There is apparently a Chinese curse that says, "May you live in interesting times." I say "apparently" because there is some debate on the origin, interpretation, and meaning of that statement. Without getting too political, I also find it interesting that China is one of the myriad elements out there that makes our times "interesting." While it's certainly not dull, it is kind of hard to look at what's going on in the world these days and not feel like we are cursed to some degree. As a self-professed cynic, I have been a keen observer of humanity for the better part of thirty years now and I can honestly say--again, without getting too political--that I'm pretty sure we've brought these interesting times on ourselves.
I miss being surprised. I miss being shocked. No matter how outrageous the news sounds these days, when I hear it I think, "Yeah, that figures." I recently saw a meme that said the satirical newspaper The Onion (their motto--"Tu Stultus Es") is shutting down because they can no longer come up with headlines crazier than reality. And while I don't believe this is actually happening (particularly since I still get their newsletter in my email), I don't think I would be that surprised if they did. Sometimes I think that the only thing that still truly surprises me is that we're still alive as a species.
Of course, it's easy to forget that most times are "interesting" to some degree. There's always something occurring that freaks the hell out of a group of people because it doesn't fit their little paradigm of how things should be. I've been hearing the same thing since Bill Clinton's impeachment--"What will we tell the children?" As someone who's been accused more than once of being a bad influence on children, I honestly don't have a good answer. I guess it's a good thing I don't have kids of my own.
Children fascinate me. They scare the crap out of me in groups of more than four, especially without adult accompaniment (a condition I've dubbed "rugratophobia"), but they do fascinate me nonetheless. They're incredibly impressionable yet, at the same time, incredibly observant. As a former child myself, I genuinely believe they observe and understand much more than adults tend to give them credit for--even during interesting times. But as a current adult, even if I am a bad influence, I still instinctively want to protect them from the horrors of the world.
I look at what's going on both in this country and abroad and sometimes wonder what the children must think of us. How many of them must think, "Why does Mommy no longer have a job?" "Why can't we have eggs for breakfast?" "Are we going to have to move away from my friends?" "Why is that man holding up a chainsaw that he doesn't seem to know how to start, let alone operate?" And those are just what I imagine kids in this country are thinking. In other countries I assume they think things like, "Why don't I have a Mommy anymore?" "I'm hungry. Why can't I have breakfast?" "Why do those planes keep dropping bombs?" "Why was my house blown up?" "Why do those people want to shoot me?" "Who is that scary looking man with a chainsaw?" And I still don't know what to tell these children. I just hope that they forgive us when they grow up... assuming we allow them to do so.
As I said earlier, it's easy to forget that these particular times are not unique to history, which just proves the old adage that those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it... while those who do study history are forced to watch helplessly as those who don't study it repeat the mistakes of the past. Valid or not, a lot of parallels have been drawn between the present day and what was going on eighty and ninety years ago. I find myself thinking about the children who lived through that time and what their parents had to struggle to tell them.
This week's film is a look at World War II through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy who (SPOILER ALERT!) is on the losing side. Jojo Betzler (played by Roman Griffin Davis) wants nothing more than to be a good German and serve his country and "Der Führer" who also happens to be his imaginary friend (yes, there are a lot of "dark comedy" elements to the film). Without giving anything away--although the movie's trailer kind of does that--Jojo discovers that his mother (Scarlett Johansson in an Oscar nominated performance) is keeping a dangerous secret that could bring about tragic consequences. The film walks a fine line between heartbreaking and uplifting--a difficult line to walk, but it does it beautifully.
What really impressed me about it was its use of music. While set in Germany during the last year of World War II, most of the songs used in the film were actually written decades later. And in most of those cases, we get to hear artists like Roy Orbison, David Bowie, and even The Beatles singing in German.
Taika Waititi wrote this film, winning the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay (based on Christine Leunens's book Caging Skies). Anyone who knows Taika Waititi knows it's not enough for him to just write it--he also directed it and starred as Adolf Hitler (Jojo's imaginary friend). Rounding out the cast are Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen, Archie Yates, and the great Sam Rockwell whose performance (I feel) was seriously overlooked by the Academy. Released in 2019 and nominated for a total of six Academy Awards including Best Picture, this week I recommend Jojo Rabbit.
Due to family commitments, there will be no album or film recommendation next week. Until I return, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
Yours in peace, love, and rock and roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
