Truths, Half-truths, and Sea Stories

The Matrix, both cult film and box office success, burst onto the scene in 1999 with a roller-coaster science fiction narrative propelled by groundbreaking special effects. It satisfied all the conventions of genre filmmaking but also managed to provide a level of symbolic depth akin to an art film. By proposing a computer-generated virtual reality (aka The Matrix) and drawing parallels between unconscious slavery and consumer-based existence, the movie spoke to Gen X audiences who perhaps smelled a rat in the technological kitchens of the dot com era. And the prophetic character of Morpheus played by Laurence Fishburne gave a cool and steady voice to their doubts. In short, The Matrix was about as subversive as Hollywood could get without posing an outright threat to the illusions of tinsel town.

Fast-forward 15 years to a Kia commercial. A sophisticated couple approaches a valet to reclaim their vehicle. Morpheus spins…