The "Spielberg, Aliens, and Fatherhood" thread made me think about films that seem to distill the Zeitgeist of their time. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, in my opinion, really gets to so much of what was going on in the 1970's: the rising belief in the paranormal (natch), distrust in the Government (the un-named, international conspiracy portrayed in the film), families that break apart because one or more parents need to "find themselves" (this last is a bit literal in the movie!), and overall a need for hope from Outside.
I'd submit There will be Blood as a bookend to the Bush years, with it's portrayal of a pure Capitalist eventually driven mad by forces internal and external. It shows such a bleak, dog-eat-dog world, one where you can't trust your relatives because even they are out to get you (assuming they ARE your relatives that is!)
I know my examples track the terms of US Presidents but that's not necessarily the intent: I'm interested in what films Chewers think sum up a specific time/place.
I'd submit There will be Blood as a bookend to the Bush years, with it's portrayal of a pure Capitalist eventually driven mad by forces internal and external. It shows such a bleak, dog-eat-dog world, one where you can't trust your relatives because even they are out to get you (assuming they ARE your relatives that is!)
I know my examples track the terms of US Presidents but that's not necessarily the intent: I'm interested in what films Chewers think sum up a specific time/place.
