Noah review (no spoilers) The controversy surrounding Noah, by Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, Black Swan) would make one think that we are dealing with a biblical epic when, in fact, the Bible story is being employed as an extended metaphor. The story of Noah is clearly telegraphed to be a parable for the present time and is not an attempt to retell the biblical story in the context of its composition within the Bible. Still, that context is important as the Noahide Covenant is not a covenant between God and a nation or even humanity. It is Gods covenant with creation, with every living creature (Gen 9:12). Both the film and Genesis make clear that God hates civilization, born of the murderer Cain and his descendants, resulting in the earth being filled with violence (Gen 6:11-13), and that He is determined to destroy not only humanity, but the entire animal kingdom (Gen 6:7). Because Noah, however, is righteous, God determines to save his family and enough creatures to start over (Gen 7:1). Noah, then, in Aronofskys retelling is righteous, which is to say he is the kind of man who lives without illusion and does what is right because it is right. He stares into the molten pit (Chris Hedges, The Myth of Human Progress and the Collapse of Complex Societies) and is burnt by the vision of the coming calamity. He is scarred, even mad, in his single-minded pursuit of fulfilling Gods desire to wipe out the abomination of mankind to preserve the beauty of creation as it was designed. Noah, like any honest person today, knows what is to come, that untold suffering must come because humanity cannot be allowed to destroy everything. His vision is of death by water, but ours is of death by fire. How can a human survive, get out of bed in the morning, and go about his business, knowing of the coming destruction? Most live in denial of some sort. Many prefer to surround themselves with voices, ironically pointing to these same old stories found in the Bible, assuring them that there is no destruction coming, or at least none that doesnt conclude with superJesus descending from the clouds, the cavalry, as always, to the rescue. While concentrating on fantasies built up from Revelation, they ignore the actual present danger, enabling the Tubal Cains to continue their destructive path, their antiCreator path. Aronofsky brilliantly puts the twisted understanding of what it means to be a steward of the earth, the one promulgated for centuries by Western empire, as not a caretaker, but simply a taker, in the mouth of Tubal Cain. Tubal Cain not only represents, in the film, the evil selfishness of humanity, but the Bible-based voices that enable the Tubal Cains of our day to continue their reckless path, leading us all towards our mutual destruction. By turning the Bible against those who claim to be Bible believers and revealing its constant theme of Gods love for the beauty of his creation, soiled by humanity, he stands in the line of all the biblical prophets. Not only is the film true to the Bible in its themes and conclusions, it is the Bible for our times. It is hands down the best Biblical film ever made, not because it slavishly follows the simple narrative in Genesis, but because it illuminates the deep themes of the Bible--of Beauty, and Love, and Care.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Apr 2014 15:55:01 +0000