The 2007 film, Across the Universe, takes the discography of The Beatles and interweaves hits into a plotline consisting of the Vietnam War, race wars, and social issues in the 1960’s. It has always been a film I have enjoyed, especially after I bought it for four dollars at FYE a few summers ago. This past week, I have had the movie playing in the background as I do homework late at night, but there were scenes that captivated me and others that left me in awe. But one in particularly resonated through me as I related it our nation now, fifty-some years later.
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Spoiler alert: do no continue reading if you have a sudden urge to watch this movie and prefer not to know some of the scenes. A quarter through the movie, there is a solemn scene to the song Let It Be (a personal favorite) and it starts with a police riot in Detroit, featuring many black men and several women being brutally beaten by police and white people. Hidden behind a car, a little boy of color starts to sing the song. The scene then cuts to a woman singing, while the camera shows the funeral of a young, white boy who died fighting in Vietnam. The song ends at another funeral; the one of the little boy shown during the police riots.
This scene is hard for me to watch most of the time, mostly because I cannot get the image of a young child in a casket out of my head for hours. Even if it was fake, it is a scarring image. But another reason is because this scene, and the juxtaposition of the two situations/funerals is so easily applicable to our lives right now. Dangerous ideologies (racism, unnecessary war, hatred) does not just take from one group; it take from everybody. I think of all of the people killed because of police brutality, or because of ignorant racism. And I think of all of the children at their loved one’s funeral, because so many lives are lost due to war even ones that are not action-packed constantly.
This scene scares me, to no end. Not because the scene is gory, even though the riot scene is quite painful for my heart. It scares me because how sad is it that our nation really hasn’t progressed that much in five decades. FIVE! Generations later, and we still find ourselves surrounded by police brutality, race wars, and unnecessary warfare. I am scared for our future, and our relationships with other countries. I am scared for my friends of color, and their children. I am honestly scared.
However, I try to remain hopeful. I smile when I see a black lives matter activist sharing their thoughts. I smile when I see men and women return to their families after being across seas. I smile when I see people being kind to every person they meet. “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom: let it be. And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me. Speaking words of wisdom: let it be.”
