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What is Point of Watching a Movie About a Horrible Person?


When she is both protagonist and antagonist. Feels like watching that FB movie, which while some justice is achieved towards end, you are left with an unsavory taste in your mouth especially after almost 3 hours. Yawn.

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Do you only watch Disney movies or something?

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I was going to reply with a bunch of movies that feature horrible people as the subject matter or the protagonist, but I see a bunch of people beat me to it. While there are a tonne of movies that haven't been listed, I think I'll maybe answer the question more directly.

The reason we watch movies about horrible people is because it is worth investigating all sides of humanity through art. We learn about ourselves, the world we live in, and lives we would never lead. We ponder moral questions. We sympathise with people to whom we would not have offered compassion to beforehand. We learn to articulate the evils we wish to avoid.

In The Godfather (one of the films mentioned) Michael Corleone starts out as an upstanding citizen, a considerate boyfriend to Kay, and a military hero. He loves his family, but has distanced himself from them because of their evil deeds. When his father is put into the hospital, Michael acts violently instead of passively watching his family be destroyed. Is that good or bad? Arguments can be made, but what is inarguable is that this sets Michael off on his journey becoming the new leader of his family. He becomes what he hated, and we watch that descent. Maybe we'll make different decisions if faced with similar conundrums or if tempted by power. Or maybe we think that there are some things worth becoming corrupt for, like family honour.

Every protagonist, if well-written, has flaws. Sometimes those flaws cross over into the territory of evil or make a character the Bad Guy, but I believe that taking a close look at humanity is worthwhile, even or especially when we are studying the dark side of humanity. Without an understanding of monsters, we could never be heroes.

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Well it is just like any movie. What makes a movie is seeing the issues the key characters face and how they are resolved or not through the course of the film.

They arent necessarily always resolved to their benefit.

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