History tells that every great empire crumbles from within. Rome was overran by the great hordes of Germania after a string of incompetent emperors failed to secure its frontiers. Genghis Khan expanded his borders too quickly, his death triggers internal divisions that lead to his empire's decline. Great Britain, once dubbed as Invincible Britannia had an empire that spanned a quarter of the world's land area. Two global wars and a new world order later and it was forced to cede its colonial possessions back to its original inhabitants.
Time conquers immortality and in the words of Will Durant, "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within."
Apocalypto is an epic film set in the jungles of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula during the declining period of the Maya Civilization. It tells the story of Jaguar Paw, (Rudy Youngblood) a young tribesman whose village was attacked and burned to the ground by Mayan soldiers. Their aim is to capture as many villagers as possible, which are not subjects of the Maya empire. They are to be sold as slaves or for human sacrifices that are performed atop the Sun Pyramids at the heart of Mayan cities.
Jaguar Paw escapes death through some astronomical event that occurred the day he was about to become a Mayan human sacrifice. He must race back to his village in order to save his son and his pregnant wife who is trapped inside a cave that was suppose to serve as their place of refuge. Meanwhile, he must also evade the same Mayan Soldiers who destroyed his village earlier. Being chased through dense jungles and trackless swamps, Jaguar Paw and the remaining Mayan soldiers who survived the elements will discover at the end of the film that their petty squabbles prove meaningless in the face of a more serious threat: the arrival of their future masters from the West.
Apocalypto explores different subjects which include civilizations and the underlying reasons for their decline and the abuse of the environment. It also shows the contrast between a sophisticated society that relies on material wealth for satisfaction and a hunter-gatherer society that takes only what the community needs. A scene where a tribal elder sings of a legend about man's unyielding desire for resources struck a chord in me. The passage where the owl speaks "No. I saw a hole in the Man, deep like a hunger he will never fill. It is what makes him sad and what makes him want. He will go on taking and taking, until one day the World will say, 'I am no more and I have nothing left to give.'" reflects the current place of humanity in the world today.
The film is not for the faint of heart. When I watched it at 3 in the morning, my biggest fear is that the gory scenes where still-beating hearts are being pulled out from the body of a human sacrifice and decapitated heads rolling down the Sun Pyramid might be replayed in my head long after I fall asleep. There were also scenes were suspension of disbelief is necessary especially during the chasing moments. I will let you see for yourself these scenes so you will understand what I mean. As for me, human endurance in the face of a death-defying struggle is something I still need to appreciate.
Overall, I find the film deeply profound and very refreshing. Mel Gibson is truly an artist who explores themes that Hollywood rarely finds interesting. The use of the Maya Language enabled me to be immersed in Jaguar Paw's world like as if I am part of the time frame. Finally, the use of characters who serve as omen-givers gave depth and color to an action flick that deserves more recognition for recreating a Maya World that is close to its anthropological setting.
The film is alive and pulsating, and for that it deserves to be written.
Time conquers immortality and in the words of Will Durant, "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within."
Apocalypto is an epic film set in the jungles of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula during the declining period of the Maya Civilization. It tells the story of Jaguar Paw, (Rudy Youngblood) a young tribesman whose village was attacked and burned to the ground by Mayan soldiers. Their aim is to capture as many villagers as possible, which are not subjects of the Maya empire. They are to be sold as slaves or for human sacrifices that are performed atop the Sun Pyramids at the heart of Mayan cities.
Jaguar Paw escapes death through some astronomical event that occurred the day he was about to become a Mayan human sacrifice. He must race back to his village in order to save his son and his pregnant wife who is trapped inside a cave that was suppose to serve as their place of refuge. Meanwhile, he must also evade the same Mayan Soldiers who destroyed his village earlier. Being chased through dense jungles and trackless swamps, Jaguar Paw and the remaining Mayan soldiers who survived the elements will discover at the end of the film that their petty squabbles prove meaningless in the face of a more serious threat: the arrival of their future masters from the West.Apocalypto explores different subjects which include civilizations and the underlying reasons for their decline and the abuse of the environment. It also shows the contrast between a sophisticated society that relies on material wealth for satisfaction and a hunter-gatherer society that takes only what the community needs. A scene where a tribal elder sings of a legend about man's unyielding desire for resources struck a chord in me. The passage where the owl speaks "No. I saw a hole in the Man, deep like a hunger he will never fill. It is what makes him sad and what makes him want. He will go on taking and taking, until one day the World will say, 'I am no more and I have nothing left to give.'" reflects the current place of humanity in the world today.
The film is not for the faint of heart. When I watched it at 3 in the morning, my biggest fear is that the gory scenes where still-beating hearts are being pulled out from the body of a human sacrifice and decapitated heads rolling down the Sun Pyramid might be replayed in my head long after I fall asleep. There were also scenes were suspension of disbelief is necessary especially during the chasing moments. I will let you see for yourself these scenes so you will understand what I mean. As for me, human endurance in the face of a death-defying struggle is something I still need to appreciate.
Overall, I find the film deeply profound and very refreshing. Mel Gibson is truly an artist who explores themes that Hollywood rarely finds interesting. The use of the Maya Language enabled me to be immersed in Jaguar Paw's world like as if I am part of the time frame. Finally, the use of characters who serve as omen-givers gave depth and color to an action flick that deserves more recognition for recreating a Maya World that is close to its anthropological setting.
The film is alive and pulsating, and for that it deserves to be written.
No comments:
Post a Comment