In this exploration of liminal spaces in transitional narratives, we discuss the novel 'Station Eleven', the films 'Children of Men' and 'Barbie', and Hollywood's ‘cinema of denial’
I’d not considered that the stagnation of cinema might be the result of a refusal to confront reality but it’s an interesting theory. I agree that the majority of film releases in recent years have felt pretty stale. I think it is ironic that this idea of a comfort blanket is resulting in lacklustre entertainment which is anything but comforting. In fact, when reading this, I was most reminded of the use of soma in Brave New World to sedate the masses. Dystopia is surely here!
I enjoyed this essay, especially when read alongside last week’s. Thank you.
Very interesting piece, Cole! I'm thrilled we agree on Children of Men. ;) Coincidentally, both COM and Station Eleven are adapations that seem far superior to their source materials (which rarely happens!).
Now I must re-watch COM and relive Theo's brilliant character arc. 👏🏻
Hi. I just wanted to say that this was the best thing I have read on Substack so far, although I should admit that I have been here for less than a week.
I love this. Have you seen The End we Start From Though? Cuz...it's the best post-apoc movie of all time IMO, and nobody has seen it except me and like three people who I forced to see it
I really enjoy the way you are , effortless it seems, able to covey the essence of the book or film. I say this even though I’m not a huge fan of dystopian movies. Never managed to watch a whole Mad Max movie 🙄. I have, however read at least 3 times the “Passage” Trilogy by Justin Cronin. Unfortunately I don’t have the ability to use the right words to describe its magnificence. Have you read it?
Brilliant read and my favourite genre of story, which I personally call 'quiet' or 'contemplative' sci-fi (also see: CONTACT, ARRIVAL, KNOWING, INTERSTELLAR etc), though not sure if there's a more official term?! Interested to know whether you've watched the TV adaptation of Station Eleven? I enjoyed the book immensely and the adaptation a lot, but even though they are thematically the same, the TV show's plot veered sharply away from the novel's, and unnecessarily so in my opinion.
Another great piece - but a bit of a downer! I appreciated the hope in the end, and for bringing Station Eleven to my attention. It sounds like something up my street, in fact resonating very much with the post-apocalyptic light-searching climate-crisis-metaphor of my first full length novel Children of Shadows (the novella beginning of which is on my Substack ;) )
I’ve thought a lot about this “refusal to confront,” and how it makes film/TV feel empty or dishonest. You touched upon one major issue in the article when you mentioned Hydra.
That issue is “strong emotions risk cancellation.”
If you arouse any kind of strong emotional response in the audience, you risk a social media mob coming down on you, mostly made up of people who cannot regulate their emotions. Nobody wants to deal with that, so they play it safe — and the result is the cinema of denial.
However, strong emotion is what creates great storytelling. From the “extreme” cartoons and comics of the 90s to the irreverent comedy of the 2000s, from the extreme despair of 70s cinema to the extreme hope of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, even the anime boom of the 90s with its heightened violence and drama, strong emotions have driven the most memorable pictures.
As an author, I’ve *tried* to avoid commenting too much on current conditions out of a fear of being seen as didactic, a finger-wagging scold who hates fun. But after the above epiphany, I know now that commenting on our current condition is the key to unlocking the strong emotions that create great stories.
It’s not a matter of writing ripped from the headlines propaganda that ages badly, but looking at how addressing these conditions can make audiences feel your art more deeply. I think the fantastical approach is the best one, as it gives the audience something more to sink their teeth into than the core thematic concern (poverty, race hatred, climate change, etc.) I find that when I do this, I like what I’m writing more because it feels more meaningful, without losing the cool factor.
P.S.: I ran into a video that you may find interesting. It’s about how shōnen (boys’) anime has changed in recent years to be darker, perhaps reflecting the pessimistic time we now live in (90s shōnen anime was more optimistic.) https://youtu.be/JXO7I7hv1-8
I’d not considered that the stagnation of cinema might be the result of a refusal to confront reality but it’s an interesting theory. I agree that the majority of film releases in recent years have felt pretty stale. I think it is ironic that this idea of a comfort blanket is resulting in lacklustre entertainment which is anything but comforting. In fact, when reading this, I was most reminded of the use of soma in Brave New World to sedate the masses. Dystopia is surely here!
I enjoyed this essay, especially when read alongside last week’s. Thank you.
Very interesting piece, Cole! I'm thrilled we agree on Children of Men. ;) Coincidentally, both COM and Station Eleven are adapations that seem far superior to their source materials (which rarely happens!).
Now I must re-watch COM and relive Theo's brilliant character arc. 👏🏻
Hi. I just wanted to say that this was the best thing I have read on Substack so far, although I should admit that I have been here for less than a week.
I love this. Have you seen The End we Start From Though? Cuz...it's the best post-apoc movie of all time IMO, and nobody has seen it except me and like three people who I forced to see it
I really enjoy the way you are , effortless it seems, able to covey the essence of the book or film. I say this even though I’m not a huge fan of dystopian movies. Never managed to watch a whole Mad Max movie 🙄. I have, however read at least 3 times the “Passage” Trilogy by Justin Cronin. Unfortunately I don’t have the ability to use the right words to describe its magnificence. Have you read it?
Brilliant read and my favourite genre of story, which I personally call 'quiet' or 'contemplative' sci-fi (also see: CONTACT, ARRIVAL, KNOWING, INTERSTELLAR etc), though not sure if there's a more official term?! Interested to know whether you've watched the TV adaptation of Station Eleven? I enjoyed the book immensely and the adaptation a lot, but even though they are thematically the same, the TV show's plot veered sharply away from the novel's, and unnecessarily so in my opinion.
Another great piece - but a bit of a downer! I appreciated the hope in the end, and for bringing Station Eleven to my attention. It sounds like something up my street, in fact resonating very much with the post-apocalyptic light-searching climate-crisis-metaphor of my first full length novel Children of Shadows (the novella beginning of which is on my Substack ;) )
I’ve thought a lot about this “refusal to confront,” and how it makes film/TV feel empty or dishonest. You touched upon one major issue in the article when you mentioned Hydra.
That issue is “strong emotions risk cancellation.”
If you arouse any kind of strong emotional response in the audience, you risk a social media mob coming down on you, mostly made up of people who cannot regulate their emotions. Nobody wants to deal with that, so they play it safe — and the result is the cinema of denial.
However, strong emotion is what creates great storytelling. From the “extreme” cartoons and comics of the 90s to the irreverent comedy of the 2000s, from the extreme despair of 70s cinema to the extreme hope of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, even the anime boom of the 90s with its heightened violence and drama, strong emotions have driven the most memorable pictures.
As an author, I’ve *tried* to avoid commenting too much on current conditions out of a fear of being seen as didactic, a finger-wagging scold who hates fun. But after the above epiphany, I know now that commenting on our current condition is the key to unlocking the strong emotions that create great stories.
It’s not a matter of writing ripped from the headlines propaganda that ages badly, but looking at how addressing these conditions can make audiences feel your art more deeply. I think the fantastical approach is the best one, as it gives the audience something more to sink their teeth into than the core thematic concern (poverty, race hatred, climate change, etc.) I find that when I do this, I like what I’m writing more because it feels more meaningful, without losing the cool factor.
P.S.: I ran into a video that you may find interesting. It’s about how shōnen (boys’) anime has changed in recent years to be darker, perhaps reflecting the pessimistic time we now live in (90s shōnen anime was more optimistic.) https://youtu.be/JXO7I7hv1-8
This is the best I’ve read from you. All my writing is towards this and it is a delight and inspiration to read yours.
Putting it in the vault for future mining.