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‘Gladiator II,’ ‘The Piano Lesson,’ ‘Nickel Boys’ Use the Weight of Past Events to Tell Contemporary Stories
In ‘Gladiator II,’ ‘The Piano Lesson,’ ‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’ and more films, storytellers use the weight of the past to tell contemporary stories.
The opening shot of Lucius (Paul Mescal) in “Gladiator II” echoes the first moments of Maximus (Russell Crowe), the hero in the original film, in order to show that the father is alive in the son. Writer-director Titus Kaphar’s “Exhibiting Forgiveness” tells a more intimate story about generational trauma and healing in which the protagonist, Tarrell, first avoids but ultimately confronts the impact of his father’s addiction and violence on his own life. While there is seldom a singular reason why so many films from the same year share a common theme, Nielsen suggests that the public’s increasing fascination with DNA testing has made individuals — including her — more curious about their pasts, even as the technology has enabled historians and cultural anthropologists to reexamine history with new eyes.
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