NOTE: Class-required Post

Truth-tellers and troublemakers in film? It seems like this would be an easy post to bang out, but I'm drawing a blank. I've seen my fair share of movies, but I guess I haven't ever really considered the truth-telling vs. troublemaking aspect of said characters before.

I suppose Michael Moore comes to mind as both a truth-teller and troublemaker with his films. He usually does a pretty good job of exposing the truth with factual information as its proof, which has had him deemed troublesome by those entities which his films may skewer. Of course, he's also stretched the truth on more than one occasion in his films in order to further his points of view on a topic, which makes him troublesome in my book.
It's not always easy, it's not always fun, and it may not always end the way you expected or wanted it to end, but seeking out the truth must be done as honestly as possible if you really want to further a cause. You lose credibility by stretching the truth (usually to near its breaking point) and that only serves to damage the credibility of your particular cause.

As for fictional characters, I'm drawing a total blank. So, screw it, let's just talk about Star Wars.

There's a gaggle of truth-tellers and troublemakers throughout the course of those six films, so I'm sure I can name at least one in the few moments I have left here...


Yoda vs. Sidious.

Yoda was certainly a truth-teller of the films. He told it as it was and rarely minced words with those with whom he interacted, be it a child student, an older Jedi, or a member of the Senate.
Sidious, on the other hand, was very much a troublemaker. His entire character's story arc was predicated upon how well he was able to lie and manipulate others into inadvertently advancing his schemes. He lied to Anakin on a constant basis in order to confuse him and make him question his own beliefs, he lied to the Senate as a whole regarding just about everything he ever told it, and he lied to the Jedi right up until the end of Episode 3.

And when he and Yoda finally had their duel, it was the ultimate meeting of truth vs. trouble in the history of film. That's right. The entire history of film.

Ok, well, I've exercised my nerd muscle enough for one afternoon.