Chris Kyle Analysis

Hollywood not only struggles with representing minorities but often demonizes foreign cultures, particularly in war films. This can be observed in films such as American Sniper which portrays Navy seal snipers Chris Kyle and his experiences in Iraq. While the film is based on personal recounts from Chris Kyle the film fails to show Kyle's true opinions on his actions. In his book Kyle refers to people he has killed as “savages” and “only wishes he had killed more”, however this was completely excluded from the film. The film also fails to provide any sort of context into why American Soldiers are engaged in the conflicts being portrayed. This then leaves the viewer to believe that the enemy in the film has no true reason for shooting at the

heros of the film other than a Vehement hatred for America. American sniper however is not only appealing to a small gun totting audience but was the highest grossing film of 2014 and received wide critical acclaim including six academy award nominations. This is particularly alienating for Muslim audience members who have been under constant fire following 9/11 and the continued conflicts in the middle east.
Captain Phillips was not a war film however it showed the same lack of cultural representation and context that films such as American Sniper often exhibit. In the film a harmless family man is kidnapped by somali pirates wanting a piece of American prosperity. The film offers little context to justify the actions of the villains in the film. Following the collapse of the Somali government commercial fishing vessels began illegally fishing in Somalia stealing according to a UN report some 300 million pounds of fish in 2006 alone. This has forced many men who would otherwise use the ocean as their livelihood to resort to pirating to survive. Captain Phillips ofcourse provides no context of this forcing the audience to believe the worst about these exploited fishermen. For any audience members who do come from Somalia or similar situations they might feel unheard and disconnected by the film.
The issue with both Captain Phillips and American Sniper particularly in their lack of objective storytelling can be attributed to stringent military oversight. In order to use resources such as battleships and weapons among other military resources the Pentagon has to oversee the filming and approve final edit of the film. If the film does not follow the Pentagons guidelines they are unable to use the equipment to make their films. Because of this films cannot tell stories that the pentagon might perceive as unfavorable to the image of the military. Saving Private Ryan, Catch 22 and Full Metal Jacket were all declined funding from the pentagon for their unfavorable portrayal of the military. While Pearl Harbor (2002), A Few Good Men and Top Gun all not only received funding but underwent script changes to make their movies more favorable to the US government. Film makers are then being complicit to censorship and by doing so allowing for cultures and the realities of war to be skewed. Given that these films are being supported by the American government it makes sense that viewers who find themselves alienated would feel disconnected from America.
It can be argued that the depiction of the American experience within films might disconnect us from our own experiences, given that the lives we see on screen are often far more glamourous. Martin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street tells a story of a wealthy man who finds his way to success. Moviegoers might relate with the main character's values of working hard to achieve wide success and building a better life for himself and his family. An American institute study sighted a pew study conducted in 2014 that stated 73 percent of Americans believed that success was directly correlated to hard work. For this reason people may feel disconnected from their own experience, believing that if they had worked harder they would be wealthy and there for happy. However this is a fallacy given that the American dream being portrayed in the Wolf of Wall street only causes the characters more unhappiness. However not all films portray the American dream in a unrealistic and materialistic way.
American beauty is a fantastic piece of American Cinema that analyzes flawed aspects of the American dream. The film follows a man in white suburbia with all the cornerstones of an ideal American. It's not his lifestyle that is significant but the fact that he hates it. While the American dream is defined as prosperity through hard work, that hard work is not always in line with the pursuit of happiness. This is shown by a conversation between the main character, Lester Burnham and his Wife. Prior to this conversation Lester is trying to kindle his dying marriage when his wife stops him for fear that he will spill beer on the couch. Lester responds “It’s just a couch, this isn’t life! This is just stuff. And it’s become more important to you than living”. This quote is an excellent example of why this film connects so well to the viewers American experience. While many people are consumed with working to achieve material wealth they forget what makes them happy. This has been supported by a study conducted by the University of British Columbia which showed that while money can help people feel less sad it does not correlate to being happier. Therefor American beauty is connecting us to our American experience by showing that happiness comes from within, not from money or “things”.
Despite the faults of hollywood American Cinema is not entirely confined to hollywood.

Many independent films have given women and minorities a fair representation on camera, explored other cultures with an objective view and attempted to fairly portray the American experience. The 2009 film the visitor told the story of a widowed college professor who befriends a Syrian immigrant and his Senegalese girlfriend who live in a small apartment next to him in Manhattan. This film in particular is significant given that it was still nominated for an oscar, but more importantly was filmed independently, “Mr. McCarthy also noted, his was also a low-budget, character-driven indie film, which gave him the freedom to take his story where he wanted, without having to worry about high-concept pitches, marketing strategies or focus groups.” (New York Times). Another film titled 3 and ½ minutes is a documentary which tells the story of a black teenage shot in Jackson Florida and analyzes the current relationship between races in America. This is a highly relevant film however it was not widely popular. Advantageous is among many films given the 2015 sundance film festival award that focused on life for women in a constantly shifting society, These movies show that there American Cinema does exist that gives a voice to people and cultures that are unrepresented however hollywood still has a long way to

go.
In conclusion we are connected to our American experience through films such as American beauty which accurately portray some of the realities of life in America. We are also connected through independent cinema, which gives a voice to those that would otherwise not be represented in big budget cinema. At the same time we are disconnected by films that disparage women and minorities by not representing them in films. Furthermore Americans of various cultural backgrounds are disconnected when there cultures and races are demonized within films.