Recently I watched the film, The Ides of March. The movie takes us into the life of Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling), a staffer on Mike Morris’ (George Clooney) campaign to become the next president of the United States. Meyers starts the movie with an idealistic dream that Morris will “fix” government as we know it, but, by the end of the movie, finds himself caught up and participating in the same dirtiness and corruption that he thought he was fighting against.
Meyers story is perhaps all too familiar to us in this day and age. We believe we can change the world, that our generation will stop this and end that. Yet, we often find ourselves compromising our values and once solid beliefs in order to gain a little power here, perhaps a little more influence over there. Soon we find ourselves sliding down a slippery slope where lies, deceit, and exploitation run rampant. We start off with a goal of redemption but often, when it’s all said and done, reflect more of the fall. That is the great power of the Empire. It takes well-meaning efforts and seduces them and twists them without us even knowing until it’s too late. The Empire capitalizes on even one slip up and uses it to snowball us into a life that no longer reflects the Kingdom of God. Meyers’ story is a perfect example. His initial ideas of change and making right the wrong are shattered when he discovers that Mike Morris is having an affair with one of the campaign aids. Meyers makes some career mistakes that leads to his firing but uses the information of Morris’ affair to effectively blackmail Morris into rehiring him and firing someone else. Meyers had become part of the system (the Empire) that he was trying to fight against.
Questions:
How do we respond when faced with a chance to increase our own power even when it means submitting to the Empire?
What are the tiny choices we make every day that lead us down that “slippery slope”?
This is a fascinating film to talk about the idea of the Empire and redemption. The Ides of March hits both those topics in very interesting ways. It was quite interesting to see a new side of the government in this way, especially since the government has a huge role in the empire that defines our world we live in today. I also found it interesting that the end of the film gave a slight glimpse towards a redemptive finish. The last scene shows Meyers about to be interviewed for Morris and it leaves you believing Meyers will expose the truth behind Morris. It definitely addresses topics we have discussed in class.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great analysis, Nate!
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