Gran Torino

Gran Torino describes the transformation of a Vietnam veteran and the horrific events that occur in his predominantly Hmong neighborhood. He becomes a father figure to Thao, the neighbor boy, which later creates a conflict between the strict role of a Hmong young man and how Tao wants to act. Nationality determines what products a person buys in this film, drawing a clear distinction between ethnicities with America as the hero. While advertising Ford, the Gran Torino car is a versatile symbol holding alternate significance for each character. Media consumption plays a minor role villain when it is present. The film tackles the social issues of racism, gender roles, and family for the entire duration. Gran Torino uses product placement and symbols to communicate cultural messages within the plot.

Advertising focusing on nationality fills this film linking cultures with products from that nation. For example, Walt only drinks the American made beer Pabst, and then the beer he later pulls from the refrigerator at the Hmong party is Chinese made Tsingtao. This distinction between brands is oblivious when he says “plenty of beer but no Pabst”. If it were an American beer, he probably would not have commented on the difference. However, though people tend to buy outside their “ethnic” products there is no obvious deviation from Asian products by the Hmong characters. The Hmong gang members drive a Honda and blare music from Buddah a Hmong artist. The first half the film focuses on drawing these nationality lines with the product placement.

Asian products have less advertising and are villanized in Gran Torino. This strategy strengthens the power of the American products in promoting the “old school” Americanism theme. Cars the fi...

... middle of paper ...

...ght s that consumers can draw multiple conclusions from the scenes. Sue fights against sexism while Thao embraces it. Gran Torino leaves the family conflicts open, creating debris of “what if…?” questions. Gran Torino does not assert the answer to these social issues but presents them as focal points to think about.

Gran Torino relies on product placement and cultural symbols to build its plot. The division between genders, ethnicity and community develops awareness towards these sensitive topics. Product placement is present at every level within the film; highly visible products importing a stronger message and less obvious ones adding to the atmosphere. The film advertises products to strengthen the story and build common ground with the cultural representations.

Works Cited

Gran Torino. Eastwood, Clint. Dir. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. Pictures, 2009. DVD.