Southland Tales By Request

If you plan to see the movie but you haven't yet for some reason or another, be sure to read no further into this post. If you've seen it, or don't plan to see it then you can feel free to read these words.

A long time ago now, my dear friend called me and asked me about the movie Southland Tales. I was unable to get a copy of it at the time and it wasn't playing in any of the theaters near me, so I promised that if I were able to watch it in the future I would. A few days ago I noticed that it was on one of the on demand channels I get with my cable, and so I asked if my opinion was still requested. It was, and this brings me to this post.

First of all, this movie is important to you my friend because it is like a political nightmare! It was suggested that we are every character in our dreams, and on some level you are every character in this movie, and I will try to explain that a little more. Also, this movie deals with political conflicts and what happens when one side gets too much power. This is also something you have been fascinated with for quite some time.

In addition to the character themes that I will address, there is also that this movie has a lot to do with human relationships. I can't speak to your relationship with all humans, I can only speak to my insight from my relationship with you and from what you have told me about your relationships with others.

All the people in this movie are broken and in broken relationships with each other. When I met you in 1996 I was rather broken, and perhaps you were too. I am not ready to say our relationship was broken, but maybe it was. This is something you've always felt passionately about, you want to have healthy relationships with people. Before you were diagnosed you didn't know how to do that, and I think you are still learning.

Another aspect of this movie is the need for forgiveness of oneself and others. The one character, Roland actually says to himself I forgive you. That's a very moving moment, and I am sure for you it was amazing because you are unable to forgive yourself. Do you remember what you said to me when I came to L.A.? You take on guilt even for things that have nothing to do with you. You need to learn to forgive yourself and move forward. Everyone goes through difficult times in life, what makes or breaks a person is what one does in response to those times. You have always risen above those challenges. It is important that you continue to rise above things, but you will rise higher if you can forgive yourself for whatever sins you feel you have committed, and even way back to your childhood.

The individual characters in this movie are all struggling to cope with the brokenness that they have created in society and that society has created for them. This movie is about a war for the soul of the country and for the individual. It is a recognition of what happens if things are done to one extreme and without thought for the consequences. Boxer has problems because of this, although he tries to overcome it. Roland is the same way, Madeline and Kristin or whatever her name was area also that way. Frost is a power hungry maniac and his wife isn't much better. The neomarxists are really wacko. No one wants to work with each other or do something useful for the country it is all about causing problems and bringing people down into the brokenness with them.

You strive to go through your broken times alone, but you need people to come into that brokenness to bring you back up. You do your best to shut out the world, whereas these people do their best to spread their brokenness wherever they can. You do your best to keep the world from bringing you down, and they do their best to bring down the world, even in their own different ways.

It is a cautionary tale, and of course you love those, but these characters are all distraught as you have been, and maybe still are. You have a lot of healing left to do and I pray every night that someday you will complete the healing that you need. You were rocked to the core the last several years and I am sorry that I haven't been able to do more for you.

This movie was also weird, it was like a train wreck in a lot of ways. I couldn't look away but it was so bizarre. I think this is another reason it is so powerful to you, you feel that way about yourself. You feel that your life is a train wreck but you can't look away. You feel a lot of things about your life that I will never understand nor agree with, but they are your feelings and as such I will cherish them.

Southland Tales is a movie that you can relate to because it is almost as if your head was used as the inspiration. These are scenarios you think about, characters you could have written out of your own life, and just enough Dr. Who themes to satisfy the junkie that I know is in you.

I hope this helps, this is a little more simplistic than I had envisioned my post on this topic would be, but I am a little bit tired and I can't clearly concentrate on this at present. Please call me or something if you have additional questions and I will try to expound upon it.

Til then, I love you always. Watch the video.