The problem of evil in cinema: The background of evil in the movies Dogville and Manderlay

The problem of evil which is one of the main problems of the philosophy of religion is a subject that is widely discussed. In order to discuss this problem, we have discussed Lars Von Trier's Dogville and Manderlay films from the point of moral evil. In our thesis which we have discussed the causes and effects of the phenomenon of evil morally, we have analyzed the events involving evil in Dogville and Manderlay. Furthermore, we have discussed how evil may appear in the human nature when the current conditions have changed. When a person moves away from his current situation and gains power, he can become a bad person.The reason why we have dealt with the problem of evil through cinema is the scarcity of this kind of work in the field because this problem has been discussed abstract point of view for many years. When the problem of evil is considered from an abstract point of view, some issues may not be understood. For this reason, it may help us to understand the issue better by moving the problem of evil away from the abstract point of view and dealing with it through films that we will examine from a concrete point of view. On the other hand, we have tried to show the abstract concepts by means of embodying in the characters in the cinema such as: morality, goodness, evil, freedom, will and responsibility. By this way, we have showed the equivalent of the problem in the practical life. This thesis has been distinguished from other studies by embodying the problem of evil in the films that has been chosen. Moreover, by using the advantages of the episodic narrative in the films Dogville and Manderlay we have been able to approach the problem from an observent point of view. Episodic narration differs from other film techniques in that it does not make the person watching the movie forget that he is watching the movie and makes him question the movie. This has helped us to examine the films philosophically. As a result, we have seen the change in the moral values and judgments of Grace who is the main character of the films we have chosen. We have witnessed that she is extremely tolerant and regarding this she thinks that she has high moral values. However, we also have witnessed that when the conditions have changed she gains power and she behaves the exact opposite way. Consequently, we can say that toleration do not always have positive results and sometimes leads to unexpected negative results.