MP strikes me as right in the tradition of finding a poetic/graphic way of not only expressing a philosophy but getting people to adopt that philosophy, of giving a good reason to accept the philosophy by pointing to aspects of reality we are all aware while failing to see what is implied. The opening sequence on the soup of the day remains enigmatic until we reflect on the larger themes. The things left behind are described at length, signifying the depression that results from frustrated projects. The "love the one you're with" solution is something we all say, so there is no need to argue for the truth of the proposition. The pregnancy or perhaps the break-up is admitted as a mistake, but this mistake is redeemed (bought back)through delight in the boy, and his delight in his mother. Our failings come to define us, and open the door to the redemption of what we thought we had wasted. The film's success cannot be judged by our aesthetic reaction and critique so much as by the lived response, how seeing the film changes lives, or, as John Dewey said, art as experience. I would love to hear from people who lived differently after seeing MP.
