Over the weekend I saw the movie Agora. The movie covers the destruction of the library of Alexandria and the murder of Hypatia. Thus there is no suspense about the outcome but the movie is in many ways more gripping than the typical Hollywood thriller. This movie covers actual historical events and although the details are not known completely it certainly seems to generally agree with what is known of the events.
There are a couple of themes in the movie; first theme is that violence and threats are not useful for deciding issue of religion or philosophy; and the second is the theme of faith versus reason. Is the movie is anti-fundamentalist? Yes but it is more than that. It is ultimately anti-faith. Fundamentalism derives from faith not the other way around. In reflecting on the movie a couple of days later I wonder if the people who made it realize how much of an attack on faith is implicit in much of the movie. This movie is painful and depressing but hopefully it will serve as to advance the cause of reason and rationality.
This movie is only being released in a few theaters and I strongly urge seeing it if possible.
2 comments:
I saw the film a couple of weeks ago in New York. I have to say that, although I thought its heart was in the right place, the mediocre execution did not allow it to live up to its potential.
I see your point although I would say it is maybe a bit above mediocre. I had seen a negative review and had gone in with low expectations. I am glad I saw it.
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