Do you know what it’s like to live through a “moment”? What’s the old saying? “History happens all at once?” We look back at times gone by and noticed the inflection points, but sometimes it’s easy to miss it when we are in the midst of one.

So many things are going on right now that are unprecedented, it’s enough to keep your head on a swivel. And while current events and news of the day and prognostications about the future are what make up our daily information diet, culture is what creates the zeitgeist.

Music, books, and so often in the modern era, film.  Big movies happen along at just the right time to provide context or counterpoint to the world in which we live. The best of them become timeless mementos of turning points in culture that we or the generations that follow us can look back upon to grok the essence of the era.

In the same way that our dreams somehow provide a through-the-looking-glass commentary on our own lives, gifted moviemakers reflect the subconscious of our society.

And once in a while a film comes along that captures the hearts of people everywhere and it becomes an event in its own right. People see it and tell their friends. They go back and see it again, with their friends in tow. Folks  book entire theaters, dress up in the theme, make a party out of it.

That moment is now and the movie is Barbie. It’s rare that a film comes along that can leverage the deep feelings of nostalgia into potent commentary on our current collective moment. Greta Gerwig’s eye-popping masterpiece manages to do just that and more.

Without giving away any plot twists, story devices, or spoilers in case you’ve yet to see it, I can safely say that it’s a spectacle like none other. Wrapped inside a gloriously fun neon-colored confection of bright music and brighter performances is a clever commentary on the world we live in.

“Fun for the whole family” is a well-worn cliche that usually means dreck, but Barbie provides entry points not only for you but for your folks as well as your kids. I left feeling uplifted, inspired, and eager to return with my friends to see it again.

That what seems on the surface to be simply another fun flick aimed at kids can turn out to have such a potent existential message is probably the most surprising thing about it. And while I may interpret the message in my own way, you’re likely to glean something entirely different from it.

In today’s franchise-driven, CGI enhanced, Hollywood-formula blockbuster assembly line, a clever low-tech film that stands alone on its merits is refreshing indeed. The story seems to be zipped up, a sequel seems out of the question.

So grab some friends or your significant-other, dig out that one pink garment you’ve got deep in your drawers, (magenta or purple will do just fine), and make your way to the nearest movie palace to feast your eyes, your heart, and your funny bone on this thought-provoking mirror into our collective id.

After all, sometimes we need our dreams to make sense of this topsy-turvy world!

Much love and happy movie-going till next Monday!

M+

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine