"10 Cloverfield Lane" (2016)

The thing about “10 Cloverfield Lane” that makes it noteworthy is the twist. Not because it is unforeseen; and especially not because it is an otherwise unworthy story. On the contrary… you suspect the twist from early on. And, there is a lot more going on here than a twist ending. But, the twist offers us the most thought-provoking aspect of this movie.

So, before you read on, you might need to familiarize yourself with the story.

What is so fascinating about the story of Michelle being [abducted? saved? spared?] by Howard and being held captive or perhaps being allowed to live in his shelter is that it is both/and story. Yes, Howard is some sort of sadistic kidnapper with evil and selfish intentions. But just because he is bad does not make him a liar. He is right about what is happening in the outside world.

It exposes a flaw in our thinking. We assume people are either bad or good. Howard has to be one or the other. If he is saving Michelle from the end of the world, he must be good. On the other hand, if he is abducting her he must be lying about why he is keeping her prisoner. The truth is that life is messier. It is possible for mostly good people to do bad things. We all of us have something broken in our core. And, unfortunately, it is also usually true that bad, even evil people can be right about a lot of things. Evil does not imply a fundamentally wrong worldview. In fact, the truly evil understand reality and chose to proceed down a wrong path.

So, beware oversimplified judgements!