The Protagonist

Dear friend, 

       I went to the local movie theatre with my friends last night and we watched a movie called Tenet. Did you know that Tenet spelled backwards is the same as it is spelt forwards? I think that's really interesting. It was directed by this famous director who's notorious for creating and writing complex scripts centred around the abstract concepts of space and time; a subject matter that's usually left behind for more mainstream plot lines involving superheroes and haunted houses. But this guy has his own style and I absolutely adore it. 

     The movie we watched was basically your modern-day spy thriller, fitted with extraordinary visuals and a suspenseful (albeit somewhat roaring) soundtrack, the film was a classic. There were many punches thrown and guns pulled but the action didn't take away from the whole mind-boggling concept that the director attempted to build a whole movie around: the act of time inversion. 

      No, not time travel, although that's what I thought it was at first. 

     Judging by my first viewing of the film, it seems to be somewhat of a situation when the cause happens before the effect, where the future is the beginning and the past is the end. Say for example I drop my water bottle on the floor, if this water bottle were innately time-inverted; then rather it dropping on the floor, it would be me catching it from the floor. Visually, it would look like the water bottle floated upwards into my hand, à la Force style. In a way, these objects or even sometimes people, would have already experienced something before the actual event takes place; causing them to re-live that experience backwards in time rather than forwards. 

     It's a very complicated concept and I still don't think I understand it very well but this is what I know and believe. The title of the film being a palindrome, which is a word that can be read the same way forwards and backwards (like racecar!), can also be connected to the overall plot of the film and its engagement of time inversion. 

    After watching the movie, we went to my friend's house to freshen up and we ended up discussing the film for about half an hour. I think that one of the signs of a great movie is that the audience members choose engage in a post-film discussion regarding what they just watched. 

    Any production studio can pay for exciting explosions and breathtaking visuals but it takes a truly great and intricate plot to spark a profound conversation after the movie. 

    After our discussion, my friends and I realized that we had no clue what the name of the main character was. So we searched it up and his name was simply 'the Protagonist'. I found that very unusual because most people love to root for the good guy who's saving the world but what if he isn't given a name? What if his name is simply just a role? 

    I believe that added even more ambiguousness to an already complex and fast-paced film. If it weren't for some scenes where the background music was louder than the dialogue, this movie could have been almost flawless. I still believe that it is a masterpiece though. Not because of the complex story or the enthralling characters or even the remarkable cinematography: it's the idea that makes it feel like a masterpiece. 

   The concept of time inversion, things that have already happened find themselves in a place where things have yet to happen, it's all very interesting and captivating. It's an idea that someone could only stumble upon in dreams or the imagination, two of the most powerful tools that we all have. If you're able to go, I'd recommend watching this movie; just make sure you take a quality nap before hand so that your mind won't hurt as much after watching it. 

    After getting dropped off by my friend just after midnight, I took a walk to clear my head. Out of the corner of my eye, something like a blur sped through the darkness. 

     Was it a car or a cat I saw? 

See you at the beginning, 

Rave

Yori Yuki, 2018