Theodicy: The Problem of Suffering The 1989 film, Crimes and Misdemeanors exhibits a common theme that many viewers can acquaint or even sympathize with; a theme that the universe allows for its inhabitants to experience either outward and baseless misery or undeserved reward. Lester and Judah, two of the production’s main characters, are fortunate in the sense that they both fall under the classification of being those who obtain and carry excessive benefits throughout the life of the production. However, Cliff and Ben, two of the movie’s other central personalities, find themselves on the opposite side of the spectrum, in that they experience unwarranted misfortune and anguish. Through analysis of the biblical books of Ecclesiastes and Job, and the movie Crimes and Misdemeanors, contrasts and comparisons are revealed through sins of greed, wrath, lust and envy committed by the film’s personalities. Although none of the characters reap the returns of what they definitively deserve, the film raises the complex question of theodicy and why bad things happen to good people. In the film, Judah, a name ironically synonymous with the apostle who betrayed Jesus Christ, is a married man who commits adultery and subsequently has his …show more content…
The movie depicts him as a successful individual who often celebrates his career triumphs with exquisite parties, expensive goods and lots of women. Although, Ecclesiastes 8:15, does not promote hedonism, Lester conceivably has an outlook on life that can be contradictory to the idea behind the passage, “So I commend pleasure, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat drink and to drink and to be merry.” Lester suffers no adversity in the film and could be considered fortuitous that karma has spared him in light of his sinful, over indulgent behavior and harsh treatment of