As one's fascination with a particular art increases, one begins to revere the form more than the content. In a film-making context, this would mean that with enhanced understanding, visuals would begin to carry more weight than the plot (which is a constant struggle for me).
Some would choose to refuse this. But then, that is the beauty of art/films.
It can be what you want it to be.
Unlike science. Unlike justice.
When I walked into a theater yesterday to watch Sully, I told myself that I would walk out of the film with loads of notes on the framing of scenes, the editing rhythm, the use of score, the use of expository dialogues and such. But as is always the case with really good films, I walked out of the theater with a satisfied heart, a few lingering thoughts on life and no notes.
At times, I feel that the difference between a good filmmaker and a great filmmaker is that a good filmmaker teaches you consciously while a great filmmaker taps into the subconscious.
Mr. Good delivers knowledge. Mr. Great delivers wisdom.
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In the film, Sully, the pilot, after his successful landing of the aircraft on the Hudson river, tries playing back the same geese-hitting, engine-failing, plane-diving scenario with disastrous endings.
It is more of a 'What-if' game.
Initially, I wondered why a person would want to do this. Why sweat over a possible failure when success has already been achieved?
Immediately, I recalled a recent accident. A rainy night, I had gone pillion riding on my friend's motorbike, and the speeding tyres notwithstanding the wet surface of the road, the motorbike had skidded out of control flinging my friend and me on the road as harmlessly as possible.
But the entire week after the accident, I had played it over and over in my head,
disturbingly anticipating the result if a lorry had come speeding behind our motorbike.
I needn't have tried predicting what had already passed.
Anticipating the past is as potential a candidate for misery as anticipating the future is. And the worst part - for the former, you cannot even take action.
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After the aircraft is landed on the Hudson river, after the river water starts seeping inside, after the exits of the aircraft are opened and the lifeboats are inflated, after all the passengers have jumped on to the lifeboats, comes a beautiful moment - Sully goes back and forth in the water filled aircraft calling out for anyone who has stayed behind.
Even after being dropped on the shore by a rescue boat, Sully is not able to breathe happiness. An officer asks him how he is and Sully says, "I will answer that question after I have counted 155". 155 - the total count of people who had traveled on the aircraft.
In a later scene in a hospital - one of my most favorite scenes in the film - an officer visits Sully to let him know that every passenger and crew member has been rescued and is safe. Learning the news, Tom Hanks expresses an emotion which is a beautiful blend of mild triumph and relief. His lips widen and his eyes show signs of becoming watery but he does not cry. The beautiful emotion of a man who has done his job well.
Watching this sequence of events taught me more about being a leader than any other book on leadership could have.
Also, I was reminded of my previous project at office. During the project, our team leader would always be the last person in the team to leave office. There would be days when one of us would have screwed up a task and would have to re-do it staying behind the entire night and on such occasions, when our leader could have easily left home saying "Keep me updated on the progress and give me a call if you face any problems", he would choose not to leave and would pull up a chair and sit besides us. Even if you hated the task, even if you hated the client, he made you want to work for him.
A true leader is capable of that. Of making the team want to do things just for the sake of the leader. And it is always only because the leader has done so much more for the team.
****
In the ending scene of the film, one of the members of the National Transportation Safety Board asks the co-pilot if he would have done anything differently. Jeff, the co-pilot (played superbly by Aaron Eckhart) replies smiling, "I would have done it in July".
Classic Eastwoodian use of laconic wit.
Apart from putting up a wide smile on my face, it poured a few drops of oil to a constantly burning thought.
Life is not as serious and sophisticated as it is cracked up to be. Complications creep in only based on our reactions to the happenings.
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