Film Analysis: Would You Leave A Conformed Society

Would You Leave a Conformed Society?
In today's society, people say that they want to stick out and want to be different; but do they actually want to be individualized and not conform to society? In some instances, there are those few people that do “stray from the path”, but most are too scared to be different from everyone else and face ridicule. The film Powaqqatsi by Godfrey Reggio and the book
Anthem by Ayn Rand both show how conforming and going against society can change people. one of the first scenes in Powaqqatsi are many male workers, in a developing country, filling bags full of mud then hauling the heavy bag up a hill in an orderly line. They would then dump the bags for other men to sift through for gold. They then proceeded

to climb down the hill in the same orderly lines. There was, however, one man that did not follow this. As the men were walking up, he was walking down, but was zig-zagidly walking and had to be more careful than the men who were walking in line. He even changed the flow of some of the people, who then had to find a different path, by walking obscurity. The reason for this man’s peculiar behavior is unknown, but today, people usually know why we go against the flow. The question is, what do people do when confronted with the choice to leave or conform to society?
Equality 7-2521, in the story Anthem was part of a conformed society, he went with the job that he was assigned, as a Street Sweeper, and obeyed all the rules of the World Council. In the beginning of the story he states, “ It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no other think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil… We have broken the laws… May we be forgiven ( Rand 17). “ We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts which are forbidden. It has always given us wishes, which men may not wish. We know that we are evil, but there is no will in us and no power to resist it. This is our wonder and our secret fear, that we know and so not resist” ( Rand 18). Equality 7-2521 was writing alone in a journal in an underground tunnel that he discovered with friends International 4-8818 and Union 5-3992. In his society it’s considered evil to do anything for the benefit of oneself, but even though he has been taught that it’s evil, doesn’t regret it. The desire for individuality that Equality 7-2521 shows within the beginning of “ Anthem is represented in Powaqqatsi by the individuality that is shown within the Third World countries. In the beginning of the film, Reggio shows the individuality of people in Third World countries with religious scenes. The scenes show multiple religious groups praying and celebrating their culture. These scenes were full of dancing, smiles and vibrant colors, in the clothing and background, showing how their individuality made them happy. It showed the differences between each culture and how they are unique from one another. In Anthem, everyone is the same and has to follow the rules as a conformed society. Equality 7-2521’s desire to have individualism is represented in Powaqqatsi; a society in which people think for themselves and not for others. Equality 7-2521 and the people in the Third World Countries in Powaqqatsi consist of two societies that have their own way of life, conformist and individual.
Powaqqatsi starts off very slow, almost half speed, showing the slow tempo that a developing country has and how calm it is. The scene with the men carrying the bags full of dirt is shown then followed by the more daily routines of the people; the women and children carrying baskets on their head filled with food, a man pulling a horse through the harsh waves of the ocean (going against the flow is hard), a market with many individualized people and a tribal gathering with religious dancing. As the film progresses, the music becomes faster and the scenes convert to a normal pace. Then, in an instant, a very fast train takes the screen. The trees and nature are behind it showing that they are no longer in synchronization with humans as they previously were, but are now a lower priority. A jumble of commercials with all caucasian people shows after; Westernized societies are taking over. The change of one society to another is also shown in Anthem by the character Equality 7-2521. After discovering electricity, Equality 7-2521 continues to search through the old train tunnel to try and find more technology and he comes across a box with wires, switches and light bulbs which he eventually calls a “light box”. Later on in the book, Equality 7-2521 flees the city he lives in because he does not agree with the council’s decision to destroy the light box; he stays on the run for the rest of the book and lives in the mountains in a house with the Golden One who later joins him. He had to unconform to society so that he could survive and keep the light alive. Both Powaqqatsi and Anthem share the idea that a society can change based on a person’s/societies actions.
Equality 7-2521, in the story Anthem was affected by the light box to become more individualized and stray away from the conformed society.

This is shown when he says, “ I am. I think. I will. My hands… My spirit… My sky… My forest… This earth of mine… This, is my body and spirit…” ( Rand 94). This is the first time that he uses the word “I” to express himself instead of “ We”. After he realizes that he doesn’t want to live in the society anymore, he leaves and goes into the Uncharted Forest, an abandoned forest that the people weren’t allowed to go into since it was from the Unmentionable Times; the time before the conformist society began, Throughout his time in the forest he meets up with the Golden One; they find a house in the forest and they decide to stay there and make a family. There he states, “ And here, over the portals of my fort, I shall cut in the stone the word which is to be my beacon and my banner. The word which will not die, should we all perish in the battle. The word which can never die on this earth, for it is the heart of it and the meaning and the glory. The sacred word: EGO” ( Rand 105). Equality 7-2521 can now think about his life as a free man; with his life now gone in the conformist society. He realized that the most important thing is in the world is to be individualized and free, to do and think for himself. The life of Equality 7-2521 as an individual is represented in Powaqqatsi by the people in the Third World Countries who didn’t conform with Western advancements. By the end of the film Reggio shows how most people in the Third World Countries had become influenced by the idea of Western Industrialization. The Director, Reggio, presents the Third World Countries conforming to Westernized advancements by displaying buildings and the people within the society. He lets the audience know that the buildings are made within a conformist society by the dull colors and similar structure to show there is no true freedom or expression

within these conformed Third World societies. In one scene, he films each floor of a hospital and on every other floor it has the same design. One floor has a elevator and another has a receptionist desk. Reggio also shows the transition of Third World people by a scene of the new and old generations. In this scene it shows a new generation of Third World people wearing all white and jogging all together in a straight line, representing how they all are similar as part of the conformed society. In the same scene there is one older women wearing colorful clothing walking in a different direction; she looked quite confused and alone. Reggio was trying to show even though most people in the Third World Countries have conformed to the Westernized societies there are still some people who stayed individualized. The older women represents the amount of people who stayed individualized in these societies. Her colorful clothing represents her individualism and he expression shows how it feels to be an individual in a conformist society. Both Equality 7-2521 and the individuals in the Third World Countries lives are now lost in these conformists society because they decided to be individual to think for themselves and be free.
With change, there are many internal and external factors that can affect it. People want to stick out, they give into peer pressure, and a variety of other reasons. Most of all though, people just want to stay true to themselves, whether that means conforming to society or leaving it.