Context may not be everything, but it is very important in
how we interpret the world. We hear
people’s words based on who they are, we judge things based on our
expectations, I feel I could go on. The
most recent example I have seen is when I went to some famous museums in Europe
with my dad. He doesn’t know many of the
really famous paintings so he didn’t think they were that spectacular, but when
he heard that these are masterpieces, he suddenly thought they were beautiful beyond
belief. It was more than just the
natural aesthetics, it was also because they are famous. Context added that value.
I feel this is especially true with sci-fi authors and how
they not only want to tell a story, but create a whole universe. For me, I’ve read a huge amount of Stars Wars
books. I feel that fans were not totally
satisfied by the original 3 movies. How
did Anakin become Vader? What were the
Clone Wars? What is Obi-Wan’s past? These
questions and more drove them to make the prequel movies. In the same vein, the books are there to
continue the story and now almost 26,000 years of Stars Wars history is written for fans to discover.
You see it everywhere nowadays. Sequels, prequels, spin-offs. All there to satisfy the burning questions: “what
happened before?” and “what happens after?”
I understand the draw as I have enjoyed these worlds that authors and
directors have created, but I still wonder if a story with no context is still
valid? Just as almost every western poem
has been dissected with respect to syntax or historical context, do other media
have to be that way too?
I feel this is the reason a show like Kara no Kyoukai was
refreshing. I loved the show, but I don’t
have an actual reason why. Yes the
visuals and music were great, but the plot…can I even call it a plot? It was like 7 small dips into a person’s
life, only seeing that part for a few days and being whisked away to another
point. Context is destroyed and you just
have to sit there and see what is before you.
It is painful really, to see something without having some grasp on it,
to not realize why they take action.
Japanese shows, movies especially, love to portray the transience
of everything. The term is “mono no aware.” The Japanese really took a Buddhist concept and made it their own. No context is ok; just live the scene, let it
fade, and accept the new reality.
Reason why I’m saying this is because I just watched the movie
Garden of Words by Shinkai Makoto (same dude who made 5 Centimeters per Second). It is a show where you are just thrust into a
beautiful landscape and get that mere glimpse of a person’s life, and see how
they deal with the passage of time.
I feel whenever I watch American movies, with all their
drama, action, suspense, or horror, I’m a witness. With these types of Japanese movies, I feel I’m
standing by the person. There may not be
that much dialogue or backstory to explain where they came from or what they
are thinking, but that probably reflect the real world the best. You slowly learn a person’s life story by
being with them for a long time; in reality you are probably only going to be
in a person’s life for a small sliver of time.
In the same way these shows portray the transience we all feel in our
lives. They make you walk side by side
with the character as they experience their loss, and finally you need to move
on too when the credits roll. It may not
give you the happy ending you wanted, but mono no aware leaves you with that
gentle sadness that this is the reality of the world.
In the end, what connects us to works of art? Do we need the framework of context or can we plunge in without it? Maybe by experiencing both ways I can find the answer.
