PHL 151: The Human Person
Questions for Film Review
High quality, complex films can help us think about philosophical issues and arguments.
Philosophy engages with the concerns of life and films provide narratives about life, selecting
various details and presenting meaningful patterns of development and events.
In this way, then, film can shed light on real life and the kinds of philosophical problems that
human experience generates.
The following films are available either through the university library’s Audio-Visual Media
Services or through online streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon, or Hulu.
Assignment:
Select one of the following films and consider the relevant questions as you write
a 2-3 page review & analysis, connecting the film with our readings.
If you’d like to select a film not on this list, that’s fine, but get approval from me
first. It should be a film that raises philosophical issues intersecting with texts we
are reading.
Note: You do not have to answer all (or any) of the questions about a particular
film. They are simply meant to get you thinking more deeply about the film and to
point you in the right direction.
Ghost World
2001. Directed by Terry Zwigoff. Starring Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi.
Relevant texts: Eagleton, Wallace
[1] TVs are playing in the background of most scenes. Enid’s own TV has funeral flags on its
rabbit ears. What is the film trying to say about the role of television? How might this connect
with Eagleton’s discussion of the loss of meaning in modernity? Or with DF Wallace’s talk about
the mundane character of modern life?
[2] What do you make of the title of the film: Ghost World? What is a ghost? In what way is
Enid “ghostly” (or the world she lives in or those who inhabit it)? In what ways is she “stuck”
and unable to move on? How does her own sense of identity seem ephemeral? What does the
title say about Enid’s seeming inability to find meaning? In what sense might Enid be
“haunted”?
[3] How might the general attitude of Enid and the other characters intersect with DF Wallace’s
discussion of the petty, frustrating character of everyday life? How might it intersect with his
contrast between self-centeredness and worship?
[4] Seymour suggests collecting is a substitute for relationships and his own interests don’t
really interest even him. How might this connect to Eagleton’s discussion of commodification?
Note here how the film is set in a suburb from the 1950s, the unique architecture and character
of which is increasingly eclipsed by franchises, strip malls, and convenience stores.
1
[5] Enid constantly sketches in her pad. What does keeping a sketch pad do for her? How does
she use it to narrate & make sense of her life? How does the role of art in her life differ from
her teacher’s? When she tries to fit into her teacher’s ideal of an artist, it backfires. What does
that say about art, artists, and identity? What does it say about the film itself as an art object?
[6] Enid’s existing relationships all seem to deteriorate over the course of the film. What pushes
Enid and Becky apart? Do similar dynamics also push Enid away from her high school friends,
from her father, from Josh, and eventually from Seymour? What does this tell us about Enid’s
expectations for how relationships might create meaning, but fail?
[7] What do you make of the film’s ending? Is the bus real? What might it signify?
Babette’s Feast (Babettes Gæstebud)
1987. Directed by Gabriel Axel. Starring Stéphane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel.
Relevant texts: Eagleton, Wallace, Plato, Lewis, Aristotle
[1] One theme of the film concerns choices we make in life and how they shape our destinies.
As we grow older, we face regrets and question the choices we made when we were younger.
We wonder if our lives will evidence any final meaningfulness. How can we be sure we’re
making the right choices? What might Eagleton and Wallace say?
[2] The film also portrays how circumstances beyond our control—small accidents (the opera)
or major events (war)—can profoundly affect the story of our lives. How does this intersect
with Eagleton’s discussion of meaning & happiness?
[3] The General, as a young man, concludes that “Fate is hard” and that “in this world there are
things which are impossible.” He then goes on to pursue a life of wealth, reputation, and
power, with much success, but also much regret. How does this connect with Eagleton and
Plato’s discussions of genuine and false happiness/goods? With Aristotle on happiness?
[4] On the other hand, Martina & Phillipa’s father preaches salvation through self-denial, which
resonates with Socrates’ view that a philosopher turns away from the body and its pleasures.
But this spirituality devolves into a brittle & divisive piety after the death of the preacher, even
while, like Socrates on his deathbed, they still sing of happiness, peace, mercy, justice, and bliss.
Does this picture of renunciation and discipline undermine Plato’s position?
[5] Eagleton suggests love & reciprocity are central to meaningfulness and human flourishing
and Wallace suggests that freedom & happiness require choosing to see things from a new
perspective. How does the film portray self-centeredness as Wallace describes it? How do the
characters break out of that and gain a new point of view? How does the film show that joy,
risk, gift, and extravagance are central to human goodness? How does this intersect with
Aristotle on the virtue of friendliness & the nature of genuine friendship?
[6] How does the film portray Lewis’s notion of “transposition”? How do the material things of
life become sites for the inbreaking of grace and gift? The General says, “…grace is infinite…See!
That which we have chosen is given us, and that which we have refused is, also and at the same
time, granted us…” How does this connect with Eagleton’s allusion to Wittgenstein: if there is
eternal life, it must be here and now?
2
Gattaca
1997. Directed by Andrew Niccol. Starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law.
Relevant texts: Eagleton, Wallace, Plato, Lewis, Aristotle, Cavanaugh
[1] Aristotle views human happiness or flourishing as fulfilling our “potential.” How does the
notion of “potential” function within the world of Gattaca? How does it differ from Aristotle’s?
Note this dialogue: Director Josef: “We have to ensure that people are meeting their potential.”
Investigator: “Not exceeding it?” Josef: “No one exceeds his potential.” Investigator: “If he
did?” Josef: “It means that we did not accurately gauge his potential in the first place.”
[2] Augustine argues that wrongdoing and goodness have to do with the ways in which we
order our desires. Moreover, as William Cavanaugh notes (“The Unfreedom of the Free
Market”), desires are shaped by our social contexts. Nonetheless, the shape and order of desire
is ultimately an expression of our freedom. How do we see these themes play out in Gattaca,
particularly in the story-lines of Vincent, Irene, Jerome, Anton, and the Director?
[3] From childhood onward, Vincent – the “faith birth” – and Anton – the engineered child – are
rivals. In what ways does this rivalry shape their respective life stories? What does this suggest
about the ways in which desire is relational and social in character?
[4] Saturn’s moon Titan is named after the primordial deities of Greek mythology, as serves as
the heavenly goal of Vincent’s ambitions. In what ways might Gattaca suggest that divine
transcendence and, indeed, grace are necessary components of human fulfillment (consider,
e.g., the image of water or the role of Lamar)? How might this connect to Plato or Lewis on the
divine and Wallace on worship?
[5] Eugene and Vincent are involved in an exchange. Vincent flourishes through receiving
Eugene’s identity (including bits of his body and his blood), while Eugene receives a new
perspective on life and dreams from Vincent. In what respects does their exchange express the
kind of reciprocity and love that Eagleton describes (cf. the jazz analogy)? How might this
intersect with Wallace’s description of changing perspective (from self-centered toward
freedom)?
[6] What do you make of the film’s ending? Why did Eugene do what he did? Visually his action
is connected the Titan rocket launch. How might Eugene’s action intersect with Eagleton and
Wallace on sacrificing for others?
Dekalog (Episode 1)
1987 (broadcast on Polish TV in 1988). Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski.
Relevant texts: Eagleton, Plato, Lewis, Augustine, Cavanaugh
[1] Dekalog was made before the fall of the Berlin wall or the 1989 election victories of
Solidarność, when Poland was still under Communist rule within the Soviet bloc. Back then
official atheism and scientific truth were tools of social control, claiming to give meaning or
purpose. How does this context affect the film’s meaning? How might western capitalist
structures exercise very different, yet analogous forms of control (recall Eagleton on
“commodification” or Cavanaugh on “libido dominandi”) or claims to meaning?
3
[2] The little boy, Pawel, seems similar to his father, yet open to the religious influence of his
aunt. The aunt sees ordinary things in life pointing to the divine – God is present in her hug, in
good deeds. The film hints that God is even present in numbers and programming (i.e., the
computer spontaneously stating “I am ready”). But the father sees only patterns of numbers &
data. How does this connect to Eagleton on how reality may display a significant pattern? Or
Socrates’ claims about how material things point to (copy, participate in) ultimate Reality?
What do you make of the computer weirdnesses or the broken ink bottle?
[3] In his university lecture the father speaks of language as irreducibly embedded within belief,
culture, & social context, so communication across languages is exceedingly difficult (compare
to what Eagleton said on Wittgenstein in Ch. 1 & end of Ch. 3). Yet he thinks a compute, rightly
programmed, could learn to speak. Is there a tension in these views? How does this connect to
Eagleton’s points about language and how much meaning in our lives is determined by our
context and bodies? What might Socrates say, given his beliefs about knowledge, language, and
the soul? How do communication barriers arise within the relationships in the film?
[4] At the end of the film, the father in his grief runs to a church and confronts an icon of the
Madonna and Christ child. What does it say about his faith in science that, when that faith is
shattered, he directs his anger toward God as revealed in Christ? How might this connect with
Socrates’ contention that we are all aware of absolute Reality, but have forgotten it? Or with
Lewis’s idea that natural objects and human artifacts point toward God and heaven? What’s the
significance of the father finding the holy water frozen solid when he reaches for it?
[5] The dripping on the icon at the end makes the icon appear to weep. What do you think is
the significance of this moment? What might this suggest about the place of evil and suffering
in a world created by a good and loving God?
The Edukators (Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei)
2004. Directed by Hans Weingartner. Starring Daniel Brühl, Stipe Erceg, Julia Jentsch.
Relevant texts: Augustine, Cavanaugh, Aristotle
[1] Peter and Jan are anti-capitalist activists who break into the houses of the super-rich,
rearrange their furniture, and leave notes: “The days of plenty are over” or “You have too much
money.” How do their concerns intersect with those of Eagleton in his criticisms of
commodification? How are they different? How does Cavanaugh describe similar concerns he
has? What does Cavanaugh suggest as a response?
[2] What do you think about the general ethics of what Peter and Jan are up to? What are their
goals in performing these protest actions? Under what conditions do you think such actions
would be morally justified? After all, until Jule gets involved, they had never destroyed any
property. In what ways are their symbolic actions an attempt to find meaning in a world of
extreme economic inequality? Would Aristotle see Peter and Jan as virtuous? Why or why not?
[3] Jule, an under-employed 20-something, was once in a car accident without insurance and
now owes an enormous burden of debt to an extremely wealthy man who could easily absorb
the cost. Is there a sense in which such economic disparity has undermined her freedom? What
would Cavanaugh say about that? How does the economic system blind the wealthy to the
effects of their status and privilege?
4
[4] After they take Hardenberg to the Alps, he talks to them a lot about his past. To what
degree do you think he is telling the truth? To what degree is he lying in order to manipulate
them? Recall what a good liar he is on the phone to his maid and wife. What do their
conversations suggest about how people are willing to sacrifice greater goods for the sake of
lesser goods? In what ways do they all fall victim to what Augustine calls “inordinate desire”?
[5] What do you make of the film’s ending and the message left on the wall: “Some people
never change”? How might this intersect with Augustine’s discussion of “libido dominandi” as
explained by Cavanaugh?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2004. Directed by Michel Gondry. Starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.
Relevant texts: Eagleton, Plato, Augustine, Descartes
[1] To what degree is identity wrapped up with memory? Descartes both questioned memory
and saw himself as a “thinking thing.” But what sort of “thinking thing” are we, if what we think
may not be real or may have been erased? To what degree does that empty out the very notion
of a “self”? What does the erasure of memory in the film suggest about Descartes’ project of
starting knowledge all over again from nothing? How might this intersect with Plato’s notion
that we all have a kind of knowledge that all possess inherently, but have forgotten and re-gain
only by recollection?
[2] Eagleton suggests our lives can have meaning in part by our ability to discern a meaningful
pattern or to narrate our existence in a coherent way. What would be the effect on the
meaning of our lives if we were to cut a piece out of the pattern or story? Is a book with several
chapters cut out still the same book? Is a pattern with bits blotted out still the same pattern?
Are we still the same people if our memories are altered? Could such a life be meaningful?
[3] The title of the film comes from an Alexander Pope poem about Heloise and Abelard who
were denied their forbidden love. Rather than forgiveness, she begs for forgetfulness:
How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! / The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! / Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd ...
What’s the meaning of this stanza? Why was it picked for the film’s title? What does the film
suggest about forgetting as a way of coping with a painful event?
[4] Eagleton sees love as a sort of reciprocity that allows one another to flourish, rather than
blotting oneself out in self-sacrifice. Also, Plato suggests that, for the good person, nothing is
ultimately lost even in death. Thus, the future can enable us to re-narrate the past in a
redeeming way that doesn’t involve forgetting it but, as Augustine suggests, finding the good
and value in it. How do these thoughts intersect with the film?
[5] If you could hear yourself describing a painful event or relationship before entering into it,
would you want to hear it? Would you still go forward if you knew you would find ultimately
value and meaning in it, even in the suffering?
5