Liberal Arts ; Movie Review

I was well into my thirties when I learned “Liberal Arts” as an academic course. So, the general meaning is education to learn about philosophy, literature, sociology, culture, creative art, and history. Lessons that are hard to quantify but essential to shaping your thinking and perspective in life.

In other words, academics tend to be more concerned about physics, math, and biology as introductory courses at school. What disappoints me is that we usually have “Religion” as a required course, even in undergraduate study, no matter what class you took. The problem was not it as part of formal education, but when we do not have a liberality to accept it. In my opinion, religion is great if you believe in God, whichever one you want to know and believe. But it shouldn’t be required as a human being? Much as being told to have a religion since you were young because otherwise, you are going to hell. For me, morality, humility, empathy, and kindness are much more important things to have as a decent human being, and I think only a few people with religion have them (myself included)

Okay, I get a little sidetracked when all I want to write is a movie review. I just finished this movie, “Liberal Arts,” and I like it. They wrote it well, they kept the plot uncomplicated, and they created humble and “becoming” characters. I also love how some dialogue is cheesy, but some are genuinely romantic. There is a juxtaposition between the older and younger generation; Jesse and Elizabeth connected through classical music despite the sixteen age differences. Big city and serene suburb, when the two of them living their life in New York and suburb college, we get to see the big different environment and surroundings. There was a pragmatic and creative approach to life, a massive difference between Professor Peter, who was warm and understanding, compared to professor Judith, who was a realist cold and who loath self-pity. All with a bit of absurdity by the character, Nat (Zac Efron), which I don’t understand what purpose he serves in the movie. But is it very much like life? Contain different things that exist alongside each other with a bit of absurdity that we do not understand yet?

[I remember that I haven’t finished this post!] 

[spoiler alert]

Okay, so I initially intended this to be a movie review. Yes, for that movie, Liberal Arts, but I just wrote those first two paragraphs above and then closed to forget about it altogether. Honestly, I also completely forgot what I wanted to write... I only remember that this movie always left me feeling better, if not great, about everything. All main characters have something to learn from, wrong and good things. Jesse is older but ends up learning essential things from the younger one. Sometimes, age doesn’t mean maturity. How Lizzy is open and non-judgmental about whether a book is tasteful to read or not. The argument scene in the Twilight novels is like how society part into two perspectives of guilty pleasure and high art. In her documentary, Fran Lebowitz said guilty pleasure is something people feel if they enjoy something mainstream, silly, and not high art. A feeling that we shouldn’t feel if we just wanted to enjoy our existence, just a little.

Lizzy portrayed a pretty rare character. A girl that is both mature and naïve, smart but not cocky, has her own way of seeing the world but is interested in other people’s perspectives. She is strong but also a crybaby, independent but vulnerable, and understands what she wants and does not. This kind of character with imperfections and flaws but has some desirable qualities that make her more realistic than a ‘cool girl’ or ‘diva’ stereotypical woman character in movies.

On the other hand, Jesse is an intelligent grown man, self-regulating, and much older than Lizzy. He is wise in some areas but not in others, just like a human being in general. Jesse feels superior about what he thinks is correct, but not to the level that makes him a self-righteous prick. He has many statements and dialogue that imply how he feels stunted or confused about his life in general. He is older but portrayed with an impulsive tendency more than the young. Funny, isn’t it?

What I wrote earlier about Liberal Arts is that this movie creates the ‘Liberal Arts’ essential concept through the story and background. To see and understand, to live and pause, creativity is needed to begin and end human relationships and all mundane things with their philosophical aspects. We can see and understand that nothing is so simple, yet nothing is too complicated. The thought of being someone special is such a mediocre thing to think.

Like, Liberal Arts as an instrument to understand more about life, this movie illustrates man and woman as a creature of becoming. The main characters remain to unlock problems with themselves and finally continue life separately. This reminds me of what Plato says about ‘Being and Becoming.

Plato developed a two-layer view of reality, the world of becoming and the world of being. The world of becoming is the physical world we perceive through our senses. This world is always in movement, always changing. The world of Being is the world of forms or ideas. It is absolute, independent, and transcendent. 

- © 1992 Shirley Galloway

Okay, so this could be what I wanted to write or not in the first place...