I have got to admit that I adore The Book of Eli more each time I see it. I wasn’t planning on seeing it again in the theatre, but some friends wanted to go so I went along for the ride.
With every viewing I become a bigger and bigger fan of Mila Kunis’s character Solara. Even though Eli is the title character the point of the film is truly Solara. This film is nearly a modern Pilgrim’s Progress and Solara is the individual so intrigued that she tags along on the journey, slowly coming to adopt Eli’s faith as her own until the climax of the film when the tables really turn.
What I do love about The Book of Eli is that the treat the faith of Eli and later Solara with subtlety. Eli lets us know early on that God literally speaks to him and they never treat Eli as a freak or a person a few bananas short of a bunch; it’s taken as a serious point in the film and if you really watch you can pick up signs of Eli and Solara hearing from God as the film progresses. If you’ve seen the film and you’re not sure what I mean there is one crucial visual cue I can give you. Before Eli does any major action in the film (choosing which fork of the road to take, how to respond to a threat, etc.) he always takes a beat to pause and looks upward to the heavens…something Solara also starts later in the film. For lack of a better phrase they are receiving directions.
I hope The Book of Eli is released on DVD with a long rambling commentary. I want to know The Hughes Brothers and everyone else’s inspiration and motivation behind making this film.
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