Often times when we’re asked to analyze truth in film, the easiest target is the biopic. How strictly the story aligns with true events can vary. Because the films can have creative liberty in creating a story based on true events, assumptions are made about which events were snipped, altered, or added. This provides discussions about whether or not those events that made the cut are more important or interesting than real life.
When writing films, there is some level of creative liberty. Reality does not happen in a 2 hour time span. Considering how film runtimes compress storylines, some events need to be altered to express the same essence of what truly happened. Though the film scenes may not mirror reality exactly, the hope is that the scenes still express the same lessons learned from real life.
Truth in film is an ongoing question for many viewers. Some take the title “Based on a True Story” very seriously and without question. Whether films should start with a disclaimer that not everything is true brings more discussion. Perhaps the notion of creative liberty should be more widely spread, or even added to a disclaimer before a film. In this way, misinformation about what exactly happened can be avoided.
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