trelaineito

The news has been called "a first rough draft of history." But that has generally referred to the print news, a process of journalism that takes time to fact-find, report, edit, and publish. The rough draft of history itself has many drafts, its final product being an intentional narrative derived from many hours of reporting, ordering a series of moments, peppered with background context, into a cohesive narrative about a particular event.

But by the mid-Twentieth Century, the news had taken on a new form, one more visual. And more immediate.

September 5 is a movie about an event, the Munich Massacre. Taking place over roughly a 24-hour period, September 5 portrays the broadcast news process from start to finish. In doing so, the movie emphasizes the news's primary objective: the story.

From switching between different vantages of live footage, inserting captions and graphics, and reporting from Olympic village, September 5 is a straightforward story about the first cut of a story, crafted in real-time. But in a number of moments, usually where the characters make snap decisions, the movie portrays what was then monumental shift in the news business-one that has informed the standard of TV news we see now.

The crew of ABC Sports was certainly best positioned for this new type of news. They were covering an event, and the event in question had taken on a new and violent face. But it was still a play-by-play event that could be covered. Different attempts by German police, different back-and-forths of negotiations, different actions by the terrorists, these were all actions and reactions of two opposing teams trying to reach their respective goals. But sending Peter Jennings into the Olympic Village before it was closed to reporters, disguising a crew member as an athlete to smuggle in film rolls and food, and initially reporting on the wrong conclusion based on faulty information, the ABC Sports crew sprinted to be first, and in doing so sacrificed accuracy (and in some moments, the safety of the hostages).

In our modern era, the sports-ification of news coverage has had detrimental impacts on people's trust in the press. Accuracy is replaced by spectacle, truth by speed. Sure, you might be first to tell a good story, a timely story. But if you stopped to think about your own in-the-moment recollection of an event, it's hardly the whole picture. Especially in the face of something big or dramatic or traumatic, you are blinded by what might be coming next, without the space and distance to consider the how or the why. Your tunnel vision distorts what really happened and can only be fixed by the full context.

If we want to understand how we've gotten to this moment in the ever-present, 24-hour news cycle, September 5 is an important movie about the making of the first cut of one of history's pivotal moments.

A lot happens in eight years. And yet, much like the first movie, Moana 2 meets the moment. Its alternative title could have been "Moana and the Gathering Place," as the story centers on the titular character, Moana, bringing the people of the ocean together, connecting their bonds and breaking a centuries long curse that keeps them separate and apart. In doing so, Moana transcends being a heroine and becomes a true hero, culminating in her demi-deification.

The story is helped in large part because Moana isn't like most Disney heroines. She's not a princess (a point repeated in both films). Most princesses will one day become queens and rule their people. But Moana is more a vice chief, someone who has started their rule, albeit in a smaller capacity, and will one day graduate to full chief. In this role, Moana has more responsibilities than most other Disney heroines, and therefore more respect and admiration. She isn't loved for her youth or beauty or kindness; instead, she's revered for her decisiveness and experience.

As much as we often put our leaders on pedestals, we also forget that they too are only human. Moana literally needs help from a demigod and the ocean on her quest. She puts too much pressure on herself, feels every mistake, and despairs at the apparent hopelessness of her purpose. But the ocean's people can only survive together, and Moana chooses to persevere at any cost.

In that way, Moana 2 is a retelling of Disney's Hercules. But Hercules focuses on the man, where he belongs and how he can return to Olympus, reaching it only by becoming a true hero. Hercules becomes a god once again (if only briefly) after a selfless sacrifice-his life for Meg's soul. Moana, on the other hand, puts her people first (and, by extension, all the people of the ocean). It is for them, not herself, that she makes her selfless sacrifice. And because of her people, she is granted her divinity.

Thus, the themes of Moana 2 are that leadership requires sacrifice; that the goal of bringing people together, and thereby defeating the forces that fracture us and keep us separate and apart, is a righteous quest; and that divinity comes from putting other people first. During these fractious times when so many forces try to separate us from each other, Moana 2 reminds us what true leadership means and that we are all stronger together. If we can't find a way to reconnect, our story too might end.

"Rebellions are built on hope" is Rouge One: A Star Wars Story's tagline. But the real theme of the movie centers on faith more than hope.

Hope is a belief in things that could be. In that sense, rebellions are built on a belief that the status quo-i.e. A state of oppression from an authoritarian imperial power-can change.

Faith, on the other hand, is a belief in the ability of things that one could make happen. Thus, faith requires action. Whereas hope is a passive belief (which might, but does not necessarily, spur action), faith is an active belief that requires action. From the smallest task like saying a prayer (offering a "may the force be with you") to the infiltration of a planet for espionage or sabotage, faith moves you to work toward your goal, believing not only that it could be but that you (both individually and collectively) can bring it into being.

Rouge One is a story of faith and the faithful, those who believe in the old ways of the former Republic, who work to preserve its legacy (like Chirrut and Baze), who guide and lead the faithful (like Mon Mothma and Bail Organa), and who resist and rebel (like Bodhi and Galen).

The movie demonstrates that a successful rebellion relies on both hope and faith. The oppressed people of the galaxy may not all take up arms to fight the Empire, but they need to believe that the Empire could fall (and that something better could replace it). That hope gives the Rebel Alliance its legitimacy, through which its rebels can fight the Empire with the faith that they can win (defeat the Empire and restore liberty and peace to the galaxy).

In the end, it is action that succeeds in the climax of the movie, catalyzing the original Star Wars trilogy and the downfall of the Empire. So while rebellions are built on hope, Rouge One shows us that rebellions can succeed through faith.