Movies don’t change. We do.
As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus proclaimed long ago, “You cannot step into the same river twice.” The reason is simple. Both you and the river change with time.
But experiencing art is different.
Take movies. The original Star Wars trilogy notwithstanding, the films you see in your teens are the same when you share them with your kids and grandkids. And yet, your experience of them can be profoundly different.
That’s how it was for me a couple of nights ago when I rewatched John Carpenter’s sci-fi/horror hybrid They Live. I’d seen it before –once upon its initial release in 1988, then again when I picked up Shout Factory’s Blu-ray in 2012.
I enjoyed it both times. But this time around, it clicked.
So what’s it about?
The plot is simple.
An itinerate construction worker played by wrestler Roddy Piper discovers a box of sunglasses that reveal indoctrinating messages hidden in advertisements, magazines, and television broadcasts.
But the truth he sees isn’t only in the media. It’s in people too because the world of They Live has been infiltrated by a nonhuman elite that controls humanity with subliminal messaging.
The hidden messages, which resemble the generic product labels that made brief appearances on supermarket shelves in the late 1970s, are stark black-on-white directives that compel people to consume, conform, and obey.
I remember catching the similarity when I first saw the film, but this time the significance really grabbed me.
The movie hasn’t changed, it’s just more relevant than ever.
I’ve posted a short Instagram video about my reaction to the film. The Instagram account has been active for a few years, but I’ve only recently begun posting there. In the days ahead, I plan to use the reels function to share a series of one-minute videos on movies, books, and music–the same topics I cover in this blog.
If you’re on Instagram, consider following me there as well. I’ll follow back. Here’s the link.
Either way, you can access my one-minute They Live commentary by clicking the player below. Check it out, then watch the film. I’ll be eager to hear what you think.
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