american history x

scary is how i'd describe this movie. it was shocking - it shook me to the core. the only movie that's done that so far. from the very first scene, this film bombards you with images of hate, anger, fascism, racism, anti-semitism... very hurtful, but much needed. it's actually pretty cathartic to watch. the first time i saw the scene where edward norton's character goes out of their house in his underwear, my heart couldn't stop pounding, my jaw was to the floor and i was on the verge of tears. but i think the shock overwhelmed me more, so i just laid there on the bed staring at the tv... i think the expression on my face was what they would describe as "incredulous".

what scared me the most was the look on edward's face when he turned to his brother (played by edward furlong). it was smug and uncaring. and that was the moment i fell in love with edward norton. SIGH.

the movie is about a suburban family with a firefighter father and a stay-at-home mother with 3 kids. the father gets shot in the line of duty which turns the eldest of the kids - edward n.'s character DEREK - into a raging lunatic. at least, that's how he wants everybody to think of him. but he's actually not. at the start of the movie, his former teacher (now a principal) talks about derek in a very promising and respectful way. we see that throughout the movie. however, like my shock and bewilderment earlier upon seeing one of the scenes, derek's wisdom is eclipsed by his rage. he's angry and smart and confident and brash. and he uses that to round up a small army of skinheads to harass and eventually kill all the non-white kids living in their neighborhood.

derek gets arrested and is sent to jail for 6 years. what happens next to derek and what becomes of him during and after prison would become the catalyst to bring his brother to follow the path that derek took but that would inevitably be the turning point in derek's life.

i loved that the flashbacks were shot in black and white and the "present" time was in color... i loved that the dialogue was "real"... i loved that the story was acceptable; derek doing a 360 didn't seem unbelievable and far-fetched at all... i loved that ed norton acted the hell out of that role because he made me believe in evil and how it could sometimes triumph over good but that you need to suffer sometimes in order to appreciate the good things in life... i loved that this was a brave movie, a gritty and an edgy film... i loved that this is the story of today and that it gives hope (however bleak) for a "brighter future"... i loved that it was the truth... i loved that it was made at all.