"Hannibal Rising Reveals Revenge's Radicalism"
Ramesh C. Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard
Saturday, June 02, 2007
"Hannibal Rising" (2007)
Picture and video source:
http://www.imdb.com
Rated R for strong bloody gore and some
language/sexual references!
Maincast:
Gaspard Ulliel - Hannibal Lecter
Li Gong - Lady Murasaki Shikibu
Dominic West - Inspector Popil
Watch the trailer for 'Hannibal Rising'
PLOT SYNOPSIS:
'Hannibal Rising' is about a young boy named Hannibal Lecter
(played by Gaspard Ulliel) who witnesses his parents murdered
during Nazi Germany! Eventually, when he grows up he goes to hunt down
his family’s killers one by one as he is exposed to cannibalism which he
becomes attracted to without even knowing why until the end of the movie
when a shocker is thrown.
CONTENT REVIEW:
'Hannibal Rising' is a very intriguing psychological thriller
that shows what trauma and a bad childhood could do to a little boy when
they either not loved and shown stern discipline or loved and not shown
stern discipline. It addresses issues such as evil, racism,
psychological trauma, cannibalism, vengeance, killings, forgiveness, and
love. Even though the movie is not a feel-good movie, it is a movie that
makes you think about what happens when evil rules and vengeance becomes
a tool for the evil to reign. The movie is not for the faint of heart as
there is a lot of gashing and blood filled gory scenes.
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended only to watch it for the sake of discussion than
watching it for pleasure. You will not find pleasure in this kind of
movie. The movie receives a 7.0 rating for the issues it addresses while
keeping you at the edge of your seat.
BIBLICAL
ANALYSIS - SPOILER ALERT COMMENTARY
Spoiler Alert I:
In one of the scenes, a soldier looks at a Jew and tells him, “You are a
Jew! How could I eat your food?”
In essence, he is letting the Jewish person know that his cooked food is
untouchable and he does not want to have anything to do with him or his
food because he considers the Jews inferior. This racism and hatred
caused the extermination of thousands of Jews.
This reminded me of a passage in Scripture where
the opposite happened. When Jesus arrived in Samaria, Jesus asked a
Samaritan woman for water. She was shocked at Jesus’ actions because
they were counter-cultural. People in those days despised the Samaritans
and did not even associate with them but not Jesus. Jesus spent time
with her and offered her Eternal Life. Jesus’ interaction with the
Samaritan woman is detailed in John 4.
“The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a
Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For
Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew
the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have
asked him and he would have given you living water." (John 4:9-10, NIV)
Spoiler Alert II:
In this scene Hannibal Lecter asks his aunt, “Do you suppose God
intended to eat Isaac that is why God asked Abraham to kill him?” Her
aunt replied, “Eat him? Of course not! The angel intervenes in time.”
It is sad that Hannibal Lecter who was exposed to cannibalism by men who
held him captive wondered if God was into cannibalism. Many times a
child’s view of God is based on their own interactions with men around
them. If the men are mean and authoritarian especially those that are
supposed to be fatherly figures, they attribute that same projection on
to God. This is what Hannibal did especially since he was in a bad
orphanage. What he was exposed to made him wonder about how God is. His
aunt answered him well.
This reminded me of the Genesis story. God had
asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to test his faithfulness. When Abraham
decided not to spare his own son to be obedient to God, God saw His
faith and also stopped the sacrifice from happening. Instead, a ram was
provided for the sacrifice. This also foreshadowed what Jesus would do
for us. God gave up His only begotten Son for us. Jesus became our
sacrificial Lamb to save us from sin.
“Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son,
Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him
there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you
about…..Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on
his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife.…Then he
reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel
of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I
am," he replied. "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do
anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not
withheld from me your son, your only son." (Genesis 22:2, 6, 10-12, NIV)
Spoiler Alert III:
In a scene, we see Hannibal filled with revenge because of his sister
being eaten. He cannot forget what happened. His aunt reminds him that
he needs to put that behind him because ‘Memory is a knife and it can
hurt you.’
That is so true because when we dwell in the memories of our hurts and
disappointments sometimes we give the opportunity for vengeance to rule
and at other times we allow depression to cover over us because we have
let the memories control us instead of controlling the memories. Jesus
does not want that for us. Lecter chose not to and it caused pain to him
and those around him.
This reminded me of Paul when he was Saul of
Tarsus and had a hand in the martyrdom of Stephen. Paul could have dwelt
on that forever when he came to Christ but he knew the Lord wanted him
to put that behind no matter how much the guilt is. God wanted others to
forgive Paul too! Paul and others decide to do that.
“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind
and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win
the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:13a-14, NIV)
Spoiler Alert IV:
In one scene as Hannibal Lecter is trying to remember what happened to
his sister and planning his course of revenge, he sees three monkey
statues with their eyes, ears, and mouth covered. He ignores the message
there that had to do with ‘See no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil”
This reminded me of Philippians 4 dealing with
what we ought to and ought not to do. Movies with no redeeming qualities
should not be watched for the sake of watching them unless the person
watching them is reviewing them!
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever
is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think
about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from
me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be
with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9, NIV)
Spoiler Alert V:
Lecter’s aunt whose entire family was killed when the bomb was dropped
on Hiroshima sees what Lecter’s vengeful heart is doing to him when he
is torturing someone right in front of her and tells him, “Stop, stop
now! Forgive them!” To which Lecter responds, ‘Never’
Lecter could not forgive those that hurt his family but wanted to get
retribution by killing them. This is totally opposite to what Lecter’s
aunt’s attitude was. Lecter’s aunt’s attitude reminded me of Jesus’
words when He was on the cross.
Jesus was willing to forgive His torturers,
mockers, and killers as He asked Father God to forgive them. This is the
difference between good and evil. Lecter allowed evil to control him and
was subdued by evil to the point of insanity and becoming a monster.
Lecter should have followed the example of Jesus.
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do
not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34, NIV)
A lot of times when people are consumed by evil, they do not know what
they are doing. Wow! Jesus’ love even for his killers is so great.
Spoiler Alert VI:
Lecter tells his aunt, ‘I love you’ but is not willing to
change his ways. To which his aunt replies, “What is left in you to
love?”
This is a very profound statement because it shows us that it is easy
for anyone to tell someone they love them but will they prove it by
their actions. Lecter did not want to do that by his actions. Her aunt
could not see anything to love in Lecter anymore.
This reminded me of what true love is according to
1 Corinthians 13:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never
fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV)
This was not how Lecter lived his life even though his aunt showed so
much love towards him no matter what he did even when she felt, ‘What is
left in you to love’
This reminded me of humanity that is infected with
a virus known as sin. Jesus knew in our humanity there is not much to
love when we live sin filled lives. Yet, Jesus in His unconditional love
for us decided to pay the price to set us free from this virus known as
sin. Jesus decided to become the donor to give us a transfusion of His
blood that was shed on the cross. When we take His blood in, it becomes
our antidote fighting the sin in us. Because of being covered in His
blood Jesus we are forgiven and He will be a part of our lives guiding
us and leading us as we turn to Him.
“So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the
sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin,
but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:28,
NIV)
Questions to Ponder:
1. When someone is not loved and are exposed to evil during their
childhood, they could become socially deviant and commit crimes! What
evils did Lecter witness and what do you think is the origin of evil?
What do you think should happen to a person like that when they are
caught for enacting the evil they were exposed to! Why or why not?
2. Bad memories can be like a knife of fire burning us on the inside and
wounding us badly psychologically more than anything! They will hurt us
more than help us killing slowly! What are examples from the movie to
prove that point and what can you do to deal with bad memories so you do
not go on a destructive path like Lecter did?
3. What is your view of God and what criteria do you use to get your
view of God? How do you know your view of God is correct or incorrect?
How can you know for sure?
4. People who commit deadly sins in the past may think they can live
their present and future without any repercussions but that is not
always the case. Cite examples from the movie about past actions and the
present consequences. Why do you think one person was given the
opportunity to be spared but died anyway? If you have gone on a deadly
path, what can you do!
5. Racism was as alive in the movie as it was in Jesus’ day. What were
the effects of racism in the movie? What do we learn from the example of
Jesus regarding racism and sexism? Cite specific examples!
6. Why did Lecter’s aunt want Lecter to forgive those who killed his
family and what is significance about her actions based on the movie?
Can people who do not know Jesus forgive other people, why or why not?
7. When you tell someone, ‘I Love You’, what does it really mean to you
and how can others really know that you love them? How can we know Jesus
loves us so much and what should our response be?
Express Your
View
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