American History X

White supremacy is on the rise in Southern California. Following the murder of his father, Derek shoots a black person and executes another. The landscape is anonymous. Front yards, backyards, and the dreary repetition of suburbia mark the coast. Not much changes from day to day. Derek’s charisma and persuasive abilities coalesces the collective anxiety, boredom and hatred of the shiftless white suburban male. He uses these frustrations to promote the idea of white supremacy, and to proclaim that America is in the midst of an immigrant takeover. Action is needed, he thinks. So they trash a Grocery store owned by Chinese. And let a basketball game determine the supremacy of the races and who has access to what land.

In Kai Erickson’s book Wayward Puritans: A Study in the Sociology of Deviance the Puritan’s faced the same problems as the neo-Nazis. The Puritans faced three separate struggles since the 1600s and 1700s. Originally, when the Puritans first washed ashore they faced starvation and the unrelenting environment. There battles were direct. They were fighting against the elements. Then the battle was religious and political. Anne Hutchison questioned the powerful. If in the Puritans eyes, your soul is predestined to go to heaven or hell, and no action on Earth could alter that plan, how could anyone determine that they were worthy of power? So the powerful booted her out of Massachusetts. Later came the witch accusations, witch trails, and witch drowning and witch burnings (and any other bad things you can do to suspected witches). After gaining relative prosperity the Puritans became paranoid of witches. Why? Kai Erickson believes since there physical battles had been conquered, and the land tamed, the new battle was one of things on the periphery. The unseen world became the new menace. The occult, the invisible, became the cause of mass suffering of the people. To the Neo-Nazis the vast invisible oppressor is the Zog machine and the Jewish World Order. Ideas like this thrive with these newbie Nazis.

The 1990s are fairly prosperous. But in the late 1990s movies like American History X, The Matrix, Fight Club, and Office Space, all portray the psychic hardships of the disgruntled semi-affluent. In each movie generally college educated white suburban males see an omnipresent threat or problem that nobody else sees, or has become to deadened to see or react to it. When the world becomes increasingly ambiguous, theories that tap into the mystical universal do well, is something Erickson might say.

Derek sheds this mystism after doing time. Prison is like a personal think tank of Derek. Boundaries are put on him. His intelligence is bounded within the walls. The only person that prevents him from being raped daily is a black man. This along with the self-interest, and doublespeak of the white gang cause him to have a dramatic ideological shift. He rejects his white supremacist past and seeks to escape it along with getting his brother out. But this may no be a movie of shedding hate and walking into the movie with an independent and tolerant mind. Derek sees the death of his father. After that he eventually becomes the leader of a racist organization. Prison changes who he is, but so will Danny’s death. In Totsi, the City of God, and Were once Warriors, the environment and the oppression embedded in it hit everyone the same way. People react in predictable, but not always healthy ways to the environment around them. But in Southern California life really isn’t straightforward, a healthy approach to the world is more likely to come about through the way you look at the world.

American History X. X is an interesting choice for Danny’s teacher to name the class. Malcolm X chooses the name of X when he was in the nation of Islam. It was like a placeholder for him. Since his original name Little was “given to him by white slave masters” X was what he used until, after ultimately leaving the Nation of Islam, he went on a Hajj to Mecca and became El-Hajj Malik El-Shabbazz. The X could be seen as the placeholder for Derek’s mind. The X will be there until something more definitive, true, and permanent comes along for Derek, whatever that might be.

Motorcycle Diaries

Traveling across South America on a motorcycle transformed how Che looked upon the world. Four months of close contact to poverty provided an intimate familiarity with the problems facing the people of that region. Ernesto and Alberto became dependent on these destitute strangers to continue the adventure.

Ernesto saw the inequality that was embedded in the geography of South America. At one point after rolling into town, Ernesto and Alberto have to decide where they are going to sleep. In the mansion on the hill or with the poor people. They choose to sleep among the poor people. It is no accident of what choice they make. In this movie the poor share food, shelter, and provide emotional support to Che and his friend. Of course people from the elite class help him out. But the aspects of wealth provide a barrier for compassion. When his motorcycle breaks down a mechanic refuses to help them because they have no money. Only when he sees the fake newspaper clipping heralding them as handsome glorious disease fighting doctors (too many adjectives? –Yes) are they assisted. There are initial pretensions between him and his friend in regard to class. Alberto pleads with a wealthy landowner that he is a doctor and that in being that deserves to sleep in more respectable surroundings. But after endless miles through the diverse terrain of South America provide an immutable bond to the struggles of the people.

Segregation is a common element in this movie. The poor never live among the rich. Even among the nuns class-consciousness exists. The lepers, though known not to be contagious, are separated on an island to live among themselves. A river separates the doctors from their patients. Che both emotionally and literally overcomes the separation between these two groups when he swims to the other side.

Che notices how constant poverty eviscerated the lives of the mountain people of Peru. Having food to eat and having a place to sleep become luxuries that are too expensive for the millions of poor to obtain. Class inequality causes people to participate in the destruction of their own land. Many gather in early morning for the possibility of working in the coalmines. Some are chosen, but are still facing low wages, and likely an early death. These things become ingrained in Guevara’s mind. These are memories that provide the seeds for his revolutionary ideology.

When Che moves beyond the comfortable existence of the middle class he sees first hand the hardships of reality. This movie is incredible. The still video photographs of the people of the America’s are composed beautifully and the movie is sentimental and meaningful without being pointlessly nostalgic or didactic. Being a constant witness to the geography of any land and people has the power to change the philosophy of anyone. A broken down motorcycle provides Che and Alberto to the path towards seeing humanity as a whole. It is impressive how much Che learns from his journey, and the dramatic change it brought to his life.

South Africa (Beat the Drum)

AIDS is gargantuan problem in South Africa. One in 5 people have HIV or AIDS, and in total 5 million people of South Africa have it (CIA world factbook). Various articles discussing the matter note that the life expectancy has decreased by 10 years because of it, and that only until very recently has the government taken truly meaningful steps in addressing this disease.

In this way the movie is a public service announcement. It follows a boys journey to Johannesberg. It is a high risk world. Truck drivers pick disease laden prostitutes off the sides of roads, and despite the immense risks follow their desires.

South Africa is a diverse country. According to wikipedia, it is more known plant life than almost any other country in the world. But the movie shows mostly a dry, somewhat flat, farm community of South Africa. The other world they show is Johannesberg which is busy, thriving, slummy, and dirty all at the same time. The negative or positive aspects of the city are emphasized dependent on what economic situation you are in.
But AIDs spreads across all economic barriers and geographic terrain. In a way AIDS thrives so much in this world due to the interconnectedness that is caused by a global economy. Economic necessity has forced many South Africans from farms to cities, and within the cities. The constantly changing life of the population leads to interactions of every kind, and with this an AIDS epidemic that cannot be localized or controlled. From reading, it seems that AIDs has hit the poorest communities the hardest. With poverty often comes a lack of education, self denial, and superstitions associated with the contraction of the illness.

There isn’t any government leadership on addressing the AIDS problem in this movie. Most people are ignorant, or don’t care about the illness. The movie addresses a great and terrible problem, but it comes across somewhat forced. A rich white guy who doesn’t give a damn about anything but money (although previously he once had a heart), suddenly after discovering his activist son has died (is on the verge of death)of AIDS focuses his finances towards the creation of homes for orphans and creates a work place that provides voluntary and free AIDS tests.

The movie does show that paths necessary in addressing the AIDS problem. In the small town, people step forward to vocalize that there is a problem going on. They are specific about the origins of the illness, and the importance of being tested, and what measures to take to decrease the likelihood of transmitting the sickness. Despite the constant stream of horrible things that happen in this movie, there is an upbeat and positive tone to the production. This is a movie that shows the devasting effect that AIDS has on South Africa, and also shows the ways common citizens can take in trying to remedy one of the greatest problems facing the world.

Singapore

This is a movie about the lower middle class grind. Upward mobility is not easy to come by, even if you are young and recently graduated from a University. Success is even harder when one lies about achievements. Singapore is like the United States only richer (per person) and more modernized. Wearing a tie and suit doesn’t mean life is going to get any better. Only through the miraculous intervention of the lottery does the patriarch of a family make it out of these economic doldrums. The middle class is feeling the squeeze in Singapore. One character is forced out of financial necessity to consult his high school yearbook to find people to sell insurance to. Singapore is very clean. There isn’t any litter. There doesn’t appear to be any homeless people, Just government projects and repo men. The poverty is in terms of debt not personal possessions.

Singapore is flat, hot, and tropical. There are a lot of people and not much space. If you are rich you can have access to golf courses and better-looking prostitutes (if that is your thing). But in the 270 square miles of Singapore (wikipedia) those with and those without inhabit the same areas. The symbols of success are accessible to anyone who is approved for a credit card. If a person dies rich enough paper mache mansions and sports cars are set afire in honor. Status is very important in Singapore. The economy is thriving but international competition has made “making it” difficult.

Modernization, fierce competition, and the disintegration of the family explain, in part, why there is such rampant urination in the elevators of Singapore. This quiet and wet act of defiance helps highlight the anonymity of life in this country. Nobody seems to have any friends. The family that we witness in this movie is small and they don’t particularly love each other. In the process of spending their collective days scraping by, going to work, cooking, and dreaming of a better life they don’t take the opportunity to understand the people that surround them. The character that returns from “graduating” college has a difficult time viewing his parents as something other than a source of cash. The people of this movie dedicate their lives to the acquisition of money. It is a hard task to succeed in, and those who win die spontaneously, or are later left out in the cold.

This movie is a social critique on the dangers of modernization. The needs of the human soul (like being treated with love and respect) are in low supply in this movie. Intimacy is outsourced to a sympathetic Chinese prostitute. Family stories are told only after, and not during, the life of a loved one. Nobody puts much effort to give a damn about anyone else. There are exceptions to this. But the subject of money is rarely separate from the words and actions of the people presented in this film.

This movie shows the struggle of a group of people trying to live beyond poverty and love the people around them.

South Africa

The rural areas of this film are sparse grasslands. They are uninhabited, except for people journeying around the dirt paths. But then again Tsotsi’s home can be seen as the country. The town isn’t typical. It has a country feel to it, but populated by masses of displaced people. Black people are squeezed into tight confines by the South African government. Blacks are forced to live in one of ten designated districts. Tsotsi has flashbacks of his childhood life on a farm. This is all greatly different than city life. An international airport is close enough to walk to. The city is modern and rich and in stark contrast to the life of people living in cement cylinders.
Like Once Were Warriors whites are seldom seen except in positions of authority. When they cops do a bust on Totsi’s shack there are two cops (one white one black) and the white guy happens to be captain. But apart from the airport scene white people are not present in this movie. That doesn’t mean their influence isn’t felt. Apartheid, the white power structure, has divided society, and has created the poverty that is seen. Apartheid is the major element running throughout this movie, but the white hands dividing the people are not seen. Only the results of forced segregation are seen.
The baby symbolizes Tsotsi’s redemption. AIDS has left Tsotsi an orphan. To survive he robs with his gang of baby faced thugs. Everybody is missing important people in their lives. Tsotsi and his friends don’t seem to have any family. The baby is Tsotsi’s chance to give a normal happy childhood, a childhood that wasn’t granted to him. He adopts a proxy mother who breast feeds the child. He provides food, clothing, and warmth, in the end he gives up the child to the rightful parent. So the baby represents Tsotsi’s misguided desire to live out a descent childhood. The baby is also stands for the typical existence of a child in South Africa. Though Totsi kidnaps (although unintentionally) the child, his actions could be seen as representing the way AIDS, poverty and Apartheid has stolen the lives of young South Africans. That may be a stretch. For sure the baby could be seen as the route of survival for South African children. That tremendous adversity will be subjected to the people of South Africa, but that something good can arise from the most terrible of circumstances. It is hard to discover what the directors meant to symbolize with the baby, but the baby was convenient in showing all the different ways people live in South Africa.
The movie is open ended on the future of South Africa. Poverty, the nearly invisible black middle and upper class, class segregation, and the disintegration of traditional families are all issues that are brought up. Orphans are caring for other orphans. The effects of AIDS and Apartheid are horrific in South Africa and this movie. This film is an indictment on the South African government, and the policies and inaction that led to the poverty in the black communities. And in making such a critique, perhaps the film is hoping for a better future for South Africa. Tsotsi ends up arrested, but in the process of the film he undergoes great personal development. The movie depicts life it is in South Africa. The creators of the film see a problem and hope for change. But the change for a better society is done by making a film for a global audience and reflecting to the world the way life is in South Africa.

City of God

Violence can happen at any moment in the favella. The movie (filmed around 2002) introduces us into the drug wars of the City of God from the 1960s to the 1980s. The gangs, drugs and the everyday life are shown by following Rocket’s life and witnessing his evolution from a child to a photo journalist. Rocket’s personal biography along with his telling of the stories of drug dealers, family members, and just regular people of the city help orient the audience to what is going on in the favella.

Many people die every day in the City. This movie bears witness to this common place violence. Poverty is universal in the favella, even the drug lords live in decrepit houses with concrete floors and walls. Children totting guns, and massive street fights against rival gangs and police does not seem to come from real life as opposed to the gory imagination of an ambitious film director. Statistics pop out when reading about life in the poor side of Rio. Things are better now the articles say. In the 1980s 40 people were murdered a day, now 12 or 14. Also, since the camera films the life of Little Ze we are going to be subject to more bloodshed than normal. He is a remorseless killer with a good business sense. He wants power in one of the most violent places on Earth, and in order to get this a lot of people are going to die. At the end of the movie TV clips are shown of the real Knockout Ned, and the comparisons between that and the cinematic version are incredibly close. This movie looks genuine. However, I don’t think the most accurate way to get a view of life in the favella is of the personal testimonial of some British tourist who gets lost.
This video shows a lot though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3TLm0ubeZM

The favella and the outside world both have their rich and poor. Wealth is shown through gold jewelry and nice clothes in the favella. The ability that each person has in accumulating guns, drugs, and power determine where someone stands in the class structure. Outside this world being rich is the same as being rich anywhere else. This class structure is shown at all the successful business men in the hotel with their wives, girlfriends, or prostitutes. The same trappings of success are there as everywhere else. The other side of the class structure is the hotel workers, fish salesman, and truck robbers of the town. In the countryside besides a few business men or tourists, people are poor and similar in economic class. There is wealth outside the favella, and the class structure is broken down the same way there as anywhere else in the world (but with a lower GDP) There is wealth in the favella but it belongs only to the drug lords.

This film is shot in a slick way. It is done beautifully. The movie has good music, and is done in a hip way that gives it a style of a Tarintino movie. So here lies the trouble. Making a movie about a favella in the actual heart of the favella is going to be next to impossible. Houses are stacked on houses balanced precariously on the side of a hill. This is not the easiest place to put a film crew who wants to portray a way of life in both an accurate but also aesthetic way. So the film crew films, possibly, in the less favellaish, more open spaces. When I witnessed a brief clip on youtube of a gun battle between police and people in the favalla I saw something different than in the movie. I saw people jumping off of roofs, hiding and emerging from ledges and stairwells. The cameraman must have had tremendous difficulty capturing the moment. In the movie the violence takes place on a flatter surface. But who cares? The life of people is shown in an accurate way, even if the movie films more on areas that are more conducive to camera crews. The favella is more dense and cramped than shown in the movie. But it does give a sense of what it is like there. The countryside is in certain pockets thick with vegetation (as rainforests tend to be). The people of the country live in a barren area marked with homes reminiscent of the suburb with its repetitious construction. There are jungles here and there, but the rural folk live mostly in a dusty, poor world.

Veera-Zaara

In this movie people like to dance. There are solos and giant productions, and all the time watching it, it never occurs to me what this has to do with India Pakistan relations. Singing, dancing, singing and dancing dream sequences, marriage ceremonies, jails, and trials, are all different ways the movie tries to show culture conflict. This all done to address one major thing: India and Pakistan don’t like each other. This is rooted in religion and land. Pakistan was formed in 1947 for the large Muslim population that didn’t want to live under Hindu rule after India gained independence from the British. The CIA world fact book says that there was conflict in 1947 and again in 1965 over control of Kashmir. They are both nuclear states, so the movie has the noble goal of addressing a problem that needs resolving. But Kashmir is not mentioned once in this movie. This conflict is shown through the love story of a Hindu from India and a Muslim from Pakistan (Veera and Zaara). It would be a big issue in both cultures if Hindu and a Muslim got married. It is still a big deal, but a belief that is not as strongly held with the younger generation. The movie is an attempt to have Indians and Pakistanis overcome their social and political barriers and live in peace.

English is used when someone wants to say something smart or important or philosophical. Judges are addressed as “Your Honor” and Veera has the fancy title of “Squadron Leader”. When the Pakistani version of Johnny Cochrane says to the defense attorney “Thank you for teaching me the value of truth and justice”, he says it in English. There is modeling after the British when it comes to the military, education or the court of law, so it is not a surprise when English words pop up in such settings. When the British colonized India in the 1800s (and had tremendous influence with the East India Tea Company in the 1600s) they established many British customs. Even after gaining independence India still has some of the same trappings of colonialism.

This movie has sweeping mountain landscapes, rural villages and rolling prairies but not much city is shown. To watch this movie one would think that India had the population of Wyoming. What is seen of the city is just major monuments or inside train stations or just outside prisons. Characters do not go parading down city streets talking about flowers, love or sunshine. These routines are saved for the countryside.

Songs bring people to the movie. That is what Wikipedia tells me. Also song and dance routines are a good way to lengthen any movie theatre experience into 3 hours. That helps if you want to get out of the Indian heat. Logically song and dance routines are a good way to incorporate a lot of different actors and actresses and film production people. It is just good for the Indian movie community to have many people participating in the movie process. This movie was done in a way that people in India who enjoy Bollywood movies expect. Obviously this movie doesn’t reflect the reality of India. The general public doesn’t fly around on helicopters or look like models. This style of film making is a means of telling a story. Mass producers of pop culture like to tell stories the same way, and Bollywood is no exception. It is a form that has worked in the past, so with a lot of rich peoples’ money involved the format doesn’t change. But the content does change. This movie tries to address political and religious differences the best way it knows how: with good looking people dancing and lip synching.