Brennan Good

I think this film is entitled Good to show the difference between what is morally right or "good," and what seems right or "good" for the situation at hand. We see this struggle occurring during the opening scene of the movie. John Halder's class is interrupted by a massive burning of books right outside the window of his classroom. He is warned by another professor not to interfere because this might lead him to lose his job. Halder questions the morals and beliefs of the book burners, but never takes physical action to stop it; it isn't until later that he realizes he should have done something to prevent it from happening. This is the first time we, as an audience, see Halder in a conflict between what is morally right and what seems right for that specific situation. He debates whether or not he should take action, which shows the audience he has good qualities and morals, but he never lets them rise to the surface because society wont let his views be heard.

What society deems as "good" is much different that what is actually good. Good is the perfect example of a movie that shows a character choose the easy way out, or the "save my own butt," over what is actually the right thing to do. John Halder is morally a good man based on his beliefs and the way he lives his life. Although he has good morals, he still falls into society's wants and needs because it is what he feels he should do during that moment in time.

I think the reason that this film was not distributed in the United States is that it shows an individual in a society not allowed to be himself and have his own voice. The United States is supposedly a country known for its democratic government, in which citizens are allowed to be individuals and voice their own opinions. In this film, John Halder has opinions, but the situations which he finds himself in, don't allow for him to express these opinions. Also, the United States claims moral superiority to other countries, and the government might not want United States citizens to see this movie because they might questions the ethics of our government.

The picture symbolizes what John Halder feels is "good" for the situation at hand. To make an impression at this Nazi commencement, he decides to bring a much younger, more attractive woman to make himself seem powerful. Also, both John and his student seem to be standing in awe of whomever is speaking to them. This is how most German citizens felt in the presence of a Nazi; they felt their opinions were worthless and they felt inferior to these powerful men in uniform. Throughout Good, John Halder's morals are pushed further and further below the surface so he can please the government at hand.