Retribution vs. Forgiveness

Art and I just saw Revenant. It was beautifully filmed, but violent and frankly unbelievable. I don't want to leak a spoiler but I think everybody knows it's a story loosely based on the life of Hugh Glass who was mauled by a bear and left for dead by his companions.

I looked up the word Revenant in the Merriam-Webster dictionary and it says it means "one who returns after death or a long absence". That's exactly what Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass does in order to get vengeance against the man who left him for dead. Leonardo was amazing! I read one review that said he deserves the purple heart for acting. Seriously!

However, I found that although the movie does give lip service to retribution not being able to return one to the happy state they were in before evil was done to them, it was more about violence, seeking revenge and survival.

When I looked online to find out about the real Hugh Glass I learned that another movie about him starring Richard Harris had been made in 1971 called Man in the Wilderness.

These film photos are from Wikipedia.

I didn't see this movie, but Wikipedia's synopsis says:

"However, when he finally confronts his fellow trappers and Captain Henry, he chooses not to seek revenge, but instead to focus on returning to his infant son."

I prefer the gentler idea of forgiveness to violent retribution.

Then again, perhaps movie goers would rather see a more gut wrenching movie like Revenant.

I sure hope Leonardo gets an oscar for the agony and pains he must have suffered during filming.