Three Billboards

James and Rachel went to a preview of this film (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri)  at the arts cinema in Cambridge.  They indicated with facial messages that it was worth seeing, thus giving away nothing.

Margaret, Liz and I went to the Phoenix.  "Ah - not here until next week."  With the help of mobile phones, found a screening at a cinema on the other side of town.

So without giving anything away- here are 'my thoughts'.

=>Our final interactions in relationships are important.  They seem to be intensified.  The mother is haunted by her final exchanges with her angry, impetuous, teenage daughter.

=>In this film the final words between the mother and daughter are tragic.  'Anger' floats in the house.  A violent relationship between the parents is eluded to.  Angry mother, angry children.

=>The root of this film is an exploration of the contradictory nature of violence.  'Violence begets violence' as the 'dumb' 19 year old girlfriend to the 'rebounding' father quotes (from a bookmark she once read).

=>The father was a wife beating police officer.  The priest is brought in to try to mollify the angry mother. She is quick and intelligent, and helps the priest understand that his behaviour is that of a bulling, hypocritical 'gang member'.

=>But have the police done everything they can?  Their racist, violent and homophobic reputation clouds this hope.

=>The three billboards are a memorial for a grieving mother, and eventually the community respects this.

The film's ending reminded me of a colleague in social services who on walking out of the Leicester County Court with a family who had not received justice, noticed them looking at each other and saying "it's over to us then."

Violence seems to be so much part of human and animal nature.  I think of the verses pointing to heaven where 'The lion and the lamb will lie down together'.  For the moment violence is are mysterious part of our equation of life.

Years ago I went with my DeMontfort thespians to see 'The Laramie Project' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Laramie_Project. This was a play put constructed by Moises Kaufman from 100's of interview statements from the residents of Laramie, Wyoming, after the brutal murder of a young gay man from the town.  Every word of the play was a direct quote from these real residents.  The message of the play is 'we are all responsible'.  It went on to become one of the most performed plays in American history.

This film reminded me of this play.

Here is how I see the responsibility.

• Murder and rapist- responsible for his actions.
• Bystanders- people who observed the act.
• The people who sent the murder into war situations to be traumatised, and to witness the most hideous acts of human on human.
• The father who initiated acts of violence against his wife, thus weakening the bonds of security in his family.
• The Police Chief who needs to be trusted in his community.
• The system of checks and balances used to ensure that all public figures are held to account.
• The condoning of violence and discrimination in society that fosters anger and revenge.
• The weakness of support systems, including the Church, and complicity in reinforcing the 'Status Quo'.
• Luck, and good fortune, that has a bit part to play in life as a whole. (The unfolding of events.)

I think of my third law of social interaction-

"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction."  Where there is power, there is also misuse of power.  Our systems need to take this into account.  In the capitalist world the mechanism is 'competition'.  Current conservative principle attempt to apply this to our social world too.  I feel this is too unsophisticated.  We need to define a new system to ensure power is moderated and managed effectively.  It is known as the 'best, worst' system - democracy.