'Sicario' is about how the Western world reacts toward problems outside of its borders. Should we become monsters in order to fight the monsters? It's not about the cartels. The movie could have been set in Africa or the Middle East.
Interpretation
The quote explores the moral dilemmas faced by the Western world in addressing external issues, questioning the means by which we confront evil.
Denis Villeneuve's quote delves into the ethical complexities of how societies respond to threats beyond their borders. It raises profound questions about whether the use of brutal tactics and becoming a 'monster' in order to combat real monsters is justified. The focus extends beyond the specific scenario of drug cartels to a broader commentary on global conflicts and moral choices, suggesting that such struggles can be universal and applicable to various geopolitical contexts.
In practice
During a panel discussion on international relations, one could use this quote to illustrate the moral complexities faced by policymakers.
I think I'm attracted to subjects that I'm afraid of. It's a way to approach things I am afraid of, things that bring fear in my heart, and try to understand them, try to deal with them. It's like demons. I try to approach it and understand it... I'm just visiting fears.
Cinema is an art form that is designed to go across borders. And as a filmmaker, the only way I can direct a movie is when I feel close to my culture.
As a director, you're a bit of a dictator. But I feel that you're a better director if you're open to other people's ideas. It means that it's tougher: you have to be in a choosing process; you have to put the ego aside. As long as everybody's aiming in the same direction... I'm open to my main partners in the film crew.
I've been dreaming to do sci-fi since I was 10 years old, and I said 'no' to a lot of sequels - I couldn't say 'no' to 'Blade Runner.'
If you don't deal with your shadows, you are condemned to repeat the same mistake over and over, as a human being or as a society.
In the real world in which we live, you always have to choose between evils. And in choosing between evils, you have to have moral criteria for how to make those choices.
One who faces and who fears the right things and from the right motive, in the right way and at the right time, posseses character worthy of our trust and admiration.
People really, really hate their religion being criticized. It's as though you've said they had an ugly face; they seem to identify personally with it.
The "discovery" of poverty at the beginning of the 1960s was something like the "discovery" of America almost five hundred years earlier. In the case of each of these exotic terrains, plenty of people were on the site before the discoverers ever arrived.
When the highwayman holds his gun to your head, you turn your valuables over to him. You 'consent' alright, but you do so because you cannot help yourself, because you are compelled by his gun. Are you not compelled to work for an employer? Your need compels you, just as the highwayman's gun.
I am a drunkard from another kind of tavern. I dance to a silent tune. I am the symphony of stars.
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