We love to bring down oppressive regimes — at least in our films. What does this say about our ability to recognize our own situation regarding our desire for greater freedoms? Are we tapping our desire for change with the stories we tell? Are our artists as free to explore this desire for change as we think? Do they have to take the quiet road when walking that talk? If they are somehow oppressed, how and where is the oppression manifest? What can we learn by examining the work we made, distributed, and consumed this year?
In other words, if art is partially about showing us all that we can aspire to as individuals, communities, and a planet, what are our films telling us about where we should be headed this coming year?