The benchmark. The measure. The metric. The criterion. The gold standard. Notice anything? Standards are everywhere.
Considering the innumerable ways we get exposed to standards on a daily basis, their ubiquity can never be understated. Central to civilization and culture, standards exist to organize and rank the numerous disciplines that make up their lifeblood.
One of the most coveted but simultaneously unappreciated disciplines is artistic discipline. The creation and consumption of art underscores the correct application of standards, but art also challenges them and rewrites their rules from time to time; it is inevitable due to creativity’s nature being fluid. For although rules provide structure, the fluidity of creativity gives shape to them and is the wellspring for even the most fixed of rules.
For the longest time, there has been heated debate surrounding the rules of filmmaking and what is appropriate to show on screen. Should material be discreet and abide by strict morality codes? Should there be room for innovative, boundary-breaking works that risk offending the senses? Which approach best serves the pursuit of truth and beauty? The problem, in the estimation of any reasonable sort, is deciding there can be only one approach or another rather than allowing avenues for both followed by the actualization of a middle ground.
As much as there are benefits to upholding standards that effect positive behaviours, discernment is not something that can be standardized. Discernment is engaged at the individual level; it considers the content and context of the scenario at hand and who is fit for exposure. And it is what we engage when we consider watching and exposing ourselves to the subject matter and themes of any given film.
