The Road Movie is a documentary about Russian dash cams and the crazy videos they pick up. To start with I’m not so certain that this is the greatest idea ever thought up but it is an idea. The kind of things you see in these dash cams might make you believe that people living in Russia are not only horrible drivers but are just flat out insane. Of course given that his is probably the compiled effort of hundreds if not thousands of hours of dash cam video footage it’s possible to think that these are going to be just the most action-packed bits and those that offer the kind of things that viewers tend to want to see.
For my own part I have enough crazy in my head to deal with most days so watching anything that’s supposedly real world behavior is more than appalling since it doesn’t seem so much like entertainment as it does a way to glorify the drama of others. Life itself is already difficult and over-exposed as it is without having to show the moments in a person’s life, or in people’s lives, that are perhaps some of the most difficult and strenuous they’ve ever been through. Glorifying the destruction and ruin along with the crazed and unbalanced individuals in the movie seem a bit morbid and even wrong in a sense. Condemning this is not my goal, but stating my opinion about it is the right I’ve taken since it really seems like something other than what might be considered entertainment.
When any movie decides to liken itself to Jackass or Faces of Death it’s likely that it won’t be a funny, cuddly movie that you would want your entire family to see. Real car crashes, people coming towards another person’s car with a sledgehammer in hand, and other various crazy moments seem less like something that should be aired to the public than moments that could be used as cautionary tales for others to avoid. Humanity however is a morbid species in that many of us seem to enjoy the pain and misery of others so long as it’s far removed from our own position. If it’s something we have to deal with it becomes less comical, as the work and trouble that has to be put into it has suddenly become very real and not as appealing. But if it’s viewed from a comfortable distance many people have no trouble laughing, pointing, and passing judgment.
I’ve been just as guilty of this as anyone, but in the last decade or so I’ve managed to change my stance on it. The right of people to watch what they want and say what they want is a universal right that’s as important as breathing. But seeing the misery, peril, and hardship of others doesn’t seem like something that needs to be watched aside from a movie in which the drama and the hardship is scripted. When it’s a known work of make-believe it is easier to handle, but reality is something that to many people take for granted.
Follow Us
