Eye For An Eye

In tracing the history of literature and cinema, we can observe how the theme of revenge has nearly always been prevalent. It has often been used as a key narrative element, giving characters the motivation to take action and the determination to achieve their goal. This is unsurprising because revenge, defined as a desire to bring fundamental justice, is linked to the history of mankind, regardless of whether it had an individual and personal dimension or was related to a broader context – political, social, or religious. According to one interpretation, which is symbolic, the coronavirus pandemic we experienced a few years ago was nature’s revenge for how mankind had mistreated it over the years. We can read about revenge in Greek mythology; it propels Shakespeare’s works and it’s the driving force behind the plot of Alexandre Dumas’ novels. It’s also an extremely rewarding subject for filmmakers. One only has to think of Quentin Tarantino and his excellent Kill Bill diptych or the cult-classic Vengeance Trilogy directed by Park Chan-wook. And although today it’s considered its own subgenre, the concept of revenge goes way beyond that. It’s widely used by the creators of thrillers and detective stories, as well as costume dramas, melodramas, horror films, and even comedies. Revenge knows no boundaries, including geographical ones. In the special section of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA festival, we will look at the many faces of this phenomenon. We will consider its prevalence in today’s troubled times, as well as whether revenge is always sweet, and whether it can bring any kind of relief.