Albert camus

The Weight of Being: Exploring Camus Through Cinema

Okay, so we’re talking Albert Camus? Excellent choice! He's one of those thinkers who just resonates with a certain kind of movie lover – someone interested in the big questions, the absurdity of it all, you know? For those unfamiliar, Camus was a French-Algerian philosopher and author, deeply associated with existentialism (though he resisted that label). His work grapples with ideas like alienation, rebellion, and finding meaning in a world that often feels…well, meaningless.

And while you might not immediately think "Hollywood blockbuster," his philosophy has quietly seeped into so much of our film language. It's about confronting the uncomfortable truth: there's no pre-ordained purpose handed down from above. We’re thrown into existence and it’s our responsibility to create meaning, even if that meaning is ultimately fragile and fleeting.

Think about films like What's Going On?. It might not explicitly shout "Camus!", but the way it presents these diverse individuals wrestling with life's purpose – a philosophy professor questioning his own teachings, a fashion student searching for something beyond trends - echoes the core of Camus’ ideas. They aren’t finding easy answers, and that’s perfectly okay. The film emphasizes the power of human connection ("love as a universal connective thread," as the synopsis puts it) precisely because there's no grand cosmic plan guiding us. We build our own connections, we create our own values – and that act itself is an act of defiance against the void.

You see this in other films too. Consider Taxi Driver, for example. Travis Bickle’s descent into madness isn’t just about mental illness; it's a desperate attempt to impose order on a chaotic, seemingly meaningless city. His violent rebellion is, in its own warped way, a Camusian response to the absurdity he perceives. It’s tragic and disturbing, but fundamentally understandable within that framework of existential angst. Even something as seemingly straightforward as Mad Max: Fury Road taps into this – the relentless pursuit across a barren wasteland isn't just about survival; it's a rejection of nihilism, a fight for hope even when all seems lost.

Camus wasn’t advocating for despair! He believed in rebellion – not necessarily violent action, but a constant questioning and affirmation of life despite its inherent absurdity. It's a challenging philosophy to grapple with, but ultimately incredibly liberating. What's Going On? offers a beautiful, gentle introduction to these ideas through lived experience. Give it a watch, and see if it sparks your own rebellion against the ordinary.

And honestly, I remember reading The Stranger in college and feeling just…seen. It's that feeling of alienation, that quiet disconnect from societal expectations – it sticks with you. What about you? Have any films made you feel similarly confronted by existence itself?