Beyond Technology

What makes a best picture? A compelling story? Magnetic characters? Stunning cinematography? Many of this year's nominees possess all of these qualities. This implies, then, that there is an elusive, intangible quality. Critics and lay people alike refer to this quality as heart. This, too, is imprecise. After all, can one quantify the level of heart in District 9? Is it greater or lesser than the heart found in The Blind Side? Should a film articulate a story of redemption as in Up? Or instead expose the banality of human nature like A Serious Man? This year's nominees run the film world gambit (and I am not even finished watching them yet). I begin to feel a bit repetitive, but I am again moved to a (potential) new favorite.

Ordinarily I do not see movies in the middle of the week. A looming deadline coupled with a nightmare day at work (my seniors decided to write on each other, with whiteout!) impelled me to escape to another world tonight. I found my outlet on Pandora. When a movie relies so heavily on special effects, it can be tempting to view it as a one trick pony. This would do Avatar a grave disservice. While Cameron used all technologies available (and developed new ones) to tell his story, claiming that it is merely an orgy of special effects is like claiming that Star Wars is all about the light sabers. If you think this, you are clearly missing something.

The psychedelic forest serves as a backdrop for a post-colonial interpretation of the classic contact/conquest narrative. Despite several now cliched and dated references to America's current engagements (win the hearts and minds, shock and awe-we get it James) the real story is closer to that of European incursions onto the American and African continents. The humans represent the invading forces who desire some natural resource: gold, diamonds, unobtanium. In their quest for material wealth they miss other more subtle riches endemic to the place of conquest.

The story of Jake Sully, then, is one of redemption. He is the typical conqueror "gone native." The deep cover agent who no longer can distinguish between identity and, well, avatar. Couple with this the added allure for paraplegic Jake of a body that not only restores his former abilities but exceeds those of his frail human form (who doesn't want a telepathic braid?), and it his ultimate adoption of the Na'vi culture becomes only a matter of time.

Cameron's old tale gains new flesh through the natural world of Pandora. Even if it were not spiritually more fulfilling to be Na'vi, the world they inhabit it vastly superior to humans' base. The military establishment is decked out in grey, brown and olive green. The forest, on the other hand pulses with color. The pinks, purples, and greens are so vibrant that even without the benefit of 3D, one feels they can reach out and touch the foliage. Throughout the story his message is clear: the humans are base and shallow, they care only for the surface value and will destroy the more subtle riches to get to it.

What keeps this from being relegated to a mere dogmatic morality tale is that final, elusive quality. Some combination of character, writing, cinematography and heart transport the viewer beyond the ordinary. While the theme running throughout the film is that something's greater value lies beneath worldly gain, I predict Oscar gold for the Avatar crew.