The Village… is there a message, or is it just a movie?

June 13, 2013 by My Spoken Heart - Andrea Crowell 5 Comments

The Village

I watched the movie ‘The Village‘ again lastnite. It is a movie I have watched many times since it’s release in 2004. It seems that every time I watch it I catch something I’ve missed, I get something new from it. I personally am a fan of this movie, where as many that I know have abhorred it. I think it is much more than a mere psychological thriller, it actually has an integral message to it. I feel this movie was well thought out, and was meant to make us think. You see we can try to create an idyllic life for ourselves, we can attempt to shelter ourselves and the ones we love from pain, hardship, and loss, but it will eventually catch up with us. Why because we are human. Sorrow will find us and we will feel it. Innocence cannot be regained once lost. Suffering is inevitable. Tragedy is an integral part of the human experience.

We cannot live a life untouched by sorrow. People we love will die. Others will fall ill. Some will just slowly fade away. Jealousy and senseless acts will happen. People we know and love will get hurt, and we cannot stop it. It is in human nature to compete, to harm, to fight. I don’t know why. But we all have an ugly side, no matter how hard we try to hide it, no matter how many positive happy thoughts we force into our brains. We all have moments where we feel anger. Moments when we behave poorly. Times when we react to others behaviour, badly. They may be fleeting, they may be unintentional but they are there.

Every person has experienced their heart being ripped out. Maybe it was caused by a parent. Maybe a friend’s careless words. The loss of our first love. The death of a beloved relative. The fact is we all will face and feel pain in life. And we all react to that pain. Some with passion, some with healing, some with anger and violence, and some by shutting down. But we all react.

Funny thing is in the movie they use the character representing innocence as the one to bring the story full circle. He was strictly acting on his emotions. He had his heart ripped out, and responded in kind. He was inertly child like and unaware of how his actions would affect others. Showing us that it is not about ‘evil’ causing pain and suffering, but rather it is merely an unavoidable part of the human state of being.