Film Critique: Arrival
Arrival directed by Denis Villeneuve has a realistic view on the relation between human and alien, the division of the human race, and the acceptance of the inevitable. The film centers around linguists teacher Louise Banks, who is called upon to work for the U.S. army after 12 alien ships lands on earth. Since she is one of the country 's best linguists, she gets to help communicate with the aliens. Through a language that uses time travel to partly communicate, Louise communicates with the aliens and brings unity throughout the entire world. The film ends with Louise being able to see her future and even though she knows it won 't end well, chooses to not change it. A look into Amy Adams character Louise show
…show more content…
From playing ditzy damsel in distress Giselle in 2007 Enchanted to bringing to life the intelligent and emotionally strong Louise in Arrival, she shows acting maturity and growth. Granted the films are two different genres, she still proves that she can portray characters that are very cartoonish and now characters that can convey the deepest aspects of humanity. A passage from the New York Times, “ By turns inviting and opaque, Ms. Adams turns softness and quiet into heroic qualities, keeping her voice low, modulated, and stillness drawing you …show more content…
One of the ideas is the acceptance of the inevitable, and human response to it. Often movies show characters trying to change the future but Louise doesn 't, she accepts her destiny without argument. That is a realistic response to something like that because after knowing what Louise knows, there is an understanding about how some things cannot be changed and that 's okay. So the idea that someone would go through the pain of losing their child because it is better than not having on at all, is a probable thing. The bigger realistic topic of the fim is communication and unity. Louise struggles to communicate with the aliens, as well as the other world leaders. Humans at this point in time have separated from each other using false borders, different languages, and different policies for living. The film is a utopia for unity between countries. The aliens whole language brings together the world in the end. The scene in which Louise is being congratulated for communicating with the aliens, a flag with the aliens symbol is clearly shown to convey to the audience that the world is now united. It is all about breaking down the borders that keeps human beings for being together and creating a world where everyone is the same. The Washington Post writes, “Coming on the heels of a fractious election season, Arrival could reflexively be interpreted as an allegory about immigration, communication and
This paper entitled, Imitation of Life is based on the movie Imitation of Life. This movie is set in the 1940s. In the movie, an African American woman by the name of Annie becomes the care taker of a Caucasian woman's (Lora) daughter, Susie. In the movie, the caretaker Annie has a daughter named Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane is the product of a rape, performed by a Caucasian man, which results in her being fair skinned and able to pass as a Caucasian woman, which she does for a long time. Due to the fact this movie focuses on the themes of identity and class, I will use the following psychological views and tests to discuss how psychology can be demonstrated every day. The Kenneth
The movie analyzed in this paper is The Mission. This movie contains several sociological aspects and concepts. The concepts most easily identified are the ones that will be discussed in the following pages of this paper. Those concepts are Social Inequality, Deviance, and Subcultures. Social inequality is the social differences that exist whenever one group of people has different access to the rewards a society offers. Deviance is a variation from a set of norms or shared social expectations. Finally subcultures are groups of persons who share in the main culture of a society but also have their own distinctive values, norms, and life styles. These three concepts are clearly recognizable and are the concepts most prevalent in storyline of the movie.
Silas Lynch, who is presented as the antithesis of Ben Cameron and the main villain of the film, represents the dangers of letting a black person have freedom and power. Lynch, who has been told by Austin Stoneman that he can be the equal of any white man, uses his new political influence to terrorize the white population of Piedmont, and to supplant his black biased agenda over the traditions of the south. In one of the more outrageous scenes of the film, Lynch’s black supporters actually block white voters from reaching the ballot box during an election, effectively denying the historical struggle of African American voters to gain proper suffrage rights by reversing the roles in the film. This scene is also used to make the viewer feel sympathetic toward the Ku Klux Klan when they deny African Americans the ability to vote at the end of the film. At the beginning of the reconstruction period, Ben Cameron feels powerless and frustrated.
Sex, love, depression, guilt, trust, all are topics presented in this remarkably well written and performed drama. The Flick, a 2014 Pulitzer Prize winning drama by Annie Baker, serves to provide a social commentary which will leave the audience deep in thought well after the curtain closes. Emporia State Universities Production of this masterpiece was a masterpiece in itself, from the stunningly genuine portrayal of the characters of Avery and Rose, to the realism found within the set, every aspect of the production was superb.
Gone with the Wind is a classic fictional love story that depicts life in the old south before, during and after the Civil war. The book was originally written in 1936 by Margret Mitchell, the movie adaptation was released in 1939, directed by Victor Fleming, and staring Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh. Ms. Mitchell grew up listening to Civil war stories from confederate veterans. It was reported that they told her everything; everything that is, except that they had lost the war, she found that out when she was 10 years old. Though the book was written 71 years after the Civil War ended, Ms. Mitchell did her research and appears to have drawn inspiration from those childhood stories that she was told. This is apparent in the detailed description of the clothing, houses, and everyday discussions and interactions of the characters throughout the book. Though not all historically correct most of what is in the book is accurate. During the time the movie was released, “damn” was considered to be vulgar and controversial and they used the term “darkies” to describe the slaves.
diversity of this world. The last few minutes of the film we learn that Molly and her two daughters were transported back to the Moore River Native Settlement and made the 1,200 mile trip for a second time. This shows the audience that the racism in Australian did not just end with the movie; there were many more years of oppression against the Aboriginal culture.
Since the birth of movies, Hollywood has strived to delve into the human experience and present certain aspects of life to the general population. Mental disorders are just one of many topics that are often explored for use in the media. The film A Beautiful Mind focuses specifically on paranoid schizophrenia, and follows protagonist John Nash’s life as he lives with the disorder. The film details Nash’s presymptomatic life at Princeton University, follows him through the early stages of the disorder, and continues as the symptoms begin to overrun his life. Luckily for Nash, his disorder is eventually clinically diagnosed and he is treated. The movie not only shares the tale of Nash’s life, but also shares with audiences a lesson about the
The Bad and The Beautiful (1952) and State and Main (2000) are films within films that unmask Hollywood Cinema as a dream factory and expose the grotesque, veneer hidden by the luxury of stars. The Bad and the Beautiful, directed by Vincent Minnelli, is a black and white film narrated in flashback form. The films theatrical nature requires more close-ups than wide-screen shots to capture the character’s psychological turmoil. For example, Fred and Jonathan’s car ride is captured in a close-up to signify their friendship; however their relationship deteriorates after Jonathan’s deceit. While the camera zooms out, Fred stands alone motionless. Here, Fred is captured from a distance at eye-level and he becomes ostracized by the film industry and
The film draws connections between the opening scene where passers-by are being interviewed about their feelings on the Newcomers. Their answers range from feeling like their jobs are being taken, asking why we (referring to The United States of America) have to take them, and expressing fears for their educations because of the Newcomers seemingly advanced learning skills.
Also, as immigrant this affects Zainab and Mauna, because it allows them to see the injustice and the oppression in immigration system. The film illustrates how society labels illegal immigrants as outside the norm, marginalized Tarek. Immigrant are being deported and exposed to the injustice system.
The end of World War I, according to some European historians, occurred on May 8, 1945 or V-E Day. A day marking the change of the world’s enemy from Nazi Germany to Communist Russia. Fears of Communism, the totalitarian government of Soviet Russia, were invited through the use of propaganda in the media by the United States government. Illustrating this type of propaganda is the motion picture, The Red Menace released in 1949 by Republic Motion Pictures provides acumens of the fears and concerns on the minds of Americans during a period in America’s history known today as the Cold War.
The film called Home, a comical animated spin on alien attack thrillers directed by Tim Johnson tells a story about Aliens who call themselves the Boov. The Boov conquer the earth and they relocate the planets ' human population, all except for a little girl named Tip. Tip is a normal teenager with not so perfect hair, a tomboy look alike, sassy and that’s what makes her different. She isn 't just some fake or over enthusiastic girly girl that wants to find prince charming. Oh, is a loveable misfit that wants to be loved but instead is known for being extremely annoying. He lands on earth and finds himself on the run from his own people. When he inadvertently sends a message out of the planet, the Boov fear that
“The Mission” is based on a true story that occurred around the borderlands of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil in the years 1750’s according to the film and history. The Treaty of Madrid of 1750 with the Spanish and Portuguese caused both havoc and death for the people of the Guarini and the members of the Jesuits. The Jesuits, members of the church, tried to bring Christianity and civilization to the natives while keeping at peace with Spain and Portugal. The Jesuits were the teachers for the natives; Teaching them not only the Christian religion but also civilization. Father Gabriel, a Jesuit, is first introduced in the film when he is showing his respects to a former Jesuit priest killed by the natives. He walks through the South American
The first scenes in Arrival encourage the formation of a false hypothesis. In the first scene, a montage plays of Louise and her daughter, Hannah. We witness three stages of Hannah’s life, as a baby, a little girl, and a young woman. The montage finishes off with Louise crying over Hannah’s body in a hospital. Immediately following this montage is a shot of Louise looking depressed and despondent, as she walks into the university she works for. This creates a suppressed gap. It seems obvious that Louise’s sullen demeanor is a direct result of her daughter’s death. Also, the first two-thirds of the film largely ignore this opening sequence. The syuzhet frames every event, up until the last third of the film, in a way as to suggest Louise is
While Imitation of Life 's main story involves the fortunes and loves of a central female character, this story intersects with the racially charged trials and tribulations of an African-American woman and her light-skinned daughter. Both films offer the view that a white woman can improve her circumstances with enough guts, ingenuity, and physical attractiveness, but that African Americans, even those light enough to pass for white, are inherently unable to realize the rags-to-riches dream of the self-made person that infects Americans to this very day.