CanineAnaconda t1_je2e2wk wrote
Reply to comment by liquid_at in Leon: The Professional (1994) Discussion by HS_13_
Well, I'm in this conversation, so I'm not clear on what you mean. Sure, discomfort is a natural, acceptable reaction to all kinds of artistic expression. My objection is that I feel a line was crossed from storytelling to exploitation. For me, The Professional passed muster because it still had those moments of discomfort about an uncomfortable subject matter, but the handling of it in Leon, IMO, was gratuitous and salacious. My original point was that The Professional succeeded in telling the same story without having to sexually objectify a child the way Leon did (I can't give exact examples, I haven't seen them since the 90s, so I'm relying on the memory of how I originally reacted to it as a viewer just a few years older than Portman). Though I know little about Luc Bisson as a person and haven't seen more than a few of his movies, other commenters' remarks of him being a certified creep is not surprising.
liquid_at t1_je2fw34 wrote
Given the future revelations, the criticism is definitely valid in this specific case. He clearly did not use it in any way that was intended to spark a critical conversation. He was likely in favor of it, which makes it a lot worse.
But it is still important to remember that movies can make us feel all types of emotions. Some make us laugh, some make us cry, some make us scared, some make us uncomfortable. All of that is ok, except for specific cases in which it isn't.
I just hope the future diverts some of that attention from fictional movie creeps to real life creeps, who are the much bigger problem.
HS_13_ OP t1_je2n442 wrote
I completely agree, just wanted to know if i was the only one who found it unsettling but thankfully not.
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