12 Monkeys is a 1995 American science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam, inspired by Chris Marker’s 1962 short film La Jetée, starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt, with Christopher Plummer and David Morse in supporting roles.
In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet. James Cole, a prisoner of the state in the year 2035, can earn parole if he agrees to travel back in time and thwart a devastating plague. The virus has wiped out most of the Earth’s population and the remainder live underground because the air is poisonous. Returning to the year 1990, six years before the start of the plague, Cole is soon imprisoned in a psychiatric facility because his warnings sound like mad ravings. There he meets a scientist named Dr. Kathryn Railly and Jeffrey Goines, the mad son of an eminent virologist. Cole is returned by the authorities to the year 2035 and finally ends up at his intended destination in 1996.
Pitt was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and he won a Golden Globe Award for his performance. The film also won and was nominated for various categories at the Saturn Awards.
The movie is about correcting a mistake made in the past in order to save the world and make it a better place. The primary theme is about facing fear and the desire to find love in an unloving world. As we watch this movie, we can relate to today’s Covid fear relating to sickness and death.
The movie is available on Amazon Prime, Vudu, Itunes, and YouTube.
Rev. George Maddox facilitated Movie Discussion Group.
Here is a link to a playsheet designed to facilitate contemplative movie watching: Click Here
