Sarita Madrid, Decalogue 1 and 5

Decalogue 1

            The visual medium of the film works as Midrash through the father’s obsession with technology, which goes against the first commandment. There are many scenes that revolve around the computer and the equations solved by the computer so it is evident that technology is important to the father. At one point, his sister remarks that the father thinks everything can be measured but that is not actually the case. He seems to put technology above God breaking the first commandment of not putting any other gods above the one true God. His reliance on technology, or his replacement of God, fails him when his son falls into the ice and drowns while ice-skating. It is apparent that he had great faith in his calculations because when he found out the ice broke he did not believe it. He explains that he measured the weight the ice could hold so it could not have happened. Nevertheless in the end his calculations failed him which goes to show that even things with precise answers can be wrong. After seeing how the father relies on his computer so much, the viewer is presented with the question of what things they put too much of an emphasis on in their life that could be detrimental?

            There are several visuals that bridge the gap of understanding throughout the movie. One of the visuals that sticks out to me was the ink spilling over the papers. I noted this as a foreshadowing of something bad about to happen because the black ink crept over the paper quickly and unexpectedly. Consequently, he finds out about his son’s missing whereabouts and death after this. Following that, he goes to a Catholic church and proceeds to push a table of burning candles over. I think this is representative of his anger and possible resentment for God letting this happen to his son. It begs the question if the Lord is God and above all else why does he let bad things happen? And why do bad things happen to good people for that matter? In this situation, one of the possible answers could be that this incident was something that could bring him back to the church and his relationship with God. Another visual that worked as a symbol was the painting of Mary that looked like she was crying while he cried in front of the icon. This was symbolic because it appeared as though she was sympathizing with his pain since she had lost a son to death as well. While at the church, he attempted to use the holy water however it was frozen which seemed to be representative of his broken faith.

A final visual in the film that bridged the gap of understanding is the man who sat at the fire by the lake. This man was present in the beginning of the film with a tear going down his face, as he seemed to mourn the loss of the child who dies at the end of the film. I thought the man portrayed God because he was always there watching the lake and he mourned in the loss of his child. On the other hand, he was not at the fire anymore when the crowd was watching the boys get pulled out of the lake. I thought this could represent the idea that people have when bad things happen and they feel as though God has abandoned them or was not there for them.

            I think that the film related feeling to meaning through love and sorrow. In one scene when the child is with his aunt he asks who God is and the Aunt hugs him and asks what do you feel? The child responds that he feels love. This is something that most people can relate to because they have hugged someone before and have a concept of what love is. I think the viewer also witnessed love through watching the interactions between the father and the son. It was evident that the father loved the son as they had meaningful conversations and bonded over solving equations and using the computers together. The other main emotion that the viewer feels is sorrow and pain as the father experiences these feelings due to the death of his son. After watching the relationship form over the short film, we can tell that they are a close pair and we share in part of the father’s devastation. With the emotion of sorrow, I think there is also a sense of disappointment in the father for not being there to watch his son and relying on an equation to guarantee the safety of his son.

            The film cycle works to contextualize the code into an individual’s life because it shows that putting gods or other things above the one true God can come in many different forms. In the Bible, the Israelites worshipped actual idols like golden calves however in 2018 idols can come in other forms such as people, fashion, or music. The Ten Commandments must be interpreted in their original context but they also must be adapted to apply to the current times as well. In Decalogue 1, it is apparent that the father puts his computer and use of reason above anything else. Nonetheless, his mistake in breaking the first commandment has detrimental implications because he loses his son due to the one time his calculations failed him. Although there are different interpretations of each commandment, it is important to know how they are incorporated into a person’s life because they can have dire effects on the ultimate meaning of eternity.

Decalogue 5

            The visual medium of the film works as Midrash through the many instances where the young man, Jacek, and the taxi driver are unkind toward others. The short film begins with one of these examples where Jacek sees someone getting beat up and walks the other way, doing nothing about it. Jacek continues with this inconsiderate and unloving behavior in his actions when he knocks a rock onto the cars driving on the highway, flicks his food onto the restaurant window, lies to the people who need the taxi more than he does, and most importantly when he kills the taxi driver. The taxi driver is not innocent either as he does not treat people with respect either. The taxi driver looks at girls lustfully several times, purposefully honks his horn to scare dogs that a lady is walking, and drives away from people who need his services. Ultimately, the sixth commandment prohibits killing and killing occurs twice in the film when Jacek strangles the taxi driver and then gets hung for his crime. Nevertheless, killing is also seen in the small ways that both of these characters treat people. Scripture indicates that hate is a matter of the heart and someone who hates a brother is a murderer. This throws the viewer into a struggle of finding meaning because it makes them consider how their actions, small or large, affect others.

            The man from Decalogue 1 is a primary symbol that bridges the gap of understanding in Decalogue 5. He emerges three times throughout the short film and each time enhances the understanding of the situation. The first appearance of the man is in the bathroom and he seems very friendly and happy. Jacek proceeds to push him over because he does not like that the man gives off this aura. It seems as though he is pushing away this person that embodies goodness and cheerfulness. The next time is when Jacek is driving in the taxi with the intention of killing the driver and the viewer sees the man holding a measuring stick. Upon seeing him, Jacek seems to hide in the shadow because he knows what he is going to do is wrong. The measuring stick is symbolic because God is the judge of our faults and wrongdoings, not other human beings. Likewise, the man is seen towards the end of the movie carrying a ladder which goes along with the idea that God is the one who will judge our soul and whether we go to heaven or not.

            One other visual that I thought to be notable was the first communion picture. I think this picture was symbolic of his broken faith because of the noticeable crease in the photograph, which he seemed upset about. In the beginning, he was trying to get the picture blown up which could signify an attempt to repair his broken faith in God. Another way the photograph is important is because it reminded Jacek of the good life he had before his sister was accidentally killed.

            The film truly related the feelings of horror and sadness to the two murders that happened. In regards to Jacek killing the taxi driver, the film displayed a drawn out strangling, suffocation, and bashing of a rock in order to kill the taxi driver. This was horrific indeed as we watch Jacek mercilessly murder this man. The viewer knows that what Jacek is doing is wrong, even if the taxi driver is not a good person, and they do not agree with it. On the other hand, the viewer feels sadness for Jacek when his execution is ordered as well. As Jacek talks about his life, we see how the sequence of events lands him here and we feel pity for him. This seems odd because the viewer just experienced the brutal death of the taxi driver and yet we still feel bad for him. Even though both characters do not appear to be good people, it does not seem right that either one were killed.

Despite the fact that both of these murders obviously go against the sixth commandment of thou shalt not kill, only one of the murders seem to be universally justified by most people. We are told killing others is wrong but how does one justify the other killing? Two wrongs do not equal one right. It does not make sense that one person would be executed for killing another. Additionally, I want to point out that their lifestyles were not loving towards others so these are other examples of “killing” others in a sense. One does not have to actually murder someone for them to be hurting others. This is something to consider because people usually take the meaning literally and do not apply it to their life in other ways. These small moments of unkind acts towards others are impactful on the ultimate meaning of eternity because they influence how people live their lives and where they will end up going.