changEling

Today I saw the movie changeling directed by Clint Eastwood. I am a big fan of Eastwood's movies (those he acted and directed). My immediate reaction was "wow", this is a wonderful bizarre and powerful movie. In fact the best movie I have seen so far after coming to the US. It is a depression era story about a mother whose son went missing and the police who wanted to shove another kid into her life as if that kid is her own son. The one-line plot summary may not look exceptional but the narrative sure does. I looked at it not like an abduction and violence themed drama but as a an opening into the struggles faced by the commoners at the hands of the establishment.

The establishment says we decide who your child is and who you are and you have to accept it. If not you are insane. There is a scene in the movie where the mother is in a mental asylum and she is given a choice; accept that you were wrong in accusing the authorities and you can go free, or else you will stay here for the rest of your life. It may sound as total nonsense to us in these times. But look at the bigger picture. They says look there are terrorists over there. OK, says we and they go after some hapless souls, destroys their family, livelihood and even a nation. People are guided into a false pretext of safety so that when they feel safe, sound a threatening alarm and then whatever you give them they will quite happily accept it. so that they can continue with their mediocre and carefree life inside the box. This element has gone so deep into the human psyche so that they hardly see or think outside the box and those who do so are framed insane.

For example look at the police encounters which happened in India. All these years we were told that they were terrorists. Thankfully a lot of them were. But what about the others? Political dissidents or personal enemies were portrayed as insane, crazy, wild enemies of the states and then the state machinery took care of them. What an ingenious way to get rid of one's enemies! As a matter of fact, labeling someone as insane is the best option to silence him. People no longer pay attention to them. How can you prove yourself sane once you are assigned the status of an insane? They say denying insanity itself is the best sign to identify an insane person. You will be doomed for eternity.

All these things again make me reiterate the prediction that governments get to gain more control over their people. Perhaps future will be inside Matrix, may not be the exact one we saw in the movie.