human beings tend to like things in a binary fashion. we like to link things in pairs, mainly opposites. light and dark, hot and cold, love and hate. but to a certain extent this film tries to make it clear that in fact love and hate are not in fact opposites, but in reality are much closer then that. 'the believer' tries to draw attention to the very short step for when obsessive love can turn into hate.
the plot synopsis has been covered in detail by others but whilst i can see some of the complaints from some of the other reviewers i certainly cant see others. all films to an extent rely on suspension of disbelief, of things happening that if they did so in the real world (whatever that means) would draw incredulous looks (or at the least raised eyebrows). what works for me is the sense of the inner battle that is taking place inside Danny, and indeed highlighted in the changing flashback episodes within the film.
the film is not perfect (but then what film is?) but it is certainly thought provoking. danny's face when confronted with the idea of becoming the 'fund-raiser' for the new 'above-ground' fascism movement and the entire episode in which Danny and his gang are made to talk to 'real' jewish victims of the holocaust. and for me this was the best part of the film. the victims are shown in a non-unified way, arguing and squabbling amongst themselves. but two moments stand out in this sequence (this may be a SPOILER here), the first in which Danny says what i think that a lot of people now may think today. if your son (or wife or father) is being killed in front of you, then why dont you fight back, why dont you 'kill your enemy?' and secondly, and to me the key moment in the film, is when one of the jewish men tells of his son dying. tears are in Danny's eyes. one assumes that they are tears of pity of what the old man had to go through. but then the tears become one of rage and hate. why? maybe its because Danny felt sorry for someone he hated. and so the emotion which Danny does not wish to turn inward instead goes out. the tears disappear and the face hardens.
maybe what this film is trying to say is that if you take a look at what it is that people hate then you can easily see what it is they fear. a very good film that in the cinema where i saw it, when the titles came up the audience did not get up and rise as one to go back to the world. instead they sat there for a few moments thinking of what they had seen and of the questions that the film had asked of them.
the plot synopsis has been covered in detail by others but whilst i can see some of the complaints from some of the other reviewers i certainly cant see others. all films to an extent rely on suspension of disbelief, of things happening that if they did so in the real world (whatever that means) would draw incredulous looks (or at the least raised eyebrows). what works for me is the sense of the inner battle that is taking place inside Danny, and indeed highlighted in the changing flashback episodes within the film.
the film is not perfect (but then what film is?) but it is certainly thought provoking. danny's face when confronted with the idea of becoming the 'fund-raiser' for the new 'above-ground' fascism movement and the entire episode in which Danny and his gang are made to talk to 'real' jewish victims of the holocaust. and for me this was the best part of the film. the victims are shown in a non-unified way, arguing and squabbling amongst themselves. but two moments stand out in this sequence (this may be a SPOILER here), the first in which Danny says what i think that a lot of people now may think today. if your son (or wife or father) is being killed in front of you, then why dont you fight back, why dont you 'kill your enemy?' and secondly, and to me the key moment in the film, is when one of the jewish men tells of his son dying. tears are in Danny's eyes. one assumes that they are tears of pity of what the old man had to go through. but then the tears become one of rage and hate. why? maybe its because Danny felt sorry for someone he hated. and so the emotion which Danny does not wish to turn inward instead goes out. the tears disappear and the face hardens.
maybe what this film is trying to say is that if you take a look at what it is that people hate then you can easily see what it is they fear. a very good film that in the cinema where i saw it, when the titles came up the audience did not get up and rise as one to go back to the world. instead they sat there for a few moments thinking of what they had seen and of the questions that the film had asked of them.