I Walk Through the Hallways Inside My Mind

It's probably because I spent three hours in the library yesterday morning before my first class, but I actually had time last night to watch Syriana with my cousin Andrew.

I've offered my thoughts on the film before, but last night I was struck again by the complexity of the film and what makes it different from so many current films. Part of the magic of Syriana is that it does not force feed you information or answers. There is so much of the movie that is speculative and implied. The appeal of this kind of writing and filmmaking is that it mirrors life. So much of our daily life is not filled with outright, bullhorn answers but the answers are found through subtle hints and messages.

It is probably an obvious choice, but my favorite character in the film is Bennett Holliday, played by Jeffrey Wright. Holliday is a young lawyer working for a large Washington, D.C. firm. Through his connection with senior partner Sydney Hewitt, Holliday is charged with looking into the merger of two American oil companies, Connex and Killen. The details of the merger and Holliday's work in that process are not significant. The reason that I connect with Wright's character is obvious because he is an attorney, but also because he embodies so much of the tension that is present in the film. The push and pull between the consumer and the corporation, the fine line between influence and corruption, and the question of loyalty versus justice.