Naira Eshaal

Recently I happened to watch a movie named “Dogville”. Although it made me somewhat sad, the message was profound and I thought it to share with the readers. Especially for the weaker ones who just go on bearing the brutality of the cruel people and go on having a heart burning. Being resourceless they feel isolated and unfortunately society is also with the powerful despite knowing that these powerful are totally wrong. But seldom anyone is with the weak and this is the harsh reality, though not the absolute truth.

Same is the central theme of this movie released in 2003. This movie has a deep philosophy. When some evil is happening to somebody by the so called socially powerful then sometimes people even seeing this nastiness and meanness behave in a way to make it unseen. Whatever bad is happening to the bereaved in all this tragic case, the people who are watching this are equally the accomplice.

The movie has a powerful message for all to establish boundaries. By forgiving without limits, one is unknowingly allowing evil to flourish. True fairness lies in holding people accountable for their actions and an attempt to act like a kinder figure only causes harm to the innocent and gives more freedom to the cruel. It thus reinforces instances how the silence of people in stopping the evil, in fact, serves to breed it.

When evil begins its roots in spreading, there must be a force to stop its momentum, otherwise the consequences will be unpredictable and this force sometimes comes from the law, sometimes from morality and sometimes from ordinary people like us who stand up against injustice. Other key themes in Dogville are moral blindness and complicity and accountability vs. blind forgiveness. Movie is highly symbolic and delivers its message effectively.  The theme reflects that the common people should have courage to stand against cruelty of the powerful. Another important aspect is that silence in the face of evil does not denote a neutrality, it is complicity as discussed earlier.  Evil finds its growth in neglect and in case of the absence of retaliation. Then, it also teaches that forgiveness should follow some element of accountability as well.

This thought reverberates with Islamic ethics when we know:

“Help one another in goodness and piety, and do not help one another in sin and transgression.” Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:2)

Hence the movie gives an important lesson to stand up when the people around turn away. In short it gives us an opportunity to blend moral insight with real human experience.