If…
By Cory Peynado, Blockbuster.co.uk

“War is the last possible creative act”

Sharing some of the controversy and disturbing attributes of Stanley Kubric’s ‘A Clockwork Orange’ this is a tall tale of rebellion. Think back to when you were a student in school getting told what to do and when to do it. Did the word revolution ever enter your mind? Any of the guys out there ever feel like spraying your name on the walls without using a spray can? The feeling of empowerment never really has a place in our minds until we don’t have it, and that is essentially the crux of this story.

Still widely regarded as one of the strongest films ever made by an English Director this film stood at the edges of British cinemas already wavering reputation and screamed its lungs out. Cleverly titled If…. what we really get from this film is a hugely significant question, what if society was like this? And what would really happen if society turned against the system?

Mick Travis is entering his final year of public school. The headmaster is unbelievably strict, the rules are not to be challenged and the students are so tough it’s like their made out of stone. As the film moves on we begin to get a clear idea of some of the horrific violations that these students encounter from severe humiliation to genital inspections and we start to understand the fuel that eventually leads Mick into his journey of rebellion.

The more Mick is punished, the more out of control he becomes. The beatings and the malicious discipline that he receives only serve to spur him on further. It even gets to the point were the audience is not sure how much of what we are watching is actually real or whether Mick is dreaming it up. That’s some of the brilliance of this movie, we know sometimes we want so badly to rebel and be courageous in front of our peers but its just not possible, so how far can we go?

Breaking down militaristic walls is an inspiring thing to do, and when your being treated in such an extreme way Mick seems almost like the hero even though his actions are somewhat shocking and dangerous. The film is bold in its sentiments and lets you mentally go where you want to, whether that’s comparisons with modern society or deciding who is right and wrong.

Like I said some of the scenes are brutally strong. Nothing is really off limits when showing us the full extent of the authority and dominance that this school tried to keep over its pupils. Moving sometimes from black and white to colour the film constantly tries to disorientate the viewer and forces us to start asking ourselves the same questions as Mick, What If….

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