Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano reviewed the first of the Twilight movies, calling it a "maximalist" story, but found that the characters' isolation from what is the "norm" disconnects the film from reality.
Reflecting on Edward Cullen, the vampire played by Robert Pattin, and Bella Swan, the teen who falls in love with him, reporter Silvia Guida writes,"eternity is not only about living forever, but above all about living more, with an intensity that is unknown to 'normal' people", the Catholic News Agency reported.
"Bella, together with the fans of the series, has been conquered by the fascination with difficult love, which is worth the risk," Guida writes of the main character.
Twilight is a "maximalist" story capable of conquering readers and viewers by giving voice to the deepest expressions that are censored by contemporary culture, expectations of the human heart, Guida says.
Both of them, when they are together, "are condemned to receiving special attention: Bella knows she is risking her life; Edward, in order to accept loving her, must consent to hiding his bad side. This is the exact opposite of the 'Just Do It' mentality of young people." Rather, the characters exhibit an attitude that says if they can try, "the world is there, they only need to take it."
Reality "does not follow this law, as every fable teaches us," Guida writes. "Cinderella knows she must leave the dance at midnight, unless she wants to see everything disappear and the carriage become a pumpkin, even seeing the enchantment of love end."
"The question is not so much why is Twilight so successful, but rather, how can a kid watch it with indifference?" Guida wonders.
FULL STORY
Vatican paper delves into new Twilight movie (Catholic News Agency)
LINK
Twilight (Wikipedia)
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