A Discussion of Violence and Pacifism in The Witness- II

I did finish the film (The Witness), it is brilliant. The ending was not the one I thought it would be.

The director, John Weir, is a thinking man.

If you read my previous post, you would remember that Harrison Ford is a policeman, who has found sanctuary in the pacifist Amish community. An Amish child is witness to a murder; his grandfather tells him never to kill any man, but the child does not seem convinced.

This is not a propaganda film, so the narrative follows the conventions of cinema to a large extent. Ford and the mother of the boy fall in love; there is corrupt police, who come after Ford into the community; there is a fight at the climax and there is the ending. Nothing wrong in that.

But Weir is not afraid of asking questions, and choosing answers. Under what conditions should you kill? Under what conditions is it right to be a pacifist? Can pacifist and militant morality both live together?

In this film, the questions are answered not by speech, but by what the characters do.

Harrison Ford hurts and kills, because it is his nature. And the Amish restrain from returning violence with violence, because it is not in their nature.

But they are not irreconcilable. When faced with a ring of unarmed Amish, the man with the gun gives it up, as if he recognises the limits of violence. And when Harrison Ford goes away, the grandfather of the boy tells him, "Be careful among the English". It is as if, though pacifist, the Amish had recognised Ford as one among them.

I liked the film, because I imagine I understand what it is about. If there are enough witnesses, violence will not have its way. This is a simplistic conclusion, but it feels that way. We don't have to resist violence through violent means, but if we are aware and willing to be present where violence is, if we don't run away but confront it face to face with calm, then violence could end.

This is more hope and promise than conclusion and proof.

Afterthought:

I think it would be right to say that Weir wants this conclusion to be drawn: do not run away from violence, bear witness to it- you need not resist it, for if there is enough witness, evil would lose its bluster.

Samuel, the child, is directed by Ford to run to the neighbour's farm. More than halfway down, Samuel hears gunshots and returns home. Then, when his mother and grandfather are taken away by the man with the gun, he rings the bell, summoning all men of the community to come. They drop their implements and come, they do not talk or intervene in any way when the man has the gun at Ford, threatening to shoot him down. But it is Ford who asks the question, "How many can you kill?", telling him, "Enough is enough". The man comes to his senses.