Living in a faith-less world : a reading of 'No Country for Old Men'

Abstract

Popular culture is frequently accused of communicating nothing of significance, of being merely a form of escapism for the masses. Theorists from both a conservative and from a progressive background seem to agree with this assessment. However, I want to show that this elitist view is unwarranted: the recent movie directed by the Coen brothers, ‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007) goes a long way towards dispelling the ‘escapist’ notion. If the genre defines the audience it seems that there are an increasing number of movies (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Fountain) that engage the viewer at a more sophisticated level; the widespread popularity of such movies is a sign that there is something about them that touches a chord with viewers.