Philosophy at the Movies

What does this film, which portrays the events of 9/11/2001 tell us about the responsibilities, training and level of professionalism of the air-traffic controllers involved? How does the film portray uncertainty and lack of information and its effect on the involved people? How does it show the difficulty involved in overcoming assumptions people bring with them as they come to terms with unique...

What does this 2017 film, set during the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge reign of terror in Cambodia tell us about the radical nature of the communist project of restructuring human society and psychology? Why did the Khmer Rouge resort to using children as soldiers and cadre? How did Pol Pot differ from Stalin, Mao and Ho Chi Minh in his relative anonymity and refusal to create a personality cult around hi...

How does this film’s use of the concept of reincarnation allow it to act as an exploration of human nature? Why do the snakes, a species of what are called “evils” in the film desire to become human? What is involved in the centuries-long training they are undergoing to attain reincarnation as human beings? Why does it take hundreds of years to accomplish this? How do the sisters, White snake and...

What does this 2003 film about disgraced New Republic reporter, Stephen Glass, tell us about sociopathic or narcissistic behavior? How does the film engage with matters of journalistic ethics, and illustrate the dangers or traps created by journalistic bias when it comes to exercising critical thought and editorial oversight? How does the film show competition between journals aiding or prodding t...

What does the pair of films, Fitzcarraldo, and the documentary about the making of that film, Burden of Dreams, tell us about the similarity between the main character, and the film’s director/producer Werner Herzog? How do both illustrate Kant’s notion of the Categorical Imperative in their sometimes-reckless use of indigenous people? How do the indigenous people illustrate that same concept in t...

What does this 2021 film, based upon the true story of 2nd Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda, a WWII Japanese Army intelligence officer who held out on the Philippine island of Lubang until 1974, tell us about his sense of duty? What does it tell us about the capacity of the human mind to render any evidence or experience consistent with strongly held beliefs? How can Onoda’s case be used to illustrate the n...

What does this 1993 film, based upon the true story of C.S. (Jack) Lewis and his American wife, Joy Davidman, tell us about grief, suffering and love? How is it related to the “problem of evil,” often discussed in philosophical and theological settings? How does the film contrast Lewis’s speaking appearances, where he discusses the subject, with the first-person experience he has with his wife’s s...

What does this 1972 Russian film intend to convey about guilt, regret and moral injury? How does the film create ambiguity with regard to the motivation of the alien world, Solaris, in creating replicas of people about whom the main characters have strong regrets? How does the replica of Dr. Kelvin’s deceased wife Hari force the men on the space station to engage the question of whether or not she...

What does this 2016 film, based upon the novel of the same name, tell us about the moral dilemmas faced by Christian missionaries in Japan during the late 1600s? Why does apostasy (carried out by stepping on a carved image of Christ) present such an agonizing choice if the people doing so remain Christian in their hearts? How do the contrasts between the characters Kichijiro, Fathers Rodrigues and...

In this ‘double feature’ discussion, the moral challenges of the Afghan war are explored. How does The Outpost portray the tactically perilous position of the outpost, and the costs associated for the men? How do the two films portray the difficulties involved in attempting to convince local elders to not cooperate with the Taliban? How does the film portray the endemic nature of corruption, drug...

What does this 2012 film, based upon the UK comic book series Judge Dredd, tell us about its world’s form of government (the “Judge System”), a pared down police state which consolidates the powers traditionally vested in different elements of government? What does it tell us about the effects of extreme population pressure on Democratic governance in its post apocalyptic America? Why does a major...

How does this 2022 film, based upon the relationship between Korean War aviators Ensign Jesse Brown and Lieutenant Tom Hudner, illustrate the level of camaraderie between these two men, their Fighter squadron (VF-32), and the state of racial integration in the US military at the time? In that regard, what is the import of Jesse’s discomfort with being singled out by the press while on board the Le...

How does this 2022 comedy explore the concept of the ‘multi-verse’; the idea that there is an infinity of parallel universes each one of which is equally real or actual to those that inhabit it? What psychological and moral effects do the main characters undergo as a result of being able to “verse-jump” into the lives of their ‘twin selves’ in parallel universes? Why does Joy’s parallel universe t...

What does this 1988 John Carpenter Sci Fi Horror send-up tell us about Carpenter’s political ideas at the time? How does the film illustrate a more general point about ideology and conspiracy mongering? Why does the film function so well as a sort of Rorschach ink blot that allows people across the political spectrum to see in it as commentary on the classes they consider to be controlling society...

How do these films illustrate the cross-cultural pollination between Japan and the United States, given they had similar relatively lawless “Wild West” phases in history? Why does it show us the high level of distrust for the Samurai or gunfighters on the part of the villagers that hire them? Is that distrust justified? Why, after the victories, do the leaders of the two bands of defenders both sa...

What does this 1965 film, based upon a James Clavell novel of the same name, show us about Clavell’s own experiences in the Changi POW camp in Singapore from 1942 to 1945? How does the fact that escape is impossible affect the attitudes of the POWs in the camp? How does the main character, American corporal King, exercise power in the camp, even though he is an enlisted man? Why do the British, Au...

What does this 1966 film, detailing the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and Sir Thomas More tell us about the cause of the tension between Henry and the Catholic Church, and the conflicting loyalties of More, a devout Catholic? What does it tell us about European religious conflicts of the time period and the painful development of the Western world’s tolerance on matters of religion a...

This 1984 BBC television film, set in England during and after a major global nuclear war, asks us to consider the likelihood of a near total breakdown of governance, public order, morality and civilization in such a circumstance. How does the film portray the social impact of an extended nuclear winter? How and why does the film portray the breakdown by having the second-generation characters spe...

What does this groundbreaking 1920 German expressionist film tell us about political movements and environments like that which was prevalent in Post World War I Germany? What commentary does it provide about the rise of charismatic, messianic and utopian movements on the left and right? What aspects of the German body politic do Cesare and Dr. Caligari represent? How does the film portray bureauc...

What does this film, which tells the story of Anna a so called ‘savior child,’ conceived expressly for the purpose of saving her older sister’s life via stem cell and organ donations, tell us about the conflicted nature of parental obligations in such situations? How does it illustrate Kantian strictures against using people merely as means? How does the case of Kate and Anna compare with historic...

What does this 1956 film tell us about the treatment of POWs during the Korean War by Chinese and North Koreans? What does it tell us about the effectiveness of isolation as contrasted with torture in attempts to force POWs into collaborating by making propaganda or soliciting fellow POWs to aid the enemy or make confessions? How do Captain Hall’s actions while in captivity support the charge of t...

What does this latest (2022) iteration of the Batman franchise tell us about the dangers of cynicism in people whose profession it is to protect and serve? How does the film force the question of cynicism or retreat from duty or moral obligation in light of the apparently irredeemable nature of Gotham City? Do Catwoman and Batman represent two different answers to that question? How do Gordon and...

What does this 1969 film based upon Joseph Kessel's 1943 novel of the same name, tell us about the moral stresses involved in being operatives in the French Resistance during Nazi occupation? How does it illustrate the psychological, emotional and moral costs involved in making mortal choices in service of protecting that resistance effort? How does the film use the fate of resistance leader Mathi...

What does this 1981 German film, set in autumn 1941 during the period of most success for the German U-boats in the Atlantic, tell us about the leadership abilities of the ship’s captain, life in the submarine services during that war, and the rigors of that life? How does the Captain deal with the crew’s behavior before deployment, and why does he take the approach he does? How and why does the f...

What does this 1949 film, set in post-WWII Vienna, tell us about the black market in post war Europe? How does the story of Anna’s plight reflect the fate of citizens of East European countries occupied by Soviet forces? Why does Anna persist in her loyalty to black marketer Harry Lime even after being informed that his activities caused children who had contracted Meningitis to die after being gi...