MOVIES ARE MADE TO BE RECEIVED. The best reason to make movies is to serve others. Others are served by stories that are life-enhancing. Yes, they must be entertaining first, that’s the hook. But then, in the best of movies, there is something extra.

Over two thousand years ago, Aristotle identified the essential components of Ancient Greek Drama, the precursor of theater, and ultimately of cinema as well. Aristotle said that all stories needed and were held together by a “central idea.” He also said that the audience’s emotions were “purged” by a good story, and this he called catharsis.

If you look at movies today, both good and bad, you can see that the “good” ones are suffused by some kind of central idea, and the bad ones are not. As human beings, we are attracted to things that help us learn and grow, that shed light on the truth.

As filmmakers and storytellers, we have a sacred responsibility to speak the truth as best we can. The audience is hungry for it. Have you ever thought about how essential stories are to the human psyche? Why else would we have movie theaters and video stores throughout the landscape? Stories, and what they communicate to us, are nearly as essential as food and water. If there weren’t cinemas and televisions, we’d revert to the oral storytelling tradition, which is what pre-dated Greek drama. And in the oral tradition, the same principles espoused by Aristotle apply.

What we are talking about here is mythology. Human beings crave stories that give us insight, that expand our minds. Our minds are, in fact, wired to respond to the story format. The story has a grand and honorable tradition. As storytellers we have a responsibility to build a latter day mythology. This does not necessarily mean light sabres and dragons. Rather, I am talking about a mythology of the human spirit, that helps the individual understand and map out a path to greater awareness, to understanding and making sense of the human adventure, its highs and lows, and even death.

Because stories are meant to be received, we need to realize their power. In the best of films, there is an invisible energy – I would call it spiritual energy – that is evoked by the movie. It is really quite magical. The only way to access it as a filmmaker is to allow yourself to be guided by a higher power. In reality, we don’t make movies. The universe does. Our job as filmmakers is to acknowledge this and stay out of the way. We are matadors.

To some this may sound new-agey, and it is. But don’t take my word for it. Examine the movies you consider great, both drama and comedy, and see if they aren’t suffused by a central idea, and even a special energy that sets them apart. When we get in touch with that, we are working on a different level.  It serves the audience, and is its own reward.