Whatcha Watchin'? Hero

by Niánn Emerson Chase

I recently watched one of the most stunning films I have ever seen. Throughout the entire ninety-six minutes of Hero I felt as if I was experiencing art in many of its forms—musical, visual, psychological, and spiritual—with sounds, colors, textures, movement, ideas, and emotions weaving an intricate, bittersweet design of human drama. I couldn’t help but think that possibly some of those celestial artisans (that Paper 44 of The URANTIA Book so aptly describes) helped in the creation of this masterpiece which, thank goodness, is not “westernized” as so many foreign films are. And the character names! In English translated as Broken Sword, Flying Snow, Moon Sky, and Nameless.

The language spoken is Mandarin; the music, story, and morality are traditional, ancient, pre-unified China. It is beautiful, in all of its tragedy, artistically combining the paradox of human nobility and fragility in a simple, and yet at the same time complex, plot, set a few years before 221 BC when China was unified under its first emperor, Shi Huang-ti of the Qin dynasty.

Hero includes several thought-provoking dilemmas that brought up much reflection within me and much discussion with friends who saw the film. Sometimes very good people have to make very difficult decisions that go against their gentle inclinations, especially if an individual is driven by a mission or mandate that runs deeply within him or her. Not always is the highest choice so clear for an individual striving to do what is honorable and right.
Are there universal, absolute, divine laws for behavior? Or is everything relative, depending upon the situation in time and space? Or does relativity happen within a foundation of absolutes?

What is the highest choice for the good of all in each situation? When does a person consider only the short-term results, and when do long-term ramifications come into the picture? Or should the future always be considered when making choices? Does one consider only one’s immediate family, or does one think of an entire community, or nation, or planet, or system, or universe, or superuniverse?

When is it the best choice to show mercy, and when will a display of mercy result in havoc and destruction? Or should one always extend mercy no matter the consequences?
Is violence sometimes necessary, and if so, in what situations? In certain incidents does one have to choose between honor and wisdom? How does one show his or her love for the beloved who is imbalanced in anger and resentment? Can any human being even answer these questions?

I think what makes one’s life rich is the continual search for growth in divine pattern. When a person stops asking and reflecting upon deep, soul-searching questions, his or her life becomes flat, without true color, without depth and breadth and width—like most Hollywood-made movies. Hero is rich, and, as with true art, this film has enriched my life.