In the short film, Bartholomew’s Song, the directors, Lowell Frank and Destin Daniel Cretton, present viewers the idea of freedom of expression in a dystopian setting. The film depicts a man named Barth 467 in his daily routine within a laboratory facility. From the the first few minutes of the film Barth is shown doing the same actions as if he has a mindset of a robot. He awakes in a bland room, follows the other workers in a synchronized line, listens to a female animated voice for instructions, and returns to his room at the end of the day. Therefore, from these actions it is interrupted that Barth has a repetitive and controlled life.
As the film continues we learn the animated voice has the characters build cubes-like objects only …show more content…
However, why is it that music possibly made such a big difference in the way Barth and the other workers reacted? Moreover, why don't any of the characters try to break free? The answer lies in the idea of free will. In the the featured dystopian society, the film portrays that the consciousness of free will has been oppressed. The society eliminated the possibility of rebellion by any factors that allowed for free will, such as their social environment with others. Rather than having the ability to choose their desired work or social patterns, Barth 467 and the other workers are robotically inclined to make cubed shaped parts and remain socially silenced. As stated in The British Journal of Social Psychology, “The question of human free will, including the possibility of choosing among genuinely possible alternatives, invokes profound and far-reaching issues regarding the nature of reality and the human condition” (221). Therefore, Barth 467’s human condition of curiosity naturally makes him rebel against his society; this rebellion being the musical device he found. Free will allows for music to be a stimulus for people to express themselves, this is shown in the film as Barth 467 questions his freedom and kills the woman he finds in control. In his society he felt trapped and needed to find a way to free himself of his oppression. The
As the film continues we learn the animated voice has the characters build cubes-like objects only …show more content…
However, why is it that music possibly made such a big difference in the way Barth and the other workers reacted? Moreover, why don't any of the characters try to break free? The answer lies in the idea of free will. In the the featured dystopian society, the film portrays that the consciousness of free will has been oppressed. The society eliminated the possibility of rebellion by any factors that allowed for free will, such as their social environment with others. Rather than having the ability to choose their desired work or social patterns, Barth 467 and the other workers are robotically inclined to make cubed shaped parts and remain socially silenced. As stated in The British Journal of Social Psychology, “The question of human free will, including the possibility of choosing among genuinely possible alternatives, invokes profound and far-reaching issues regarding the nature of reality and the human condition” (221). Therefore, Barth 467’s human condition of curiosity naturally makes him rebel against his society; this rebellion being the musical device he found. Free will allows for music to be a stimulus for people to express themselves, this is shown in the film as Barth 467 questions his freedom and kills the woman he finds in control. In his society he felt trapped and needed to find a way to free himself of his oppression. The