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Do they see me clearly, or darkly?
Aug. 7th, 2006 01:45 amAfter service yesterday I met ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
johnbutler at Tara where we saw A Scanner Darkly. I hadn't read the book before (to be honest, I've only read V.A.L.I.S. by Philip K. Dick), so I didn't know what the storyline was in advance. Besides being incredibly funny at times, the movie touched me because of how accurately it mirrors less attractive aspects of modern society. Granted, few entranced by our own form of Death would see the significance in their own lives, but hopefully A Scanner Darkly will open more eyes to how nasty crystal meth is... and how, more often than not, it makes bad situations worse.
And, somehow, I can't imagine PKD would take joy knowing that his own work would become so prophetic.
At the end of the movie a note from Philip K. Dick is shown, after the names of more than a dozen of his friends passed away or had otherwise become permanently incapacitated - mentally and/or physically - from self medicating. I feel sorry for those who have fallen victim to Death, knowing that with every little sniff their precious, irreplaceable brain is eaten away. Every hit reduces their capacity to think and process information and increases their risk of cardiac failure and psychosis. Yet nothing will stop addicts of this vile shit from turning away.. not when they've convinced themselves that it's the only solution.
Nothing sucks worse than watching a friend slowly die this way.
johnbutler at Tara where we saw A Scanner Darkly. I hadn't read the book before (to be honest, I've only read V.A.L.I.S. by Philip K. Dick), so I didn't know what the storyline was in advance. Besides being incredibly funny at times, the movie touched me because of how accurately it mirrors less attractive aspects of modern society. Granted, few entranced by our own form of Death would see the significance in their own lives, but hopefully A Scanner Darkly will open more eyes to how nasty crystal meth is... and how, more often than not, it makes bad situations worse. And, somehow, I can't imagine PKD would take joy knowing that his own work would become so prophetic.
At the end of the movie a note from Philip K. Dick is shown, after the names of more than a dozen of his friends passed away or had otherwise become permanently incapacitated - mentally and/or physically - from self medicating. I feel sorry for those who have fallen victim to Death, knowing that with every little sniff their precious, irreplaceable brain is eaten away. Every hit reduces their capacity to think and process information and increases their risk of cardiac failure and psychosis. Yet nothing will stop addicts of this vile shit from turning away.. not when they've convinced themselves that it's the only solution.
Nothing sucks worse than watching a friend slowly die this way.
