When I read about the "Reel Evil" film series, I thought it was a great idea. Anytime we explore other cultures, it's a good thing, especially in as far as such exploration helps to underscore the fundamental superiority of our own distinct American culture. But when I read the justification for the project given by series co-curator Negar Mottahedeh, I was a little concerned, because in it, he seemed to grossly misrepresent the position of the U.S. government. Mottahedeh asserts, "We've been encouraged to see" the people and cultures of the countries in question "as one evil body against whom we are to direct our national aggression." Well... no.
The current administration has been extremely clear that our quarrel is with these despotic regimes, not the people who suffer under them. This is not a detail but a crucial distinction, and failure to acknowledge it suggests a willful blindness on the part of the series organizers. The six films will likely showcase how the passion, creativity, and decency of a people can survive even when under the yoke of a repressive government, and indeed, it is these people's fundamental humanity and decency that make their plight even more tragic.
The blurb on the North Korean film "Pulgasari" describes how the film's director was a successful South Korean filmmaker kidnapped by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il and forced to direct the movie. That is not, as the article describes it, an "interesting side note." That is real evil, no quotation marks needed.
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