alexanderlunenborg

The film is completely psychotic. It reminds me of Fellini and the likes of Caligula but the the film flips around on itself and lectures on love, politics and philosophy almost like a Disney kids film. And it twists and turns between all these things and never really seems to settle and find itself. I think the film clearly lacked some objective outsider critique during the making. So, that must means that the film is simply bad, right? But no, I actually watched the whole thing rather intrigued and although there were some slower boring parts, the highlights were very entertaining even if they didnt make any sense at all. So yeah, just past the post for me with a 6/10 and worth a watch.

As a historian I am familiar with a concept called The Banality of Evil. In short, this term encompasses a wide range of studies that try to explain why people do terrible things. Because unlike in many forms of media, it is not some sort of abstract dark force, an evil genius or some other outerworldly phenomenon. Instead, it is done by people. People just like you and me.

Andor really understands what this study is about and brings it to life in a horrifing realistic way. The Star Wars universe is merely window dressing. This story could have just as easily been told in the context place during 1930s Germany or Stalins Soviet Union. However the fact that they use this well known IP only strenghtens its message. Because instead of Darth Vader or the Emperor, we get company yes men, ambitious social climbers, a corrupt faceless justice system and just plain common cruelty. This human face of Evil makes it all the more scary because this time around, its not a Galaxy Far Far Away, but rather something that hits really close to home.

The realisation that people you might have known all your life can, under the right circumstances, like a for example the society as portayed in Andor, commit great acts of evil. And do so very casually, sometimes even act like its the right thing to do. A casual whisper of betrayel to the right person at the right time, such a little thing. Just stay silent when the company you work for is about to do something unethical, you dont want to ruin your chances of promotion do you? Who is that woman to refuse my advances, she clearly doesnt understand how important I am. This and many more examples are shown in this excellent study on the nature of Evil. A must see.