We like to believe that morality depends on the concepts of “good” and “evil,” yet we tend to forget how the very etymology of the word is rooted in our customs. Morality is something we construct, through our actions and our thoughts. It is not something we depend upon; rather, it is something we create. It is precisely when we stop questioning it — when we cease that intimate, ongoing dialogue — that we arrive at a society that trivializes evil, as Hannah Arendt so aptly identified. Much like what occurred in the 1940s, a lack of debate and reflection is all it takes to justify any action, no matter how extreme. The same is happening today.
This film program, however, does not aim to revisit the immorality, or amorality, of political policies. The focus lies elsewhere: on our own lack of “immoralities.” How can we challenge the new “good manners” that seem to take deeper root with each passing day? Perhaps by transgressing, rather than hiding behind constructed moral concepts — stale, worn-out ideas, rigid judgments, and the trends of political correctness.
In this sense, is there anything better than art for creating discomfort and sparking thought? For better or for worse, it is our “immoralities” that make us more human: though we must be careful about which ones we choose to defend!