Christopher J. Lindsay

Film reviews, mystery novel reviews, short films, short stories

Recent Posts

  • Similarity Attraction Hypothesis: Griff the Invisible (2010)

    griff_the_invisible_xlgLeon Ford’s Griff the Invisible (2010) reinforces the similarity attraction hypothesis: “individuals are most attracted to others who are similar to themselves.”1 Griff (Ryan Kwanten) and Melody (Maeve Dermody) are attracted to each other because they are similar. Not only do they have the same personality type, but they also have the same passion in life: the desire to live in an alternate reality.

    At the start of the film, Melody is dating Tim (Patrick Brammall), but she is not in love with him. This is because they are completely different people. She is an introvert; he is an extrovert. But when she meets Griff, it is attraction at first sight. She tells Tim that Griff is like her. They are both “odd” and have difficulty relating to other people.

    Griff is attracted to Melody after discovering she has the same passion that he does. When she shares her belief in “parallel universes”, there is an immediate look of intimacy and understanding between them. As Gian Vittorio Caprara states, “people … with similar habits, attitudes, interests, and beliefs” can be attracted to each other “because those shared attributes reaffirm and validate one’s own.”2 Melody and Griff are outsiders in society, but with each other they feel affirmed and validated. They fall in love, and she becomes his “sidekick.”

    Two people with similar interests, beliefs, or attitudes don’t always fall in love, but similar people naturally gravitate toward each other. When we meet someone who is like us, we see a reflection of ourselves in that person. Griff and Melody find themselves in each other. With their ability to see what the other characters cannot see, they are soul mates.

    Notes

    1. Gian Vittorio Caprara et al., “When Likeness Goes with Liking: The Case of Political Preference.” Political Psychology 28, no. 5 (October 2007): 609, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20447072
    2. Caprara, “When Likeness Goes with Liking,” 610.

  • When Mass Surveillance is Necessary: The Dark Knight (2008)

    the-dark-knight-poster-12In Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, The Joker (Heath Ledger) is a terrorist. To find the Joker, Batman (Christian Bale) asks Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) to monitor the cell phone communications of the citizens of Gotham without their knowledge or consent. The film suggests that mass surveillance is necessary when there is an imminent threat from terrorism.

    Although it is never stated in the film, the Joker is a terrorist. According to the FBI, domestic terrorism is defined as acts “intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.”1 The Joker’s acts of terrorism include assassinating public figures, kidnapping, blowing up a hospital, firing weapons at unarmed civilians, and inciting the public to kill a civilian. The Joker describes himself as “an agent of chaos.” As a terrorist, his political aim is to overturn the political order in Gotham and create a state of anarchy.

    When the Joker places explosives on two ferries, there is an imminent threat from terrorism. If the Joker is not caught, the people on the ferries will die. To locate the Joker, Batman asks Lucius to engage in mass surveillance. Although Lucius feels that it is “unethical” and “wrong”, he decides that saving the lives of civilians justifies a short-term violation of the Gotham citizens’ right to privacy. Batman and Lucius agree to use mass surveillance on one condition: When there is no longer an imminent threat from terrorism, the mass surveillance will end.

    Mass surveillance can be used for good or evil, justice or injustice. In The Dark Knight, Batman, the “watchful protector” of Gotham, uses mass surveillance for good: to catch a terrorist. The U.S. government has also used mass surveillance for good. According to the National Security Agency, mass surveillance has helped thwart 50 “potential terrorist events” around the globe since 911.2 However, in a country without a fair justice system, mass surveillance could be used by the government to punish citizens who are not guilty of any real crime. The danger with mass surveillance is if the government is no longer the protector of the people like Batman, but becomes the enemy, like the Joker.

    Notes

    1. “Terrorism 2002/2005,” F.B.I., accessed June 1, 2016, https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/terrorism-2002-2005
    2. Sean Sullivan, “NSA head: Surveillance helped thwart more than 50 terror plots,” Washington Post, June 18, 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2013/06/18/nsa-head-surveillance-helped-thwart-more-than-50-terror-attempts/