I watched Okja today (Netflix) and was incredibly surprised at the darkness and overall depth of story the film presented. It wasn’t that I felt that this type of film, which is ostensibly about a girl and her pet, could be so deep. I was surprised by the depth of creativity the story looped into a smidge over two hours.
Let me be clear: I am on the verge of being a cynic. The majority of people in my life have entirely abandoned appreciation of the common in exchange for insult and impatient waiting for something spectacular to fall from the sky. Perhaps I am being too harsh. More specifically, I am hard pressed to find an individual in my life who appreciates a common piece of writing or film in any lasting impressionistic way. Instead I remain the one who sets the bar low. I can watch an episode of Star Trek TNG and carry a piece of it inside of me forever (and I do–the Borg concept is fundamentally prescient). Likewise when I see or read something that is fantastic (in my own mind) I can see layers and layers to that work.
Here is an important caveat. I occasionally see things that others find incredible as total bollocks. James Vandermeer’s Annihilation is an excellent example. It was meh to me and left me deeply unsatisfied as did the film, whereas everyone else I’ve encountered found both pieces to be quite satisfying (though I must admit the mirroring scene was wonderfully shot as was the crystallization scenery). This is all to say that my opinion is likely highly suspect.
I enjoy when writers and artists play with familiar conventions and do it in slightly different ways that highlight their uniqueness or, at the least offer a particularly well shaped take on such things. There is beauty in telling a simple story. It is often like watching two comedians tell the same joke, and realizing that one does that joke quite better than the other, despite saying almost exactly the same words. It is the nuance that separates such things. It is, as is often written, the devil in the detail.
Some Thoughts:
- Transportation has become a serious hassle in my life, thanks to school sports. The upside is more time in vehicle listening to audiobooks. That’s always nice.
- I finally won the Super Bowl with a retooled Giants team. The 2025 Super Bowl. Yep, Madden made me wait. I wonder if life will as well.
- My love returned. I haven’t seen her yet and the waiting has blossomed into a certain tension that can only come from being so close to someone you love yet unable to reach them.