How much levity belongs in art? Especially in art that deals with serious subject matter? Think about 2012’s Django Unchained. It was one of the few films to address slavery in quite some time. Of course, its approach is very much a Tarantino one; while the movie is a drama, it is chock-full of stylistic and humorous touches that lighten the otherwise devastating subject matter. Contrast this with last year’s 12 Years a Slave, which pulls no punches in its stark, honest portrayal of the horrors of the institution. Does one film mean “more” than the other because of its tone? Is Django Unchained less important because it is less serious? These questions are hard to answer, and they persist – most recently in Big Bad Wolves, a 2013 Israeli thriller.
Steven Cohen's 365 Days of Reviews 