Camille Gross: Running on Empty 23 April

       During our discussion about existentialism, I thought about the film Running on Empty. In this film, Judd Hirsch and Christine Lahti play Arthur and Annie Pope who have been on the run for almost two decades because they were responsible for an anti-war bombing protest in the 70s that blinded and paralyzed a janitor. Now, they have two children, Danny and Harry, played by River Phoenix and Jonas Abry. The two boys have grown up all over and have had to change their identities and schools every few months. Danny is a piano prodigy and realizes he wants to go to college but if he does this, he has to leave his family and stay distant from them or else they will be caught.
I watched this film last summer and was conflicted on what I would do in Danny’s position. I couldn’t imagine leaving my family but I don’t want to live my life on the run. I was also concerned for Danny because this was something that affected him but he had no control over the situation until now that he is almost an adult. He was only a baby when his parents participated in the bombing yet now he has to suffer the consequences of their actions. After he tells his girlfriend about his family’s history, she says, “Why do you have to carry the burden of someone else’s life?” The choice he has to make between his family and his own life is terrifying because how can we expect someone to choose between their family and their future? I always wondered what happened to Danny and his family.