I'm not a film critic and I won't attempt to judge the work, but as an educator, I've lived young people through their studies for many, many years
I saw his movie the other day G. Lanthimos, who made Greece proud with her award. I am not a film critic and I will not try to judge the work, but as an educator, I have lived with young people during their studies for many, many years and I believe that I have the right to express my concerns about the effect that this can have the film in the course of their lives.
The film's title, "Kindness Stories," is clearly ironic in its content. Three independent stories, inextricably linked to the concept of the oppression of the human personality, lead to the crescendo of the devaluation of man. In the first story, the employer's oppression of the worker is presented with cynical and violent scenes. In the second, the oppression continues in the form of a man with irrational behavior towards his submissive to the point of self-sacrifice wife, with scenes of bloody inhumanity to the point of...disgust. Finally, in the third story the oppression continues in a sect, in an essentially erotic community, where religious and spiritual forces are mixed, in an unclear setting. These three stories frame a grotesque film, which defiantly scorches bad texts. It describes an absurd reality with such exaggeration that it exceeds the imagination of even the most pessimistic citizen today.
So I wonder what young people can get out of watching the movie. Will the absurdity to the point of wretchedness of society today challenge them to fight for normality to return or will it fixate them on the tragic reality? The attitude of the film's heroes is uniform. No one succeeds in changing the hideous oppression of the human personality and no one appears as a model for overturning this wretchedness. The lack, then, of hope for a solution and the lack of any scope for changing the paradox can lead them to accept and continue it. Moreover, this paradox inspires a remarkable award-winning director, who naturally becomes a role model for the young people in their lives.
What is the message of "Kindness Stories"? In my humble opinion with age, maturity and mostly experience, it's this: Compromise, submit, if you want to fit in and survive in a wretched, borderless society. If you resist you are completely lost.
I would in no way want to accept such a message to young people, who even today, when they read the thoughts and ideas of N. Kazantzakis, get excited. "I don't weigh, I don't measure, I don't feel comfortable! I follow my deep beating heart." This is the way of the complete man.
