Curiously Creative Dystopia

Cultural Mirrors

I know it’s been a few months since this movie came out, but I was just thinking about the wildly dystopian nature of films that sometimes mirror reality. I am curious how our imaginations run into wild imagery that takes our world views and turns them into glorious movies that capture the hearts and minds of people from cultures and communities all around the world.

I have loved WICKED since it came out on broadway in 2003. My daughter was born in November 2002 and as she got a little older, we would listen to the songs on the soundtrack and she would sing along. I loved WIZARD OF OZ growing up and to have her fall in love with WICKED as a child was also such a gift. When she was a pre-teen we went to see it on Broadway in Chicago and we both loved it!

What made WICKED so loveable? Delightful? Inspiring? Watching the latest rendition on the big screen made me fall in love with the story all over again. And millions of people across the globe fell in love with it, too. In fact, with over $727 million in profits, this has become the highest grossing musical film adaptation in our most recent history according to billboard.com.

This dystopian story of the perfect little world like “Oz” that was perfect for some and not so perfect for others resonated around the world. Even in the Harry Potter series, which has grossed over $7.7 billion over several years, we see the same sort of storyline, which gave voice to those who feel like outsiders finding purpose and meaning, then turning into the hero/shero’s of the story. They found their voice, their talent, their ability and the way the world perceived them no longer mattered. They disrupted their communities by standing up for what they believed in, and those beliefs and actions brought them out of the shadows of their difference.

Why are we so attracted to these stories? Why do we write these kinds of stories and create plays, movies, and songs about this type of dystopian world? Maybe it gives us comfort and security to let these cultural mirrors be held up in our world when we don’t have the courage to face our own dystopian realities.

I’m sure there are many psychologists, movie-critics, and anthropology experts out there who are pondering this in depth and with academic rigor, but for me at this moment in our history, I’m curious to know if this kind of creativity can give people the courage they need to face their own dystopian realities? Seeing Elphaba rise into the western skies in the song “Defying Gravity” made my heart leap at the possibilities of standing up for the things you believe in with creative flare and profound courage!

I really hope that is what creativity can do for you and others, too! Find the courage to fly to the western skies and fly free from those who would try to ground you! Defy gravity, my friends and inspire others to do it, too!

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