Connor Pugh Decalogue

How does the film work as Midrash?
The film works as Midrash, because it allows for us to interpret the concept of these Commandments in a style that we already have experience with. The episodes we viewed included the Commandments; Though shalt not worship false idols and though shalt not kill. This use of midrash allows for the viewer to experience the concepts of the Commandments and learn what the images mean on their own. In the case of the episode dealing with the though shalt not kill, I was left feeling sorry for a young man who was a murderer, because I felt he was killed in an unjust way.

Do any of the visuals of the film work as symbols that bridge the gap of understanding? How?
The use of the computer as a false idol was an excellent way for the filmmakers to explain what a false idol would do. This computer made the characters feel that they were receiving "truth" because they were receiving a number. God is the only "truth" and His "truth" is so great that we cannot understand or know it. The boy fell through the ice because he and his father put all of their faith in that computer.

How does the film relate feeling to meaning?
The film uses our emotions and feelings of sympathy, fear and sadness to have us feel for the characters and want the best for them. By doing this we are able to learn and understand the meaning of the Commandments and understand the power of the words given. We feel guilty for the father putting all his hope in the computer to protect his son from the ice breaking. Saying that now sounds silly, but it is truly what happened and when the father hears that the ice broke he even says that "it can't break."

Finally, does this film cycle work to contextualize and integrate the code into an individual's life, bridging the flux of the moment to the ultimate meaning of eternity?
The film contextualizes and integrates the code of these teachings into my individual life as I feel sympathy and pain for the characters. I feel that I understand their hurt and sorrow, even though I am not being hanged as they are or losing a son to a frozen lake. 

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