Two new Norwegian films depict how the first step a criminal must make on his way back into society is to accept his new role. Thus also begins all the difficult.
(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Sociologist Erving Goffman's classic Our daily role-play draws heavy gaps in theater to illustrate how we all play our roles in everyday life and that challenges, expectations and norms change from role to role. Some roles are self-selected, others we are given. And not all roles are equally sought after. If you are a child murderer, you play a difficult and stigmatized role.
In Erik Poppes The Unseen, we meet a child killer, Jan Thomas. He is serving sentences for the negligent murder of a little boy committed by him and a mate eight years ago. Screenwriter Harald Rosenløw Eeg and director Poppe can be accused of making the circumstances surrounding the death somewhat simple. The motive for the crime that ends in the disaster – Jan Thomas and his partner stealing a stroller from an outdoor cafe, while his mother is in and buying coffee – is difficult to understand. Were they just looking for quick money? Or was this a kidnapping attempt? The movie gives no answer.
On the other hand, the theme of the UNIQUE is not related to the crime itself, but the way forward – both for criminals and relatives.
After finishing atonement, Jan Thomas gets a job as an organist. But the transition to life on the outside is difficult. Not because of practical circumstances, but because he himself doubts that he deserves a second chance. He is not ready to embrace his new role. He has trouble forgiving himself, and it gets worse when the dead boy's mother recognizes him. A painful and groaning confrontation ensues.
After halfway through the movie, the film shifts its focus to its mother, Agnes. The theme is thus expanded to include the difficult question of forgiveness. Or at least some kind of reconciliation. The relatives are often the party that is forgotten first. It's not happening here.
Male Bastion
Filmmakers have always been concerned with convicts who are released. No wonder considering that personal change in the protagonist is one of the basic requirements of classical dramaturgy. Virtually all films are based on the premise that the main role must go through a process. Still, movies about accomplished criminals are strikingly often about old sins inexorably catching up with you. Preferably because the old environment – the former friends – makes a new start impossible. One of countless examples is Carlito's Way (1993).
Though, the great classic in the genre, the multifilmated Les Misérables, focuses on the fact that it is the cold zeal and prejudice – represented by Police Inspector Javert – that stands in the way of Jean Valjean's new life.
Most interesting, however, are the stories that, in addition to these well-known angles, also revolve around the criminals' struggle with their own demons, where the protagonist is unsure whether he is in control of himself. In The Woodsman, Kevin Bacon plays the pedophile Walter, who just got out of jail after a 12-year sentence. He tries hard to keep the past secret and himself on the mat, but what happens when he gets to know an 11-year-old girl?
It is preferable for men to play the lead role in these films, although some female actors have had their teeth set in similar roles. For example, Maggie Gyllenhaal in SherryBaby (2006). In general, however, this is one of the strongest male bastions on the lead role.
process
Next week is the premiere of another film about reintegrating criminals into society, Thor Bekkavik's Trial. This is a documentary, where we follow three drug addicts and a convict who is going to carry out a theater project. Participants will learn that role-playing is not easy. It requires motivation and self-awareness. And it requires collaboration and trust in others. Here the point is demonstrated: These are qualities that are absolutely necessary in everyday life. It is not easier that this is a continuous process rather than a final goal.
To quote Goffman: “A status, a position, a social position is nothing tangible, something you can take possession of and then show off. It is a pattern that determines the behavior ”.
Life is a scene. And the performance never ends. But the roles can be changed.
