A Man Escaped

Saw A Man Escaped. It was a fairly straight-forward story of a man escaping from jail. I'm probably reading into this movie too much, but I was struck by his arguments with a suicidal fellow inmate about the necessity of struggle. Even if you fail, your struggle is an inspiration to others and gives your life meaning. Taken in an existential way, this becomes the universal search for meaning in a meaningless land, but looked at from this angle, the movie takes on an almost nihilistic tinge (is it really alright to murder in the name of 'meaning?')

A perhaps more fruitful angle to look at this film with is to consider how purposefully non-action-packed it is. Much of the story is told via over-the-shoulder shots of the prisoner industriously braiding rope or sharpening a spoon. Months of inaction are narrated away. Insecurities and worries become almost as caging as the walls and doors themselves (again, symbolizing a struggle for meaning perhaps.) An interesting movie with clearly more going on under the surface than I have the equipment to unpack.

Edit: According to imdb, the ropes and hooks used in the movie are the real ropes and hooks used by the guy whose story this is. That's pretty awesome.