the music at the end. That is the one part that irritated me. Why do we send young boys to war? Is it war that is messed up, or is it our thinning values and lack of morale in the system that need to be reformed? If only we knew who or what for we really are fighting... I guess ultimately I have to remember that God's will is the most important thing. Saying Jehova bless Israel, or Iraq, or God bless America is short-sighted. Ultimately God has already won.