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Politics In The Third Cinema

Politics in The Third Cinema

To be clear every piece of filmmaking is political. It is in the nature of the medium, and as Chomsky said ‘the medium is the message'. What I mean by this is that every film has an ideology. They all base themselves in a created world that maintains certain core values and would represent a certain view of different political issues. Whether that be a liberal, conservative, dogmatic or whatever type of view depends on the film. Many of the films we have views have been innately political, and try to represent the political state of each country they were filmed in, repsectively. In the films I have chosen to include in this essay, most of them float outside popular views throughout the United States especially and if anything would be to the far left. The films I discuss herein, A Taste of Cherry, Oldboy, In The Mood for Love and The Motorcycle Diaries discuss a wide array of issues and ideologies. I feel the most political overall, with the most significance is A Taste of Cherry.
The first question raised in Kiarostami's A Taste of Cherry is concerning suicide. Is it a sin to commit suicide? Many would of course say yes, and on multiple levels this is a moral debate and not a political one. However the film's main character, Badii, offers a valid argument. Why should one not commit suicide if life only causes pain to
himself and others? This is a debate that has been raised in many levels of government. It operates on many levels as well, from abortion to living wills to assisted suicide. All of these raise the issues of right to life but conversely as Badii asks, what of an individual's right to death? We all die eventually, for some what would be the difference in sooner rather than later.
I for one fight it ridiculous that suicide is technically illegal. It is hypocritical to say that, for instance, I have the right to say whatever I want even if that offends people, but I do not have the right to do to...