liquid_at t1_je28utk wrote on March 28, 2023 at 9:48 PM

Reply to comment by CanineAnaconda in Leon: The Professional (1994) Discussion by HS_13_

Imho, there is no issue with finding it off-putting, but there is an issue with the expectation that no film should cause you to feel any negative emotions ever.

Entertainment is just a niche in filming. A highly profitable one, but not all that the artform itself offers.

I'm in no way condoning the actions of Polansky, but censorship of art is a slippery slope and the expectation of not wanting to be offended is very dangerous.

I think it is better to have a conversation, even if it is uncomfortable, than to follow the practice of ignoring it.

Watching old Movie awards where jokes are being made how R Kelly can't be trusted to sit next to minors, with everyone laughing, are a lot worse, imho.

Same with Polansky and others. Everyone knew. Not talking about it made it worse.

CanineAnaconda t1_je2e2wk wrote on March 28, 2023 at 10:24 PM

Well, I'm in this conversation, so I'm not clear on what you mean. Sure, discomfort is a natural, acceptable reaction to all kinds of artistic expression. My objection is that I feel a line was crossed from storytelling to exploitation. For me, The Professional passed muster because it still had those moments of discomfort about an uncomfortable subject matter, but the handling of it in Leon, IMO, was gratuitous and salacious. My original point was that The Professional succeeded in telling the same story without having to sexually objectify a child the way Leon did (I can't give exact examples, I haven't seen them since the 90s, so I'm relying on the memory of how I originally reacted to it as a viewer just a few years older than Portman). Though I know little about Luc Bisson as a person and haven't seen more than a few of his movies, other commenters' remarks of him being a certified creep is not surprising.

liquid_at t1_je2fw34 wrote on March 28, 2023 at 10:37 PM

Given the future revelations, the criticism is definitely valid in this specific case. He clearly did not use it in any way that was intended to spark a critical conversation. He was likely in favor of it, which makes it a lot worse.

But it is still important to remember that movies can make us feel all types of emotions. Some make us laugh, some make us cry, some make us scared, some make us uncomfortable. All of that is ok, except for specific cases in which it isn't.

I just hope the future diverts some of that attention from fictional movie creeps to real life creeps, who are the much bigger problem.

HS_13_ OP t1_je2n442 wrote on March 28, 2023 at 11:29 PM

I completely agree, just wanted to know if i was the only one who found it unsettling but thankfully not.