In the film Sankofa it gave the viewers a direct representation of what it was like to be a slave. What it felt like, the pain, the abuse and the anger that drove them to killing their master’s. The main character Shola went from someone who did not agree with violence as a source of revenge to someone who had nothing but fight left in her. This character's change in emotion alone just made me even more angry about what they did to my people. This film made me really see how much life and innocence they took away from black race. This film was different from other slavery films I have seen. The characters showed raw emotion which gave a more impactful insight of slavery. The character Joe who struggled so much with his own identity and
fought so hard not to be black, just made me even more infuriated. He is a representation of a coon which is still prevalent today. Joe’s heavy reliance on religion throughout the film to keep him away from “creatures” shows what the Catholics used to symbolize in this time. The naive woman in the beginning of the film who is unaware of her own identity as a black women conveys the same thing as Joe’s character. “Why are you making me stay, I’m not African!” The repetition of this same line shows the main idea of the film. The main idea is to show what black race as a whole went through whether you were jamaican or african. We all still identify as black and this is the pain we must all endure to understand the impact that slavery had on our people. This film gave me an understanding of why black women hold such a reputation of being strong and independent. Our ancestors used to endure so much and yet still remain strong and still be there for their children. Black women were raped and had no choice but to have children by men who had no love for them. NuNu’s character was a representation of this, she had a son because of an unspeakable cause. However, she still shared a neverending love for him and that takes strength.
During the Talladega 500, Cal Naughton Jr., Ricky Bobby's former best friend, pulled ahead of Ricky, allowing him to slingshot around his car and pass Jean Girard. Though Cal and Girard were teammates at Dennit Racing, Cal disregarded this and jeopardized his team's success to aid Ricky in the movie Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. This moment was crucial to Ricky, he having fallen from grace, going from NASCAR's top driver to being let go by Dennit Racing. The love Cal exhibited was a selfless form of love that was centered entirely around Ricky's happiness, not his own. Because of this selflessness, Cal compromised his own agenda, winning for Dennit, and disregarded personal consequence in hopes that Ricky would win the race. If you truly love someone as Cal loved Ricky, you must sometimes compromise your own interests for their benefit.
Though slightly frivolous to mention merely because of its obviousness but still notably, all the slaves came from the Southern states including and not limited to Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Virginia, South Carolina, and Arkansas. Economically, the United States’ main cash crops—tobacco, rice, sugarcane, and cotton—were cultivated by the slaves who the rich Southerners heavily depended upon. From this perspective establishes a degree of understanding about the unwillingness to abolish slavery and contributes to the reality of the clear division between the agriculturally based South and industrially based North. Having watched the film, I wished the Northern people were more aware of the abuses and dehumanization of the slaves though the saddening reality is that the truth of the slaves’ conditions couldn’t be revealed till much later on because the fear of retaliation and prosecution of the slave owners and white people was very much present. That the slaves’ mistreatment would be considered repulsive and repugnant to the Quakers and abolitionists is made evident the narratives of the slaves read by the different former slaves who elucidated the countless
The film Jindabyne, is a story about death, marriage, and race in an Australian town in New South Wales called Jindabyne. In the film, four men go fishing, and one of them discovers the dead body of a young indigenous girl. Instead of reporting what they found to the police immediately, they decide to stay and continue fishing. They decide that there is nothing they could do for her, so they tie her legs to a tree and continue with their fishing, reporting the death only when they return home. After they are done with their weekend of fishing and report the incident, conflict starts, as the men are criticized for not respecting the dead. Through the story of the town’s reaction to the four fishermen’s response to the dead girl, the movie shows Australia to be fragmented and divided over white-indigenous relations.
The documentary The Dhamma Brothers deals with a group of prisoners in an Alabama who partake in an intensive Vipassana meditation retreat, their experience illustrates that even those serving life sentences for crimes are not beyond personal growth and rehabilitation. In the documentary, the Birmingham Maximum Security Prison in Alabama participated in an intensive meditation program based off the Vipassana principles. Prisoners that volunteered were to remain in total silence and meditate for 10 days as part of the program. It viewed the lives of four prisoners convicted of murder before, during the intensive and arduous meditation process and the after effects of the program. Through the Vipassana program, it emphasizes even inmates that
In the film Sankofa, the audience is introduced to the slavery system experienced by African-Americans, through a series of visions. The story initiates with a woman named Mona as she is being photographed by a white tourist in modern day Ghana. In fact, there are many tourists visiting the ancient buildings surrounding the African culture. They are all fascinated by the culture and events that had occurred in previous years, unlike, the African Americans themselves. A black man appears to want the tourist to leave due to the African blood forced to be spilled there. He wants Mona to return to the past and remember all she has experienced. As Mona views the recollections of her ancestor’s lifetime, Sankofa demonstrates the noteworthy stories
The movie, “The Perfect Dictatorship” (“La Dictadura Perfecta”), directed and produced by Luis Estrada and released in 2014, is a political, satirical comedy story of two reporters attempting to repair the image of a corrupt governor after he signs a deal with the boss of their television company, Television Mexicana. That’s one way we could describe the plot of the movie. Another would be that the movie depicts the inherent corruption of the Mexican government and the lengths to which they will go to retain (or regain) their reputation. Equally, we could see the movie as a demonstration of the corruption of the Mexican media and the ways in which the media influences and effects politics. In fact, the
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.
Although the film is slow, it takes on surprising power from the dignity of its performances and the moral strength of its ideas. The book is the same way except you are being fed more of the characters emotion through words than through pictures. Not every moment of the film is as potent as the book (which is noted for passages of passion and impassioned eloquence), but as I said before overcomes its own limitations to become a glorious tribute to the workings of a faith that does not blind but opens up the human spirit (Douglas 25). Alan Paton's novel of apartheid in 1940s South Africa receives a sanitized and overly sentimental treatment in this film, a little trivializing to the book's relentless power.
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
There were similarities between how the family dynamic operated in the film versus the text. The kinship system is similar to the U.S. system used today, which is bilateral, meaning both sides of the family of the parents are recognized. The nuclear family is the basic social unit composed of the mother, father, and children. Polygamous marriage was common among arctic people involving a second wife that was generally the sister of the first. Arranged marriages were also common between men in their late teens and women near puberty.Marriages were essential for survival due to the harsh environment.The film portrayed many interactions between family members involving husband and wife, father and son, mother and child, and between siblings. In
"Baraka" exemplifies everything Emile Durkheim referred to as sociological functionalism. This is the perspective that various parts of a society or social system affect other parts within that system, and how they function in the overall continuity of that system. Durkheim showed that all the aspects of human society work together much like the parts of a machine. The concept of social solidarity - ties that bind people to one another and to society as a whole- play a major role in the lives of humans. This film reflects these ideas.
The first thing I noticed when introduced to the film was the unusual title Sankofa. We learned this is Twi language for “go back and get it”. This is referring that one must look to the past and gain knowledge to actively progress in the future. This title foreshadows the underlying message the film is trying to deliver to the audience. In this case, by looking at previous mistakes of slavery the world can learn and prevent similar tragic and disturbing events from occurring in the future. Mona literally experiences Sankofa when she is transported back into time to learn about her roots and endure the same suffering her ancestors faced.
The Best of Me is a drama-romance film set in a small town in Louisiana. Romance films, often referred to as “chick flicks,” are most commonly known for having the plot of a heartbreaking love story. This movie will make all generations smile,yet cry, as it goes through the main characters relationship of falling in love from high school to adulthood. Although this film does follow the norms of its genre, it goes into a deeper meaning than just love. The viewer will think about relationships they’ve had in the past and if they are genuinely happy with the way their life is now. This movie will undoubtfully bring you back to memories with the person you will never forget —your first love.
Ever since the film has been announced, fans of NTR have been anxiously awaiting for the release of Nannaku Prematho.
Just after this, there is a cut after which ambience sound takes over. The hustle bustle of the station, cellphone beeps, footsteps, the metro announcements etc. are used to bring us back into the physical realm of the character, the metro station, which is a shift from her mental space we were at before this. This then grows into another background score evoking anxiety and anticipation, suggesting something grave yet critical is going to happen. Rightfully then, Bob Biswas appears with his uncanny smile, ready to push her. Interrupted by a cut, supported with the train’s honk, we reach the edge of our seats when he pulls her back. Terror-struck, she starts to go back, Bob still following her, this time the ambience sound is layered with a