'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.
To reach me, you must move to me. Your attack offers me an opportunity to intercept you.
I can't believe that we would lie in our graves wondering if we had spent our living days well. I can't believe that we would lie in our graves dreaming of things that we might have been.
Hordes of young girls never copied my hairdos or the way I talk or the way I dress. I have, therefore, never had to go through the stress of perpetuating an image that's often the equivalent of one particular song that forever freezes a precise moment of one's youth.
Once you fully apprehend the vacuity of a life without struggle, you are equipped with the basic means of salvation.
Most wars are not fought over shortages of resources such as food and water, but rather over conquest, revenge, and ideology.
Sometimes I used to think that one day i should wake up, and all that had been would be over. forgotten, sunk, drowned. Nothing was sure - not even memory.
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