1. What is/are the theme(s) of the film?
2. This movie is set in Los Angeles, a city rich in diversity? Do you think that an area with such diversity would be more open or close minded about differences? Why?
3. Characterize one or several characters from the film.
4. Which connection(s) between characters did you find most interesting?
5. What might the burning car and falling ashes symbolize? Think about what is burning; think about who witnesses the burning; think about what burning does to an object.
6. Comment on the title.
7. Could you relate this film to other texts, we have dealt with in relation to our theme “Aspects of the American Dream.”
1. What is/are the theme(s) of the film?
ReplyDeleteThe movies themes are racism, diversity and prejudices.
2. This movie is set in Los Angeles, a city rich in diversity? Do you think that an area with such diversity would be more open or close minded about differences? Why?
I would say that they should have a more open-minded attitude towards other nationalities than their own. The movie gives a pretty good example with the “major” lady and her maid. She thought she could rely on her friends, but when she fell down the stairs and needed their help they did not answer. One friend said that she had no time because she was being massaged. LOL . then the maid whom she had treated badly was the only one who help her. She realized that other people than whites could be loving and kind too.
3. Characterize one or several characters from the film.
The Husband who is pulled over by the cops:
He is a film instructor, married and a Buddhist. He is very calm, but maybe too conflict shy in his wife’s opinion. Instead of shouting he is silent and keeps his anger to himself.
The Black boy: he “hates” all whites because he feel the racism on himself, he talks about all the bad treatment the black people get from whites. Because he has been treated badly by the white people, he is revenging on the couple by stealing their car, just because the woman where afraid of him.
4. Which connection(s) between characters did you find most interesting?
The one with the white lady who thinks that the Mexican lock man is going to sell their key to some gang members. Then she yells at her husband and the Mexican man hears everything, and when she realizes that she get bad conscience.
Also tho connection between the police man and the film instructor's wife :)
5. What might the burning car and falling ashes symbolize? Think about what is
burning; think about who witnesses the burning; think about what burning does to an object.
I thought it was snow and not ashes..
well burning cleanses in some way. And the car was the crime scene where the unfortunate accident happened. It is a bunch of black teenagers, and the film instructor whom also is black who sees the burning car and the actually throws more wood or whatever it is on the car.
So the black people is cleansing the crime scene to, they want to forget or forgive..
6. Comment on the title.
Crazy Racism And Snow Hate
Maybe the title symbolize that a society like this will not last. It will crash
7. Could you relate this film to other texts, we have dealt with in relation to our theme “Aspects of the American Dream.”
No.
1)
ReplyDeleteWhat is it not about, really.
2)
Allow me to use Randers as an example: People here are so incredibly boring that anyone who stands out from the crowd is regarded as an "outsider" (yes, this is an allusion to L'etranger by Camus). And I am not talking about the emo-kids; they are the ones who think they stand out, even truly believe it, when in fact they have only created their own little clique of 14 year-old, black clothes-wearing ignorants who all look and act the same.
I believe that everywhere in modern (western, maybe) society there is a set of generally accepted norms that, when not followed, results decidedly in hatred. So where am I getting at? I do not think that LA's richness in diversity makes such a great difference; people are cliqued - they let themselves clique, they love it - and the whole of society is divided into ghettos. Therefore, there will always be "outsiders", and where there are outsiders there are frowning and hatred.
3)
Let me take the liberty in characterizing even all the characters! The beautiful thing is - and this is the whole point of this movie, the key philosophy - that none of the characters are terrible people. They are incredibly stupid, that is all! If I was to sum up this movie in one single phrase, it would be: It is about human stupidity.
4)
I especially liked the connections between all the characters, but I especially liked the connection between the racist, sexual-molesting cop, and the "molestee", the black woman. I was instantly reminded of the christian idea - which I became acquainted with in The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky - about the victim embracing his or her tormentor, with love, crying tears of redemption.
5)
Actually, I thought it was snow that fell. Anyway, the message would be the same. It is a symbol of purification. From the opening line, it is clear that the cars symbolize the broken relationship between people in modern society. People have become isolated, they even deliberately isolate themselves; they navigate between each other in their cars all the time but does not see anything, people are so isolated in their cars that they crash into each other on purpose, just to feel something, some connection. In the burning car-scene the isolating capsule that is the car is burnt, or purified.
6)
In the movie we witness multiple crashes between LA citizens. The main characters are all purified in some way or another, but it is many times suggested, especially in the ending, that the stupidity continues - it is eternal, Einstein said - but whether everyone will come to know the burning, the purification, in due time - this remains unknown (to me, at least).
7)
Oh, all of them in some way or another.
* El Bastiaño
1. Racism. Charity. Prejudice
ReplyDelete2. We think that the people in the area should be more open minded. Because they have to think more about the people they are surrounded by. They have to realize that everybody is equal and everybody has the rights to be who they are.
3. Officer John Ryan is a man who cares a lot about his father. He gets frustrated after talking to Shaniqua Johnson about his father and after their convocation he gets angry and takes it out on other black people. But in the end he turns around and realizes that black people are human too.