Movies

Are You More Human Than ‘Reptile’?

Early in ‘Reptile’ in an ominous scene with someone who will be murdered shortly finding shedded snake skin hidden in a house. It suggests there will be someone creeping up, with his cold-blooded true colours seen. (See the film banner subtly filtered through skin.) This person will turn out to not be who he seems. Her lover becomes her killer. After her death, a detective tasked with investigation also discovers that his long-time trusted colleagues are not who they seem. Cops become robbers. Just when he thought there is one last fellow detective who can be trusted, it turns out that he is in cahoots with the rest too. Although he kind of gave him a five-second warning, it was too little almost too late.

The disturbing plot prompts one ‘loud’ question at the end, that probably echoes on in the audience’s minds. ‘Who can I really trust?Since we cannot read minds to know the exact details of others’ motivations, looks like the only ones we can really trust are ourselves. But such fundamental trust has to be hard-earned too. Have you ever let yourself down morally? How steadfast are you to the precepts you are supposed to uphold? Am sure the lover did not exactly plan to be a killer in the first place, and the cops did not want to be robbers since day one. Something went wrong down the road. Their integrity was corroded by unchecked greed, hatred and delusion, gradually but surely, over some time.

Thus, contrary to what most might think, that this is just another story about the potential abject corruption of those around us, it also forces us to reflect on ourselves. Are you more insidiously ‘reptilian’ than human? Can you trust yourself to be true to yourself, trustworthy to others too? To ensure this, in Buddhist practice, there are vows to observe the Five, Eight and/or Bodhisattva Precepts. For Bodhisattva preceptors, there is even recitation of the precepts twice a month, for regular reflection, repentance and recommitment. If we cannot even count on ourselves, who can we count on? If we can count on our integrity, others can too. We should expect ourselves to be good, more so than others. This will protect everyone.

Please Be Mindful Of Your Speech, Namo Amituofo!

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