"WHAT IF SUPERHEROES WERE PSYCHOTIC?"
The superhero genre has always played with the concept of vigilantism, albeit usually very lightly. Superman, Spider-Man and Batman were always thought (by some element of their own society, at least), to be renegade crazies, taking the law into their own hands. Of course, Batman actually did work with the cops consistently, and all the big ones usually fought crime with the express intent of sending wrong-doers to the police, to await a fair trial.
In this beautiful, unsettling short film, “The Flying Man,” a powerful Übermensch actually takes it upon himself to be judge, jury, and executioner. Unlike the usual underdog superheroes of comics, where the audience is meant to casually rationalize their operation outside the rule of law, we are left completely chilled as he drops people from dizzying heights to their terrifying deaths with a sadistic resolve. He is in no way the protagonist, or even an anti-hero: he’s a terrorist.
Authorities are unsure of his motives or origins, or even what metric the flying vigilante uses to judge the guilty. The people are terrified, and the “distant” cinematography lends a realistic disassociation to his terror. There are no close-ups of gore—but you don’t need them to be utterly horrified.
I love a good popcorn superhero flick, but I would love to see this completely unprecedented concept for a psychological thriller adapted to a feature-length.
16 Comments
Trancecoach*promote
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not_blankfistHey! Actor at 1:32! Yes, you! Thanks for taking the time to research your character's role by looking like a middle schooler smoking his first cigarette behind the schoolhouse. Jesus, dude.
kir_mokuminteresting concept. terrible writing.
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Jinxsays...A, "Lets just get out of here."
B, "Christ sakes, do you want to do this or not?"
A, "Lets do it..."
interesting concept. terrible writing.
shuacThis is the god fundamentalist Christians have always craved.
shuac...and therefore *Religion
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xxovercastxxWhat makes this noteworthy isn't that he's "a terrorist"; he's no more a terrorist and no less an antihero than The Punisher or early Batman (who was fond of shooting people or dropping them to their deaths); it's that he's portrayed as the monster in the dark.
We know (modern) Batman's background and his motivations and we know that, even though he portrays himself as a monster, he's a virtuous person who is just using fear as a weapon for justice.
The flying man is a featureless, super-powered humanoid who appears out of the shadows and kills people. He terrifies us as much as he terrifies the criminals he hunts because we know exactly as much about him as they do. He's a monster to all of us, at least right up until the end when we see him spare the life of a criminal who is also the father of a young boy. That's the seed of doubt being planted.
articianUm...
"WHAT IF SUPERHEROES WERE PSYCHOTIC?"
Then they'd be supervillains.
coolhundsays...I just want a superhero that deals with bankers, politicians and other corrupt pieces of shit. This shit is so 50s...
spawnflaggerBecause he's the God Christians deserve, but not the one they need right now.
PRAY TO HIM!
This is the god fundamentalist Christians have always craved.
VoodooVI think maybe, much more simply. It might just be commentary on what would *really* happen if someone was given super powers.
Even the most fair and ethical person in the world would have a REALLY HARD time not using powers for personal gain or petty satisfaction. That's assuming you didn't just flat out commit blatant crimes such as this flying man.
Even if you chose to "do good" with your powers, when you no longer have the traditional limitations us normal mortals have, the temptation to do petty shit, even just harmless pranks with your powers would be insanely tough.
@coolhund brings up an excellent point. blue-collar crime, in the grand scheme of things, really isn't a huge problem anymore. white collar crime, however, is a larger concern for most people these days. Little bit harder to swoop in and save the day in that sort of situation. Not very exciting either.
And when it comes right down to it, crime fighting really isn't all that fun or easy.
xxovercastxx*nochannel *cinema *dark *shortfilms *wings
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