Sort of a Film Review: Flight

As you may already know the awards season has begun. Usually I am just an avid watcher and not a reviewer, but this year a couple of movies caught my attention, and I thought they related to what I am trying to do here. Here is my two cents on Flight.

Denzel Washington has been nominated for an Oscar for best actor for Flight directed by Robert Zemeckis. Washington's character, Whip Whitaker, is a commercial jet pilot and a functioning alcoholic. Did I get your attention yet? Just the premise alone is compelling! Predictably, things fall apart (literally, in the sky) for our anti-hero – there wouldn’t be a movie otherwise – and the reality of his addiction unfolds in a nightmarish scenario. For this reason, you won’t be seeing Flight as an in-flight entertainment option. The fatal crash/accident is part one of Whip’s hitting bottom, and the second part… Let’s just say there is a Hollywood ending, and he is redeemed.

What is interesting is the portrayal of addiction with its near limitless potential for denial. Even after a broken marriage, loss of his son’s love and respect because of his drinking, and the resulting social isolation (his only friend it seems is his drug dealer), Whip is so blinded by alcoholism’s cycle of shame, guilt and physical dependence, he can’t and won’t see what it has done to him. Unresolved shame and guilt lead to continued use because chemically altering the brain is the easiest way to avoid the painful act of self-reflection. The medicine that numbs uncomfortable thoughts and feelings also happens to be the source of discontent. As it is said there is no free lunch, one way or another there is a price to pay for delaying what is inevitable. To feel at ease with life requires that we take a long, hard look at who we are and come to terms with it, or make changes so that we can live with ourselves. For many who are caught in alcohol and drugs’ dark embrace, until something dramatic happens where they are forced to, they can’t listen or look at themselves. 

What is the lesson from Flight? Listen to yourself and watch for how you feel. Are you unhappy? Are you sad? Are you lonely? Are you tormented by feelings of shame and guilt because of your out-of-control drinking and/or drug use? If you feel that you are partying a bit too much, do something about it, talk to friends or family members, or a professional, before it takes off on its own dangerous course.