SPOILERS AHEAD!

 

I warned you! If you have not seen THE LAST JEDI yet….wait to read this until you do.

 

 

Last chance.

 

 

 

I was seven when my father took me to see STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE in a theater on Route 46 in Totowa, NJ.  We stood online for nearly an hour, hoping to get tickets.  Dad was super excited, but I had no idea how much the movie would influence me… for the rest of my life.

My son was seven when The Force Awakens debuted in theaters.  My husband and I sat on either side watching his expression of awe as the curtain lifted and the story unfolded.

And this weekend, we took him to see his first 3D movie, The Last Jedi.  I think it is my favorite of all the Star Wars movies.

And this is why.

The Last Jedi highlights the duality of human/alien nature and sets it on a collision course with the unknown.  Point of view is critical to the movie as we watch Rey listen to Luke’s story about what happened to Ben Solo.  And Luke’s story is different from Kylo Ren’s.  And Rey listens to both, seemingly without judgement.  And then she goes off to figure out the truth for herself, which leads her to understanding that she doesn’t know half of what she thinks she does.

A similar situation is presented between Poe Dameron and Admiral Holdo.  We’ve known Poe before and want to root for him, but it turns out that Leia, who we’ve known longer, who knows more, may be the side to root for, which left me as an audience member conflicted and unsure of how the story line would play out.  As Leia admonished Poe, I felt conflicted too.  What was she doing?  And then the explanation came and I had my “aha” moment.

The dual nature of light and dark is best represented by Luke’s fear of the dark side and Rey’s curiosity towards it.  Luke tells Rey of his desire to destroy the Jedi, believing that the need for balance and acceptance of both light and dark must overcome EGO.  Lesson one.  We are all connected by the same energy.  Being “great” means separation from the whole.  It is a risk that leads to chaos.

Rey dares to go where Skywalker told her not to, seeking to find out the truth about her parents.  And yet, the force does not reveal this truth to her, signaling that where she came from does not matter, but where she goes does.

And the setting for this illustration of duality is that the unexpected happens throughout the movie.  This element waylaid Finn and Rose as they tried desperately to save the last of the resistance.  The unexpected thwarts them their entire journey…yet things turn out okay for them.  Poe learns to control his impulsiveness and trust.  Leia learns to let go.  And Luke…learns to be who he is, not what he wants.

The Last Jedi is about faith and surrender.  No one is purely good, or evil.  And we do not have control over everything.  As Rose said, “We shouldn’t destroy those we hate, but save the ones we love.”  And those we love may embody the duality of light and dark.   We should not discard those who have wandered onto a dark path; yet we cannot control their outcome.  We can only love them.

And then we will be “the spark” that lights hope.

May the Force be with you.

JMonell