STILL WATER

Still water commonly refers to natural water, but literally means water that is not moving.

We can make our minds so like still water that beings gather about us that they may see, it may be, their own images, and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps even with a fiercer life because of our quiet.
William Butler Yeats

Stillwater is also the name of a town in the United States that inspired the title of a 2021 film starring Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin.

Stillwater

Have you seen it?

As the trailer clearly shows, it is the story of a father who arrives in France from Stillwater to help his daughter who is in prison.

When the film was released, Amanda Knox sparked a heated controversy by writing:
Does my name belong to me? My face? What about my life? My story? Why does my name refer to events I had no hand in? I return to these questions because others continue to profit off my name, face, & story without my consent. Most recently, the film #STILLWATER

Right? Of course.

I saw the film and honestly didn’t notice any correlations or references, apart from the fact that an American girl was in prison.

Furthermore, the film’s plot reveals an unexpected twist, and frankly, the fact that Amanda Knox strongly insists that this is her story surprises me, because it leads to a very specific consideration.

You know I never reveal details that could be spoilers, but if you’ve seen it, I’d love to hear your opinion.

Regardless, it happened again.

The Rip, the new film starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, was recently released, and they are promoting it.

During an interview for his podcast, Joe Rogan asked the two actors for their opinion on cancel culture.

Definition of cancel culture: an attitude of blame, usually expressed through social media, towards public figures or companies who have said or done something offensive or politically incorrect and who are therefore stripped of support and approval.

In short: media pillorying to achieve oblivion.

We know it well, would you like to give some examples?

Matt Damon responds by expressing his opinion:
I bet some of those people would have preferred to go to jail for 18 months or whatever, and then come out and say, ‘I paid my debt. Like, we’re done. Like, can we be done?’” The thing about that getting kind of excoriated, publicly like that, it just never ends. And it will just follow you to the grave.”

First of all, it’s an opinion.

And it refers to prison as the place where one pays their debt. It’s also a strong concept, undoubtedly, precisely to reinforce the comparison with the consequences of cancel culture.

But Amanda Knox once again felt compelled to attack Matt Damon, this time writing:
Another thing Matt Damon could have run by me about before putting out inyo the world.

Well… so Matt Damon should consult her before doing anything?

I would say that the water has become stagnant.

By now you know that I occasionally repeat Evelyn Beatrice Hall‘s quote. 

Am I too harsh on Amanda Knox?

Perhaps, you tell me.

Or is it just another case of “all publicity is good publicity”?

On January 26, a documentary entitled Mouth of the Wolf: Amanda Knox Returns to Italy, edited by Amanda Knox, will be released. It was filmed during her return to Italy, in Umbria, where she met again with Giuliano Mignini, who coordinated the investigation into the murder of Meredith Kercher.