A Film, Beyond Art.
“If only we could have rated this move a 6 star.”
“This movie changed my life. I was on the brink of just giving up before watching this masterpiece.”
“There are no words that could be put in the same sequence to imagine my full appreciation and bewilderment of this masterpiece.”
WSUM's Film and Book club kicked off the semester by watching Velocipastor, an absolute classic, and most likely, the lowest budget movie we will view as a club. On the surface, films like Velocipastor may seem like a joke. However, upon trying to understand the deeper meaning behind creating art like this, it becomes clear that this kind of film is art in its purest form. Velocipastor is a piece that truly embodies the most important aspects of art without the societal pressure to make the movie “good”. Everytime someone creates art, they should strive to create art in the manner Velocipastor was created.
The average budget for a major studio film is 65 million dollars. Velocipastor delivered more laughs, more tears, and more gasps than the average film, and did so using .05% of the typical budget. The most important part of a movie shouldn't be based on the amount of money the director had to work with or what famous actors are a part of the cast; what makes a film special should be how it makes you feel, how you respond to it, what it leaves you with. This ties back to why people create art in the first place.
Art is primal human emotions and desire expressed through actions. It can be bright, and cheerful, making you laugh or warming your heart. It can also be profoundly sad, bringing about feelings of hopelessness or existential crisis. No matter what the art is or what it does, it cannot be “good” or “bad”. It is subjective to the beholder. Everyone has their own opinions about art; whether it's music, fashion, cooking, and movies. Typically, people feel like the things they like are “good”, but why do good things have to be “good”? Can something be so bad that it's good? If a professional film critique critiqued Velocipastor based off of its costumes, special effects, and acting, it would receive a terrible rating. However, if you review Velocipastor based on the aspects of art that actually matter- how it makes you feel- it's indeed a masterpiece.
Velocipastor exemplifies the best aspects of art. It brings people together, whether they're laughing or crying. It is an example of uninhibited art because the creators were able to be funny and enjoy themselves without the pressure of society being in awe of the cinematography or effects. This is how all art should be created, free of the pressures of the world to be impressive or good. Velocipastor is what it must feel like to fly through the sky, dance among the stars, or see the face of the universe.
– Emma Rose Sonnenburg
