I watched two excellent films on DVD over the weekend, The Cove and World's Greatest Dad. The two films have absolutely nothing in common.
The Cove is a documentary about a heroic band of scientists and naturalists who risk life and limb attempting to expose the exploitation of dolphins in a small fishing village in Japan. The film is beautiful and tragic, and compelling. The Cove is the rare film that will make you want to do something, to save these dolphins.
World's Greatest Dad is a dark comedy about a writer (and of course, English teacher) whose teenage son is a bit odd, a bit dumb, and (of course) a lot horny, all traits that will lead the boy to some kind of trouble; and when tragedy befalls the writer/English teacher, he is presented with a once in a lifetime chance to fulfill his dream, to be a respected, published author; only snag is, he'll have to exploit his son to get what he wants. World's Greatest Dad is a funny, sick and twisted satire on our sick and twisted society.
Even the most seasoned pop culture aficionado would be hard-pressed to contrive subliminal connections between these two films; but, oddly enough, there is one thing they have in common: David Bowie. Both films play David Bowie songs over the final credits.
World's Greatest Dad ends with Under Pressure, taken from a hilarious scene in the movie where a student attempts to pass off Bowie's lyrics as his own poetry. For the The Cove, no song could be more fitting than Bowie's classic Heroes; it's actually kind of spooky how much the song mirrors the film:
I wish you could swim
Like the dolphins
Like dolphins can swim
Though nothing
Will keep us together
We can beat them
For ever and ever
Oh we can be Heroes
Just for one day
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