It is said that there is a lack of faith in today's society. How to choose what to believe and what not to believe? Who will choose?
Maybe it's a good thing that you can also choose, whether you are active or passive, at least you have a choice. When an era comes when there is no choice, when is that? Those were the dark ages. We have had that era in human history, and that era is called the Middle Ages. It was a long dark age, an age of stagnation in human civilization.
Agora is about before that dark age.
It's a good movie that's easy to miss, as many introductions classify it as a classic romance blockbuster, and you can of course watch it that way. Love and betrayal can also be seen in the film. But I think it should still be considered an epic. It's just unfortunate that the protagonist of this epic is a woman, a remarkable woman. It is precisely because she is a woman that she can reflect the tragic nature of that era.
The film "City Square" reflects that in the late 4th century AD, when the Roman Empire was in decline, Alexandria, located in the Egyptian province, was like the sunset. The port had the greatest library in the early history of mankind, the Library of Alexandria. This library is not only a cultural treasure trove but also a religious place, where polytheists pay homage to the ancestors. At this time, Alexandria not only had traditional polytheism, but also Judaism and Christianity.
The beautiful and wise Hypatia believed in classical philosophy and was a famous philosopher, mathematician and astronomer at that time. Hypatia taught at the Library of Alexandria, with students ranging from nobles to slaves; polytheists, Jews and Christians. There were also Hypatia's admirers among the students, but Hypatia devoted herself to the study of the laws of the universe, and she rejected these suitors in various clever ways.
The film mainly talks about two major events, one is the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, and the other is the death of Hypatia.
Agora means open square in Greek and a place of assembly. The square is a place for Greeks to meet, speak, communicate, and talk. The Mediterranean is sunny and has a mild climate, perfect for outdoor activities. People gather in the square to exchange ideas, talk about mathematics, geometry, philosophy, and comment on current affairs. Agora symbolizes a kind of Greek spirit. It was not until more than 1,000 years later that Western talents re-understood this spirit, and there was a Renaissance.
The Library of Alexandria, which represents this spirit in the film, was occupied by Christians and its collections were burned. Agora disappeared, replaced by the Pope of the Church, belief is no longer optional, you have to believe, otherwise it is pagan.
When asked why he did not believe in Christianity, Hypatia said: Your God has not proven himself to be more just and merciful than any other.
When confronted with students saying we all believed and why you didn't, Hypatia said: You can believe in your beliefs, but I can't, I have to doubt.
Hypatia was the last light of the Greek spirit before darkness came. Hypatia's death is inevitable, God does not allow questioning, she is not the last, but only the beginning. In the long dark century that followed, there was a long list, Servetus, Bruno, Galileo. . .
There are various legends about the death of Hypatia in history, but either one is brutal. The film director chose to have Hypatia die at the hands of slaves who adored her.
Daus, who was a slave, chose Christianity in order to pursue equality of status, and declared Christianity that everyone is equal before God. But this equality did not bring spiritual freedom, on the contrary, spiritual slaves became God.
It is also worth mentioning that the film was shot in Spain and directed by the famous Spanish director Alessandro Amamba. The Spanish Inquisition is known for its brutality in history and is a representative of the darkness of the Middle Ages.
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