"The Voorman Problem"

"We're going to change positions. You can juggle time, gravity, waves and particles. You can sift through the trash cans for tiny specks of originality. You can watch glaciers form and continents pillaged in your name..."

I don't know what I was expecting coming into this film, but this wasn't it. I knew it was about an inmate who thought he was a god, and that Martin Freeman's character was investigating him. I might have expected a Silence of the Lambs sort of deal, where it's a look into the psychology of the criminally insane. I did not expect Voorman to actually be a god.

This film presents a very interesting take on the concept of gods. The typical monotheist God figure is some type of benevolent judge, who determines right from wrong and watches over us from a separate plane of existence. But religions such as those have always left room to question why it is that this god created mankind and the universe -- it seems a fairly pointless endeavor. The Voorman perception of God is that of a being who created the universe as his plaything, as a means of entertainment for himself. This is a really interesting portrayal; the all-powerful but slightly mad god. He's driven himself crazy by living in a world that he controls and therefore can never truly be a part of. It's kind of funny when juxtaposed against the Christian god; one has a plan for all humans and is organizing things for the best, while the other is just messing around in whatever way pleases him. In a sad sort of way, the Voorman god seems a bit more likely to me.

What I wonder, though, is what happens next. In the quote above, it sounds as though Voorman, by switching places with the doctor, is giving him all of his godly powers. Will the doctor become the new Voorman? Does he now have the power to wipe out countries on a whim? And if so, what will he do with that? We know he's not about to get out of the prison, and will probably get shipped off to the asylum if he doesn't stop shouting about being a doctor. It also brings up the question of whether Voorman was always a god. Was he in a similar position to the doctor, with his power transferred to him?

All in all, I love the concept of the omnipotent, omniscient god being a madman. Not so in love with the filmmaking -- the story feels rushed and far too simple for such a creative subject -- but it makes you think.