In Bale’s view “The Dark Knight” is an even lonelier outing for his character, who once naïvely thought his crime fighting could be a finite endeavor. “This escalation has now meant that he feels more of a duty to continue,” he said. “And now you have not just a young man in pain attempting to find some kind of an answer, you have somebody who actually has power, who is burdened by that power, and is having to recognize the difference between attaining that power and holding on to it.”

Reading an article in the IHT on the new Batman movie by Chris Nolan. The passage I quote above sounds like a description of the coming-of-age experience, but in extremis. As most of these experiences go, it starts with a sense of naivity, earnestness – we are anxious to venture out into the world, thinking we are ready to embark on a quest of searching answers to questions – who you are, what your place in the world is, what your potential is. Then, a life changing experience seeks you out, you got what you were originally searching for, but also much more than you bargained for. An escalation. Actions have real life implications. Your actions have real life implications, and its potential is both limitless and unpredictable. The realization of power, and its heavy burden. The realization of what you have done, what you can do, (the uncertainty of) what effect it has on others. But even more important is the question that follows out of that realization: now that you know what you can do, the differences you can make, and your actions are your choice, what will you do? What will you decide to do, and ultimately, who you are?