I care about that which is alive- the breath of my fellow human + flora and fauna. No amount of capital gain or imposed religious/political ideology is worth harms done to, for we are irrevocably dependent on the health of this planet and one another.
For those that have yet to see Nosferatu but plan to, I have written out an aspect of this tale that I would say is not a spoiler (especially since it is a re-make), but may be something you choose to read after you view it for yourself so that you can take it in organically, finding your own meaning. So- read on if you choose.
At the beginning, Thomas sets out to prosper in the only way he knows how- financially. The clear sun filled sky observed as he arrives to his appointment swiftly turns grey and drenching wet as he accepts his assigned task reluctantly. He arrives home with a plan made of flowers and bended knee to ease the distress he knows will rise from his beloved at the news, yet he brings no intention to consider her point of view. Ellen pleads with him not to go, speaking of her darkened dreams that express bad fortune. Death. She is dismissed, as women are- her intuition labeled as trivial, hysterical- a burden to those around her. His 6 week charge begins, a presumably smooth venture up until he arrives at a small village just outside his destination. The unsettling returns. Ill omens are openly granted, yet still he does not heed, for he is naive in his apprehension. On foot he is faced with four approaching horses, dark as the night, belonging to a carriage that bids him welcome, he slowly steps in, his hesitation palpable. There is no doubt that every bone in his body is screaming for him to turn away, run home. Yet he moves onward, entering the ruined castle. As the doors close behind him we know- this is the point of no return, he has relinquished his agency.
This series of events in one way tells of how we erroneously find meaning and making in fortune (capitalism), burying what the heart and soul knows to be true. We will pursue it at great peril to ourself and others because we are convinced that it is the only way towards a better future. Money, status, recognition. A prison formed long ago by well off men seeking power and control, setting rules and regulations regarding what is normal and what is not. What is good and what is folly.
Though gender is a construct, it has lived long enough to form a mountain of matter… As men, you must be rational at all times, the insight of emotion is weak and useless. As women, you may hold onto such lowly content, but you will not be taken seriously. Too easily we refuse the significance of our inner guide in one way or another, and so the walls of our undoing hold, and the cycle of violence continues.
Nosferatu is a monster of our own making that we cannot defeat by mirrored means, for true strength is developed not taken. We overcome by waking up to their existence, influence, and methods of dominance in order to understand rather than deny this looming shadow. A grand show of honesty that releases their control, which by all accounts, does require a degree of self sacrifice.