Image from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392214/
There are many movies from across the world (Hollywood, Bollywood, Turkish, Korean etc.) which are based on a good character –good no matter what- and an evil character –evil at all times-. There was a time when I loved these types of movies. They idealized the world for me. They gave me an idea about what the ‘best of the world’ could be, which I could not see in the apparent chaos that was/is prevalent.
But I can no longer relate these movies. They seem far from reality. Too ideal to be true. Now, I like what is closer to reality. Movies that have a main character that is sometimes good and sometimes bad. Movies that project the intricacies of human character.
This realization of the shift in my taste came up several weeks ago, when my friend asked me to list my top ten favorite movies. I realized that at least my top three are movies that are based on the complexity of their main or side characters, rather than, say, a complicated plot. I realized that I like anything that is close to human reality. If it is not close to reality, then it should be as far away as possible, so it will not bother me. That is why some of the movies on my list were those that were unrealistic entirely.
I think now I like those movies because I see in them the confirmation of my own observations that I wrote in various posts (here, here or here, in that order): no one is good all the time and no one is bad all the time. I also like them because they allow me to get into a character and follow the character along, which is what I always do to myself. I like following my thoughts and feelings along to see where they take me. So, it feels like by following those characters on their path, I actually end up following myself. By following myself, I actually end up following all humans. That confirms my stance: all humans are the same. All humans go through similar processes, have similar thoughts, feelings and reactions. Maybe just at different times and situations (thanks to my neighbor James for giving me these ideas).
All that said, if anyone needs recommendations on such movies, I would definitely suggest any movie by Jake Gyllenhaal. My favorites are Prisoners (2013) –Hugh Jackman’s reflection of his character is also a very big factor in this movie- and Nightcrawler (2014). He has a way of projecting his characters’ internal conflicts really well and finding the scripts that will allow him to achieve that. Go ahead and watch them if you have not already. They will give an idea about what humans are really like.
To Write or not to Write and What to Write 