Thoughts on ‘Apocalypto’

Mel Gibson’s recently released movie Apocalypto has done far better at the box office than critics projected, or maybe hoped. The reviews have been interesting, a whole range of criticism and reaction. But since seeing it over the weekend, I think most of them are on the shallow side for what is a deeper film, though it is hard to get past the terrible violence of that ancient Mayan civilization and the graphic depictions of ritual sacrifices, among other things. I couldn’t look at the screen much of the time.

Hard as it was, I saw past all that to the prolific beauty of small moments that permeated the film — sort of an undercurrent of human behaviors and interactions that became a parallel story to the main plot. I think that’s what Gibson intended, and a lot of big media folks are missing that.

Some of the best and most thoughtful reviews and reactions I’ve seen have been at Amy Welborn’s blog in the comment thread on this. I had already been thinking over — and talking over with my son — the deeper meaning of the human tale Apocalypto told, and Amy’s readers provided even more thought provoking insights.

So…….here’s a WARNING. If you haven’t seen the film yet, GO NO FURTHER! Find those moments on your own if you see it, and then come back to the reviews to see what you think.

Here’s what I think. Gibson signaled his main theme on the opening screen, with Will Durant’s famous quote: “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within.” There’s so much history — and prophecy — in that statement alone that you enter the film in a contemplative mode.

The first film sequence is of a jungle chase which starts out looking like the angry tapir is threatening to overtake the native Indians, and they’re all running as fast as they can. It’s racy and darting and so intercut between shots of the animal with swooshing jungle trees and fast glimpses of an Indian dashing through the thicket to avoid certain death by this animal until suddenly….wait, somewhere in all the running, the hunted became the hunter. And we first meet Jaguar Paw, the amazing central figure in this story. He had a transcendent presence and relationship to his people and his environment, and that’s key.

The other theme of this film, which probably dovetails with the opening statement, is fear. Fear, and how poisonous it is. Soon after capturing the tapir, while the group of Indians were enjoying their prey, JP sensed the presence in the jungle of others, strangers. When they cautiously approached, JP studied them silently, then asked what they wanted. There was no bad presumption, but plenty of caution.

This encounter was a study in faces and human behavior. JP’s wise father watched it all and chastised him privately. His father pointed out that fear filled the eyes of those other Indians who wanted to pass through. Their village was attacked and destroyed, they were afraid, and looking for a new beginning. But the father saw it come across JP’s face too, and he warned his son that fear had now entered his spirit. He told him to rid himself of the fear and not bring it into their village where it would be a poison to corrupt the community.

That night, the father called the community together around a fire to hear the elder tell a tale, an important story, a legend about a man who was afraid and needed something, and the animals gave him what he wanted, more and more. The moral of that story was that though man was growing more powerful, his downfall was that he would never be satisfied, and would always want more. Another important theme in this film. It relates to the opening statement on the screen, too, I think.

These villagers were peaceful Indians who hunted the forest and took care of their own. Jaguar Paw and his father represented honor, nobility, dignity, and ultimately faith. During the vicious raid on their village when both men were captured by savages, the father looked serenely at JP and told him “Be still.” I thought of those words in Scripture. Then the father told JP “Don’t be afraid, my son.” More Scripture. From then on, JP’s mission became survival and protection of his family, and conquering fear. It only made him stronger and stronger.

A few important moments and points about them. An old woman who nagged and belittled her son-in-law in the village early in the film for not producing offspring for her daughter, repeatedly called him “useless.” Later, when they were captives being marched into the enemy village and she was put up for sale as a potential slave, nobody wanted her. They called her “useless.” Her behavior had come back to her. The last time we see her she is cowering behind a pillar. Her behavior had come back to her and she was terribly ashamed.

Another moment: The captives were all tied to a bamboo pole together and marched through some treacherous terrain. When one was too badly wounded and fatigued to continue, he fell. The sadistic captor started to beat him, ordering him to stand, but then turned on JP and whacked him for every time his friend would not obey the order. The man could not stand…until he saw his friend being beaten for him. That gave him enough strength to get up again. “You have a good friend” the captor mocked JP. I thought, love is stronger than fear and even death. Self-sacrificing love. 

JP never again looked afraid, only vigilant and aware. That’s what saved him and allowed him to escape to the forest. Coming full circle to the opening sequence, the hunted became the hunter as he used his skills in the forest to trick and trap the enemies chasing him. Fear came over those enemies. JP was driven by his love for his family. Love is stronger than fear, this movie showed again and again.

One more thing. That scene at the end on the beach, the startling sight of the ships with the cross on the sail, drew interesting comments from Amy’s readers. The way I saw JP’s reaction when his wife asked if they should go to those men and the ships, was the same sort of cautious assessment of others who are strangers that he made in the beginning of the film. His home was in the forest, and he knew it well. It was only natural that he wanted to go back home and make “a new beginning.”

The story emphasized the generation of new life, and its connectedness with ancestors who went before, and children who will come after. The violence is terrible – it is in the framework of the time and historical events as they happened, but horrible nonetheless. But it is overcome and outshone by the love, faith and strength of the people. In fact, their love and faith is their strength.