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For Public Books Joseph Weiss writes of the movie Godzilla Minus One that the creature acts as “a haunting exploration of trauma and the nature of violence.” I don’t want to spoil this very worthwhile movie for you if you haven’t yet seen it — but I will jump to the end of Weiss’ article to share a powerful point he makes that I’m still sitting with.
He sums Minus One’s Godzilla up as “the violence that festers, hiding itself beneath the surface, and remains always at risk of reemergence. Even peace is not, in this story, a happily every after.” Such a phrase rings especially true to me in the midst of global conflicts that dominate the news.
If you’ve watched any of the many Godzilla films that have been made over the years, the monster isn’t the bad guy. Humanity is. But Godzilla does represent the chaos of those forces we cannot control. Philosopher Steven Shaviro says that the power of most speculative fiction is to help us see imaginary resolutions for real problems.
Is Godzilla the problem or the resolution? Or something else?
It’s no surprise to me that my 9-year-old loves those movies. He makes up creatures in the shower, Godzilla-like monsters that he always humanizes by giving them back stories. I think it’s his attempt to explain the aggression that is built into the detailed armour and weapons he describes. Their violence has been modeled for him by the world he lives in. And my hope is that maybe my listening can be a sort of interruptive force. Certainly my goal as a parent.
When it comes to forces I cannot control I turn to words — nonfiction and fiction alike. I use them as a way forward from the violence that festers. Maybe I use the words I write as armour. And weapons. For good? I’m trying. Though the chaos is real, I write to try and reframe my way through it).
I’m writing this post from Seoul, South Korea where
and I are making new connections through which to share our own Godzilla stories. Our monsters aren’t nuclear, but the relationships that drive our plot lines are always charged.
So, here is to the power of words.
On the 15-hour flight I wrote many bad sentences, working towards something better. Something new.
Imaginary resolutions.
I hope you enjoyed the food. I love the food in Korea. Every time I visit for a conference, I have to bring home packages of seaweed, as Korean seaweed is very popular in Japan. My wife and kids love it.
Two weeks ago had an opportunity to watch godzilla kungfu movie with the kids,:) a bit scary but there’s a good lesson to learn from it. Enjoy your vacay, have fun and keep safe❤️