El Topo

A cult movie made in the 1970's, El Topo is a movie I've been recommending to everyone and anyone. Granted, its not for all, but it has become increasingly popular over the last few years.

As with all Alejandro Jodorowsky movies, it doesn't fall into any easy conventions, and is heavy with symbolism and allegory.

I'm sure Googling "El Topo" will lead to dozens of write-ups about it, so it's not my intention to compete with what are probably better, more intelligent theories on the movie, however, I have been thinking about El Topo lately.

Since it is divided into two distinct parts, I was trying to come up with an allegory that could link the two. The easy one is "death and resurrection", and El Topo getting Christ's stigmata fuels this, but I think you could say there is another, smaller theme: the transition from youth to adulthood.

In the first half, El Topo is brash and violent. He cheats and kills in his quest to be the best. His motives are driven by ambition and lust. In the second half, he is more peaceful and kind. His motives are born from love of the people he is trying to help. I think there is more maturity in El Topo in the second half. I'm not saying this is the main theme of the movie, though. I think the religious aspects are too strong, especially with El Topo resembling a Buddhist monk in the second half (and his final actions mirroring the famous monk who protested the war in Vietnam). I do think, though, that the theme of "maturity" provides a bridge between the film's halves.