MovieChat Forums > The Green Inferno (2015) Discussion > Am I the only one...

Am I the only one...

posted 9 years ago by !!!deleted!!! (62768770)
1 reply | jump to latest

...who didn't see it as a indictment of either leftish or right-wing ideologies but instead as an indictment of both?

On the one hand we have the Social Justice Warriors™ (which increasingly seems more like a term used to denigrate slacktivism and has little to do with activism), with a sizable portion of them being obnoxious, self-centered or have uncharitable motives for their activism.

On the other hand, we have the natives, which are as gruesome, brutal and savage as possible, not so much as an empty "them meddlin' kids gonna get what they deserve" way but in a thematically rich way that suggests it's got more to do with exploiting and mocking right-wing fears of other nationalities and customs.

In the end, I think this movie is a bit of a humbling, punishing viewing experience for both viewpoints, which I think is reinforced by the ending: The activists courted danger in order to raise awareness of a cause they found important for their own reasons (left), and in the end got torn to shreds by a culture that didn't ask for their help, so maybe we shouldn't try to enforce our beliefs on others around the world no matter how barbaric they seem to us (right).

All in all, I found it to be a surprisingly poignant, weirdly rewarding viewing experience unlike any other I've had. I'm gonna get eviscerated for this but I preferred it over the original.

[–] evildead2099 9 years ago

I agree that the film indicts both extremes, but I'm not sure I'd agree that the natives were depicted to be "as gruesome, brutal, and savage as possible."

The only time they seemed malicious and downright sadistic was when they ate the fat guy while he was still alive. That act seemed very ceremonial, and - as Alejandro pointed out - seemed rooted in the fact that the confused the SJW group with the loggers and militia who were destroying their habitat and literally killing them to take the resources from their land.

After that point in the film, the indigenous people treated the SWJs as livestock - a source of nourishment. They weren't doing that to be evil; that was simply a means for them to feed themselves (and eliminate perceived enemies in the process). If you think about it, eating your enemies is a lot more ecological and resourceful than killing them and letting their bodies rot.

The tribe even tried to indoctrinate some of the SJWs into the group. I don't know why they chose to do so, but this decision was apparent by the rituals they performed on these people and by the makeup they applied to them.