Mel’s Minute Apocalypse

A few days ago, I caught Apocalyptico, and I was throughly shocked.  I wasn’t shocked by the beauty of the South American jungle, or the brutality of the Mayan people, or the talent of the unknown cast members in the film.  I was shocked that somehow, this story is remarkably small.

I think Roger Ebert said something about the greatest stories having one consistent theme: “get home.”  Gibson’s magnificient film, with all of its bluster and macabre, is one of those great stories.  The careful viewer will notice the warnings Gibson is giving about bloodlust indicating the decline of a culture and the dangers of urbanization, but in the end, on the most basic level, this is a story about a young man striving to find his way back to his family. 

To be fair, I admit there are moments of “modern” dialogue that give the viewer difficulty in suspending his disbelief, but the sincerity and ease with which these native Mayans speak their language quickly dispels any nagging doubts about authenticity.  After about five minutes, one barely notices the subtitles, and the native costume, which appears strange and unsanitary at first, becomes as comfortable to look at as any modern garb.

The film is not for the faint of heart (ironic after a post about femininity), but frankly, after all the media build-up about the gore in this film, I was almost disappointed.  Although Gibson does not shy away from dark story-telling, he is not presenting the “stylized” violence of Kill Bill and Saw.  He is simply being honest, and his honesty is hardly audacious (perhaps there is one exception–the jaguar’s run-in with a Mayan face). 

All in all, this film is like nothing you have ever seen.  But it is not Ben Hur.  It is no epic.  It is a story about family love, and that resonates much more largely than the decapitation of the Mayan culture.  This movie’s main weakness is its title; this is no apocalypse,  it is simply a new beginning.

Femininity

I realize that my readership consists of some very strong and intelligent women, many of whom are Christian, so I thought I’d throw out another question to get your perspective. 

I’ve thought a lot about traditional Western gender roles, and I am wondering if they are at all Biblically based.  I tend toward a patriarchal view of society as best, but I’m starting to wonder if that’s simply because I’m a man, or if iit’s a significant  moral and Biblical principle.

So, what do you think?  Should a man be the “head of a household”?  Why or why not?

Edit:  For all you strong women out there, I hope that you have noticed Jonalyn Fincher’s (of the Dale fame) new book Ruby Slippers:How a Woman’s Soul Leads her Home. It looks like a great read.  Check it out on Amazon!