Tideland is a Terry Gilliam movie in super widescreen. A little girl’s irresponsible parents die, and she fends for herself in the wilds of Kansas or something. She meets some odd people. There’s a train wreck. That may be a metaphor for life in this movie. But I think she’s better for it.
Pan’s Labyrinth is a fantastical flick by Guillermo del Toro. It’s in Spanish, which makes sense because it takes place in Spain during the civil war. A little girl explores a magical world. Her widowed mom is trying to be responsible by marrying a fascist officer. There’s a train wreck. The rebels kill the bad guy, but the fascists still win. That may be a metaphor for life in this movie.
Bridge to Terabithia is a book by Katherine Paterson that’s been made into a movie a couple of times now. They expanded part of the story to include more special effects. It’s about a boy and a girl that explore a magical world together. Somebody dies irresponsibly. There’s no train wreck. That may be a metaphor for life in this movie.
All three of these films are pretty to look at, the first two exceptionally so. They’re all three difficult to watch at times. Pan’s Labyrinth is probably the most graphic, yet Tideland has some pretty twisted images in it’s own way. No single frame looks hideous, but in context it can be devastating. Terabithia‘s damaging imagery is mainly off-screen, thus it haunts and torments over time instead of just being an effect during the movie.
In these films the younger kids seem to accept that death is just a part of life. The older kids are more like grown ups, and have trouble accepting it. Maybe that’s because, being older, they know more. Or maybe it’s because, being older, they’ve had more training at renouncing death.
Donnie Darko is not on this list because it actually has funny parts. And I never figured out what it’s lesson was supposed to mean, except that you should be laughing when your time comes.
I think all three agree, you have to get on with your life until it’s done. So watch these movies!!!
