Museum as Medium

This chapter first discusses how and why it is extremely difficult to define the concept of evil in theory and next analyzes why Goldberg's diachronic theory is useful in the study of evil. The authors explain how evil is fundamentally connected to the concepts of temporality and memory in the narrative universe of Museo. The intricacy of evil in the film is narrated through the metaphor of a museum. In this context, Museo's narrative gradually shows that each identity (or story) is limited by its scope of memory; and hence, each identity and their definitions of evil are different but somehow interrelated. As modern individuals, the protagonists have limited perception of history, loose connection with other cultures, and this leads them to commit an evil act. However, as in Goldberg's theory of diachronicity, when the museum brings several stories and temporalities together from different time spans, it becomes possible for the protagonist to question the motives of his evil act. Thus, Museo calls for a diachronic approach towards evil to challenge any form of ethnocentricity.