THE FORCE AMONG US
These days it is not unusual to see a tornado through your windshield, or a dinosaur in your rear view mirror. On the big screen, we hardly give it a second thought---we have become so immune to computer generated graphics in our movies. But in 1977, when rebel lasers first blew up Imperial Fighters and lit the darkness of space with explosions, the spectacle stunned children and adults alike. As a death star was destroyed, a Jedi culture was born.
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, which means many of those young “American-Jedi” are in the late 30’s and 40’s. Cris Macht of Gilberts Illinois debuts his documentary on Star Wars fans, titled: The Force Among Us. The DVD is available starting today at www.theforceamongus.com.
In it, he introduces several fans, including:
*For a Jedi couple, family planning means deciding whether "little Luke" will watch the three prequels before the original three films.
*Another man said he was able to fulfill his childhood dream when he joined an organization where everyone dresses as Darth Vader’s stormtroopers.
*A woman thinks about making the revealing chain-link Princess Leia slave costume to wear for her husband on their anniversary.
“It’d be hard to hide making it for him. It might backfire—he might want me to wear it all the time.”
But while the fans like the ones previously mentioned are included, Macht's goal was to break the stereotypes of the geeky and anti-social Star Wars fans, who often show up to premiers dressed as Darth Vader or Yoda.
The film is intensely personal to Macht. His dad passed away in 1982, and at age 7, Cris was the head of the household, which included his younger brother and sister. He says he had to grow up fast, and he felt like he missed much of his childhood. Then, he rediscovered Star Wars and started watching it differently.
“I wanted to go back to a better time—to childhood. [Star Wars] was like a time machine. I started watching the movie deeper,” Macht said.
He particularly identified with the storyline about Luke, and trying to know his father.
“These films can be used as a tool to get through the hard times that life throws you,” Macht said. “They show you that there is a new hope for tomorrow.”
One parent in the documentary explains how Star Wars films and action figures finally got his autistic son to “come out of his shell.” Finally, father and son had something fun they could do together.
John Tenuto, Professor of Sociology of the College of Lake County, conducted a study on Star Wars stereotypes and is featured in the film. He says part of the popularity, is the timing.
“They came out after Vietnam and Watergate, when there was a lot of confusion about heroes. The first three were basic: good was good; bad was bad. People needed that,” Tenuto said. “The newer films speak to that issue but it’s more complex. The evil guy is ‘understandably’ evil.
Tenuto says like any art, it fulfills a need. One fan in the documentary said the Star Wars storyline fulfilled a need for ethical guidance.
“I grew up in a rough family situation. Star Wars gave me values as a kid that I didn’t get from my parents. I learned about good and evil from Star Wars.”
“Star Wars is safer. In a diverse society, how do you speak to a Catholic and a Protestant?” Tenuto said. “Science Fiction is better at talking about social issues and current events because the audience has so much baggage. [In science fiction] it’s in a place far away. There’s this fairy tale element.”
News clips of popcorn-eating Yodas are always good for a laugh, but The Force Among Us shows there’s more to these fans underneath the rubber mask.