Review of Disappearances

"Disappearances," (2006). Starring Kris Kristofferson, Charlie McDermott, and Gary Farmer. Directed by Jay Craven. This film is one of those hidden gems that one stumbles upon by a stroke of luck. I had often thought throughout my academic career, "what is the deal in classical literature with the panopoly of gods, both Roman and Greek?" Had I not read The Future of the Ancient World by Jeremy Nadler, I might occasionally still wonder. But Disappearances personifies the concept of the classical gods by placing their counterparts in modern New Hampshire. The allusion to Aristotelean metaphysics pertains to spirituality and the physical world. For Aristotle "the world is the harborer of spirit, rather than an obstacle which we must overcome if we are to reach the truly spiritual..." ("The Future of the Ancient World," by Jeremy Naydler, p.221). Quebec Bill, the protagonist, does not have to "see through" nature to to access the architypal gods (spirits) who inhabit a supernatural dimension which would be inaccessible to him. For him, the spirits inhabit the physical world at the same moment in time that he does. While the spirits have powers that Quebec Bill does not, he incorporates into his perception of nature the percept that morality is not necessary, but right action is. And right action is his weapon against evil spirits. Quebec Bill and his son Wild Bill are polar counterparts in scenes where Wild Bill tries to impose moral order or prudence on Quebec Bill when he is only concerned with "right action" or the means to his ends. "Right action presupposes connectedness with the indwelling spiritual power that we experience in the act of contemplative thinking which takes us beyond thought to an intensified consciousness of the universal source of thought...a person's true self"...emerges. The other characters in juxtaposition, reveal the obstacles of modern morality one creates when one is not in tune with the spirituality of nature and the proper use of right action. These two Aristotelean precepts, the spiritual dimension of nature and right action, are woven into the fabric of this film, rich in imagery to support them. I cannot give examples in this small space, but half the fun of decoding a film is finding them for ourselves. Take a look at the resurrection of the fish scene. You will find Aristotelean metaphysics as the leimotif running through this film.