If there is any test that can be applied to movies, it's that the good ones never make you feel virtuous.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Good films do not make viewers feel morally superior; they challenge rather than affirm virtue.
- In plain terms
- Real good movies make you think instead of feeling like you are a good person.
- What can you take from it?
- Avoid art that merely validates the audience's ego.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What does a good movie make you feel?
- Is feeling virtuous a sign of bad art?
Another view
Some films aim to inspire virtue without making viewers feel self-righteous.
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