The Education of Charlie Banks (2007)
A walk in the park.
Olga’s Notes:
Note1: “The Education of Charlie Banks” was directed by Limp Bizkit lead singer, Fred Durst. Always nice to see an established creative unafraid to venture out of their safety zone.
Note2: I don’t usually enjoy playing the genre game, except when the genre plays hard to get. So, then: a rite of passage? Drama? Crime? A tale of friendship? Or maybe redemption? A multi-layered love story? All of the above? None? Anyone?
Note3: Despite its apparent lack of identity, “The Education of Charlie Banks” succeeds where so many bigger (and, arguably, better) films have fallen flat on their faces, namely in illustrating that a person doesn’t have to be particularly bad, or mad, or even especially motivated to pull off an evil deed.
‘The greatest evil in the world is evil committed by nobodies. It is this phenomena that I have called the banality of evil.’ – a quote by Hannah Arendt, as played by Barbara Sukowa in “Hannah Arendt”, a 2012 film directed and co-written by Margarethe von Trotta (the other writer: Pam Katz).
A controversial concept, and not just because of its accuracy, the banality of evil unapologetically informs that not all suffering stands equal. Sometimes, it is personal. Other times, it is just bureaucracy.
Well hung.
Helena’s Notes:
Note1: There is one song by Limp Bizkit I really like, trust it goes something like:
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter.
Who knew there was such a wonderfully embittered soul hiding behind such a lame band name.
Note2: The way I see it, shit happens. Evil is evil and a bullet in the head is a bullet in the head. Does it actually matter if it was put there on account of hate or indifference?
Note3: Hands down the evilest person in this movie was Mary, the dark ice queen. Forget Eichmann’s tedium and Mick’s fury, even – if you can – Charlie’s intolerable flakiness. Watching Mary, it soon becomes evident that oh yes indeedy, the female of the species is way more deadly than any of the male.
He her private dancer.