40in40 – Braveheart
My Netflix rating: 4/5
True to its title, this story of William Wallace and his army is not about strength and combat, but about bravery and heart. Every character teeters between the age old question of “do” or “do not.” The tension runs deep because the conflict is so primal. Do you act or not? Do you love or do you hate? Flee or fight?
Before even watching this movie again, I knew I would write about this exchange between Wallace and the father of his late wife. This specific scene always stood out to me. After burying his love, Wallace kneels in front of the lamenting father. His regret is palpable, but even more overwhelming is the father’s grief. With Wallace’s head bowed, the father extends his shaking hands as if to strike, but instead he maintains his composure and consoles his widowed son-in-law. There’s a moment of clarity in this exchange, as if there was no other way to handle it. Ultimately, the father decided there’s been enough hate. He had the courage to love. He had heart.
How will I handle the challenge to love? Will I have heart? Do I have a strong will like the father? In the movie, one cowardly, leprous character declares, “All men betray. All lose heart.” That’s a comforting thought, right? It’s not uncommon for us to falter; everybody fucks up. Nevermind that the quote comes from the most hated person in the movie, I’m going to take it as the word and live a happier life knowing that it’s forgivable to choose flight over fight. I don’t even want to face the challenge. Chalk me up as “all those other men.”
But then William Wallace dies in Christ-like fashion to prove that not all lose heart. No, he proves more than that. He proves that having heart at all is a rare and treasured quality. It’s like the tagline of the movie, “Every man dies, not every man really lives.” Damn, that’s deep. After seeing him gutted on the torture rack, how can I not stand up to a lesser challenge? How can I choose to flee? How can I want to avoid even facing the challenge? It’s rare to even have the opportunity to show courage. Not every man really lives, right? So, I guess, in the end, it’s not a question of, what would you do during that chance? It’s a question of, what would you do for that chance?
“And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance…” –William Wallace
Shoutout to Yale and Mel for watching this one with me. And… I have to have one money shot of the babe.
Filed under: 40in40 | 1 Comment
Tags: braveheart, courage, heart
gotta say, i did not enjoy this movie very much. there’s a reason why i never watched it in the first place!