I had an opportunity watching the movie called Pleasantville. This movie is made in 1998 with some arguably seamless special effects! It is not an action movie though it has considerable action in it that makes you to think of. The story goes like this.
In the universe of "Pleasantville", a black-and-white Fifties sitcom, life is pleasant. The high school basketball team never misses a shot, nothing ever catches on fire (consequently, the firemen only rescue cats stuck in trees), husband and wives sleep in separate beds, high school sweethearts go no further than holding hands and getting 'pinned', and everything is in varying shades of gray.
One night, David finds himself fighting with his promiscuous twin sister Jennifer for the television remote, which is irreparably broken during the struggle. Before they know it, an ominous television repairman shows up at the door, and offers the two kids a brand new high-tech remote. However, David and Jennifer soon realize that it is not just your run-of-the-mill Radio Shack remote when they are magically transported to the world of Pleasantville.
After the initial disorientation, they realize not only are they now in black-and white, but they have assumed the identities of the television show's two teenage children, Bud and Mary Sue. They then meet their chipper television parents, George and Betty, who seem oblivious to the fact that their model children are not who they appear to be.
For David/Bud, it is a dream come true, living out his life in comfortable surroundings without the struggle or strife of real life. On the other hand, Jennifer/Mary Sue abhors her new environment, finding the local scene too bland for her liking. Being her usual forward self, she aggressively liberates the virginity of the captain of the basketball team, Skip (Paul Walker). Her reckless activities then begin a chain reaction that unleashes a torrent of unexpected changes in Pleasantville.
Unfortunately, the changes in the physical and social fabric of Pleasantville do not go unchallenged. As the town's residents begin to explore the joys of art, books, passion, and color, the dark side of human nature is also unleashed. Spearheaded by the town's mayor, a conservative black-and-white backlash is organized. Willing to do anything to maintain the status quo, their fear and paranoia lead to intolerance, hate-crimes, and violence against the newly colored.
I felt couple of real issues were discussed in this movie. First, changes are inevitable facts of our life. If we try to avoid, stop the changes that is useless act of desperateness. Either we want it or not changes take place. What is important is the fact that we live in the world that contains many people with completely different ideas and way of thinking. We should tolerate those differences between ourselves. We should not demolish or try to be boneheaded if things are not on way of our pleasure. As long as we accept logical rules we can have dialogue.
The movie ends with the fact that changes are taking place and they will stay. I felt the movie truthfully resembles our current Iranian society. There are group of people who are unwilling to accept that there is big difference between kids in 1980 and today ones. There are still people in society feel that things must stay the same.
The old guy with long beard can have the last say. He does not make mistakes. (Watch an Iranian movie).
We have to learn and accept that people can looked at world different angles and have different perceptions from the same issue. Let’s enjoy them as part of our life experiences. Different circumstances require different measures. World changes, so people in it. So, let us enjoy what we have and not regretting it a single moment.
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