Lilly Wachowski’s inspiration when it came to The Matrix does make sense in a big way as it’s detailed in MovieWeb, and while a lot of people might firmly agree, disagree, or roll their eyes at the explanation it doesn’t make it any more or less valid as her own rage at keeping herself in the closet and being inundated by every aspect of the filming process sounds as though it finally became too much. At this point she is focusing intently on make more queer and trans-based movies and has largely stepped away from the big screen in favor of taking on projects that are more meaningful and thus validate her own line of thinking. To think that the Matrix was more or less her frustration and anger boiling over is kind of interesting, but it’s also enough to warrant a great deal of criticism that she’s likely felt for some time. At this point however it does feel as though she doesn’t care which is better for her as she can then focus on what she wants to do, and can live a life that’s not being fought against a process that sounds to have been tearing her down every step of the way. Some might state that she grew tired of the entire mess that the film industry can be now and again and simply wasn’t bound to hack it long-term, but the hope is that she’s where she wants to be with her career at this point, and the truth is that in terms of hacking it, The Matrix would prove a lot of people wrong.
Like many things in this world however The Matrix is now able to be used as yet another symbol of those that wish to be free fighting against an evil and possibly fascist force that keeps them kept and tucked away while giving them the illusion of freedom. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Many would say that our world mirrors that of the Matrix in a big way, but there are definitely others that would be likely to state that it’s the other way around, though it might be a little hard to justify. It’s almost impossible these days to simply watch a movie for what it is without hearing someone compare it to the current political or social climate. The reason for this is pretty simple really since movies are basically art imitating life in a variety of ways, and as a result there are always bound to be elements that will conform to what people know and recognize. Whether the filmmakers do this on purpose or not is hard to say, though some of them have admitted to adding in various elements that are important to them or are important to a message that they would like to spread to the general populace. In return, the audience is invited to pay close attention to what’s being said or just enjoy the movie for the entertainment value, which is usually the wisest course since heading into a movie with the intent to see what political statement is about to be made kind of defeats the whole point.
There’s no getting away from political statements or social statements these days, but it would be nice if we could draw the line at the movies, even if it’s not bound to happen. After all, movies are an expression of what people are feeling just as much as music or books, so it’s up to the audience more or less to take the movies in whatever way they will. The only issue that arises tends to be when one group of people says that they were touched by a message in the movie, while another group might say it was good or bad depending on their taste in movies, and is either ridiculed or persecuted for not ‘getting the message’. At some point it does feel as though people forgot that movies were for entertainment as much as self-expression, and decided to use this to get offended once again by something that makes little sense to be offended about. It’s very easy to think that Lilly Wachowski did what was right for her at the time and is hopefully doing so now, but taking too much or too little from the message a movie is sending is the personal business of each audience member, and whether one person gets the same message or not shouldn’t be an issue. Watching a movie is typically for entertainment, as we have newscasts for anything and everything else. The self-expression that people want to insert into movies is all well and good since it can sometimes create a very powerful and meaningful flick, but using the big or small screen to push an agenda becomes slightly problematic at some point.
