Between bleakness and grace: What it means to be human
In one of the most iconic scenes in the 2008 movie "The Dark Knight," the Joker eloquently expresses his belief in the darker duality of human nature: "Their morals, their code, it’s a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be. I’ll show you. When the chips are down, these civilized people, they’ll eat each other." Seen in this context,…
The protagonist in Christopher Nolan's film "The Dark Knight" articulates his conviction about the darker aspects of human nature. He suggests that morality, a set of principles one adheres to, is merely a joke that people discard when faced with adversity. He states that such individuals are only as good as the circumstances allow them to be.
In his 2005 interview, Nolan elaborates on this theme, saying that he doesn't solely view things in terms of 'darkness and light', but also 'bleakness and richness'. He aims to portray the world as it truly is, in all its unvarnished complexity and majesty - grim, intricate, yet not beyond redemption. His cinematic universe is a rich tapestry of human actions, where even the most sinister figures exhibit glimmers of goodness, and the most virtuous characters are not immune to the shadows of despair.
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- Between bleakness and grace: What it means to be human koreatimes.co.kr
