“Anything you cannot relinquish when it has outlived its usefulness possesses you, and in this materialistic age a great many of us are possessed by our possessions.” Peace Pilgrim
The Light Thief is a tale of struggle between light and darkness, between genuine affection and deceit, eventually between good and evil.
It is however impossible for one to locate the representative of evil till the last scene of the movie. The protagonist/antagonist in the movie is a Don Juan-like character basking in the pleasure of his sexual conquests. Every encounter yields a prize, the light of an individual, her ability to love and feel loved. There is however a catch. It would be a grave mistake to assume that it is a battle between the sexes, a battle unevenly poised. On the contrary the movie depicts the twilight phase of mankind, where human beings possess the ability to outwit demons.
The markers of the protagonist/antagonist’s conquests when discovered to the utter shock of one of his victims must be shattered. She does the needful, she regains her light and destroys the carefully crafted world of the light thief.
The interesting bit in the movie lies in the revelation that there is not one light thief but many. An indication perhaps that the agents of chaos outnumber the agents of order. A bleak but realistic take on existence. The background score very aptly intensifies the tension on the screen.
The director seems to be in control of the scenes which is a good sign. The performances enhance the intensity demanded from a thriller. The execution is inch perfect. The movie is driven by the story. The story is driven by the message. The message is one of hope. Yes there are greater light thieves but there is an abundance of light left in the world. Love must triumph in a world devoid of happiness. As Dostoevsky believed only beauty can save the world, in all its vitality and vigour.
Martin Luther King rightly believed :
” Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” If there are great conquerors of light there must be greater conquerors of darkness. The vessels containing light must break in order to release it in a world and thus universalise the sensations of affection, that which immortalises an individual, vitalises one’s spirit , strengthening one’s desire to live, to see another day, to defeat another light thief.
One could only hope that there would be light, there would be love left in human beings. One is reminded of the last line from True Detective Season 1 uttered by Rust Cohle : ” Well, once there was only dark. If you ask me, the light’s winning.”
