Is it Horror? “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover” (1989)
Note: as I was finishing this piece, the invasion of Israel by Hamas took place. War is never warranted, but this act was particularly heinous. Militants went from house to house in Southern Israel shooting families, kidnapping people, and over 100 civilians at a music festival were slaughtered. Women were abducted, raped, stripped naked, and paraded through the streets as onlookers chanted, “God is great.” While the reasoning behind Hamas’ attack is unclear at this moment, because of social media, the atrocities have been on display for all to witness. Israel’s military has begun to respond with full force, and Gaza will soon be flattened. Some will argue that Israel will go too far. Some will say Hamas “limited” its attacks to specific areas of Israel. It won’t matter. When Israelis are killed, kidnapped, and terrorized on this level, vengeance will be enacted.
As I say towards the end of this piece, no one likes to admit behavior like this is possible. How can people do these things to one another? The answer is simple. Driven to extremes, with backs up against walls, humans are capable of even the most barbaric acts. The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover is one of many works in a long line of artistic representations of our indifference towards one another. We’ve seen this represented on film, on stage, and on…
