The latest Scorsese
film did it again. It inspires; it enlightens; it lives.
Apparently, I’ve a
thing about movies made after books. They usually have such amazing stories to
tell… including this one, written by a Mr. Brian Selznik. The cast of young
actors is extraordinary and there’s magic on every level of the story. Just
not the kind of magic you’d expect… for magic is in the eye of the beholder.
Hugo examines the most
existential questions: what are we here for? What are we meant to do? Are we
ever truly alone? Can we be fixed once we are broken? And the answers are
between the scenes. Let’s examine some, shall we?
We Are Not Alone
Whoever we are,
whatever we do, and wherever we live… friends always find us. No matter how
tall or young or scared, we are always loved, sometimes by strangers. I find
this message profoundly beautiful because even in the darkest corner there can
be light. Yes, I quoted Albus Dumbledore.
We Have a Purpose
Whoever we are,
whatever we do, and wherever we live… we serve a higher purpose. We don’t
always know what it is from the start, but eventually it catches up with us.
And by doing what we were meant to do all along, we help others realize their
purposes as well. It’s like clockwork, you see. It all works together… because
the whole is larger than the sum of its parts.
We Can Be Fixed
Whoever we are,
whatever we do, and wherever we live… we get broken sometimes. When we stop
dreaming and we lose sight of our purpose, we lose our way for a while. Then
one day a boy comes along and digs up an old machine. It is broken, just like
the dreams of its creator. But the boy doesn’t stop until he fixes both the
machine and the dreams… because it’s his purpose.
We Are Made of Dreams
Whoever we are,
whatever we do, and wherever we live… we dream. At night. During the day. We
take our dreams and make magic. We dream of life and death… we dream of the
past and the future. We dream whatever we want and fear the most. We never stop
dreaming as long as we’re alive.
We Have a Home
Whoever we are,
whatever we do, and wherever we live… we have a place to call home. It might be
sad and broken… it might move and talk… or it might be long gone, but it’s
there, just outside of our reach. And it always changes, it never stays the
same. The home is where the heart is. With our friends. Our loved ones. Our prized
possessions. Our dear memories. Our hopes and dreams. It’s there… somewhere.
All I can say about
Hugo is that it’s magical. It’s a movie you would like to play on family
nights, again and again, a film which you want on your shelves. It’s a film
that values the old more than the new. It’s a film that remembers the past and
brings tears to the eyes of the viewer.
I remember what I used
to feel like when I was a little kid watching a movie. I felt like it was a
magical world, which I entered alone, and uncovered all of its secrets before
the end credits rolled in. Today, I felt the same and I am very grateful to Mr.
Scorsese. I’ve been given the gift of memories. Sometimes there’s no greater
gift than that. I hope you’ll see it for yourselves!
