2010s Holy Girl

The reason the Holy Girl was selected for the film was because the subject matter the film portrays. The film was selected due to the nature of the film being somewhat dark because Amalia gets molested by Doctor Jano and confuses it for something involving her spiritual awakening. Amalia also believes that Jano is in need of saving from eternal damnation in hell. This film is important because the film involves Amalia quest to save the doctor and also she seems to develop an infatuation with her molester. The film is important because in a way it involves the Catholic faith and issues of molestation but, it could also be used to discuss how the church had issues confronting molestation in the past, now a days the church has tried to push these issues under the rug, which should not be the case. These issues of molestation and faith must be dealt with because if we do not confront these past issues, they will continue to haunt those tormented by these past conflicts. The film was also selected because another issue today is a breach of doctor, patient agreement regarding the issues of feeling their patients. Janos kind of uses Amalia’s trust of him against her and uses her sexuality for his advantage. Amalia later begins to show signs of supposed feelings for the doctor, now wanting to use her newly developed sexuality against the doctor, who used his sexuality against her. Another important issue the film confronts is the issue of dealing with sexual maturity and coming of age, Amalia learns of sexuality and it begins to prosper against the backdrop of the film. Amalia learns of her sexuality which they typically avoid talking about in a setting involving the church. This was also shown for the mature, dark subject matter exhibited in the film, Amalia learns about her sexuality and power, she has.

Unit 11 Babadook

The concepts of gender and horror have long been intertwined. Gone are the days where women can’t do anything but scream and be murdered in the shower by a cross-dressing, mother obsessed serial killers. Now women in horror can fight back and not just be sex objects or annoying characters to be killed off, an example of this would be Shelly Duvall in the Shining as an example for both cases. Amelia in the Babadook first refuses to accept that her, son has seen the creature and doesn’t believe that it’s after them. She is a prime example of the old horror trope, that she is an ignorant woman that refuses to believe the supernatural horror that is attacking her and her son. Amelia realizes that her son’s fears are real and manifesting upon her, when after she rips up the book, it rematerializes in front of her, after she rips up the book and even burns it. Amelia then becomes the possessed host for the creature that’s been tormenting her, and he makes her kill her dog, like the book predicted. Amelia’s son uses her possession against her and makes a trap for the Babadook in the cellar, making Amelia vomit the monster out of her. This gives rise to Amelia getting the courage inside of her to stop being defenseless and break the stereotype of horror female, and confront the demon to save her family. Amelia banishes the demon from her home but later it’s revealed that she has the demon captured in the cellar, so it can’t hurt her anymore.

Unit 10: 2000s Dogtooth

The scene I chose to analyze for the shock value of the film is the scene where Christina tricks the older sister into giving her cunnilingus. The scene is really graphic and the only reason Christina wants this sexual favor from the sister is that, she is dissatisfied with intercourse with the brother. The scene starts with Christina and the sister being centered in the frame, they are both wearing plain clothes. The music is quiet, which adds to the awkwardness of this scene in particular. The shots for this scene are most wide-angle, and then they focus on close ups of each of the girls. Christina is using her experience with the outside world, to take advantage of the sister for a headband. It’s even worse because the sister actually agrees to it, and only because of a piece of fabric. The way this scene is presented as close up, personal and awkward only adds to the feeling of voyeurism and disturbing image that the viewer experiences unlike in American cinema. The acting in this style of new-wave Greek cinema adds to this aspect of voyeurism because it’s actual physical acting and doesn’t rely on edited or censored scenes that are often present in cinema from America or many other countries where standards of censorship apply. While this scene is certainly somewhat hard to watch, it’s interesting in the fact that it is so different from the mainstream cinema I’m used too. Although this wave of cinema is certainly fascinating for experiencing a different and less censored version of cinema.

Proof: 1990s

Tyler Justice

20^th Century Cinema

            The films sense of action revolves around the instance of Martin experiencing a memory from a long time ago and abandoning his trust in people due to a supposed lie his mother told him during childhood. This makes Martin think that people will take advantage of him due to his blindness; he doesn’t want their pity only to be respected. Another form of action relies upon the fact that Martin uses others to tell him about his photography, thinking that everyone is going to either use or pity him. Martin uses these descriptions from people to form his opinion about theme and the world around him. He eventually develops a friendship with a man named Andy who describes his photographs to him. Another from of action mainly involves his housekeeper Celia, and her unrequited love for him. Celia uses her own photographs, ones of Martin to keep up this delirious obsession that he will one day, give her the love she so desperately desires. This seems to connect the characters of both Martin and Celia on a deeper level, both concerning their love of photography. This love differs from Martin because although Celia loves of photography is somewhat more primitive, obsessive and at times bordering on the psychotic, concerning the fact that she only wants to photograph Martin to feed her own twisted obsession and longing for him, to show any form of affection towards her. This scene could also be a connection between Celia and Martin because they both long for affection and attention from people who won’t or wouldn’t reciprocate their feelings of longing. Celia’s feeling rely on her obsessive compulsion for Martin and Martin’s desires are not to be pitied by humanity and to be not taken advantage of; in way I guess Celia feels similar in some aspects of this towards Martin. The other action involves Martin and Andy’s relationship. Martin begins to develop a genuine companionship and camaraderie with Andy, by relying on Andy to shape his view of the world, and Andy learning to appreciate Martin’s work. Andy helps Martin get past his feeling of betrayal and self-loathing hatred of humanity. However, this trust is put to the test when Celia the conniving, woman tries to take advantage of Andy and get him to lie to Martin out of pure jealousy of their friendship. Eventually however, after the lie Martin does realize the truly despicable part of Celia thanks to Andy and ends up firing her. I think that this scenes best describes the relationship between the three main characters, because Celia finally shows her true colors and Andy tells Martin that people do sometimes lie but, that doesn’t mean they aren’t to be trusted; in other words their human. The film ends with Andy and Martin resolving the trials they had endured with the jealous Celia and look at the photo that started Martin’s hatred of human kind. Andy tells Martin his mother told the truth, and didn’t lie to him, making Martin realize the error in his judgment of his unjustified hatred of humanity.

Unit 8 1980s

Many Romantic Comedies today follow many of the tropes that were set by their predecessors. One of the comedies that established the genre that we know today is When Harry met Sally. This film practically set the standard that this generations knows as romantic comedies, that are followed today by all of Hollywood; not giving rise to anything new for the genre. A film from a more modern context I chose to compare it too is Hope Springs, with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. A scene similar to the dinner scene where Sally fakes her orgasm is where, Meryl and Jones’ characters are in a movie theater and she performs a sex act on him, and they get caught. These scenes are similar in the fact that both are sexual in nature and you feel a tad voyeuristic watching them. The main difference being that in Hopes Springs the characters are actually doing the act in a public setting, which makes it all the more awkward when they get caught in the act. Another scene similar for both is the endings. In the end of Harry met Sally they profess their love for each other, and Hopes Springs ends with the couple renewing their vows. While both involve acts of love, Hope Springs’ ending reunites a couple who nearly destroyed their marriage through bitterness.

Unit 7 Annie Hall

I think that Woody Allen' type of comedy is successful today, because in Annie Hall, Allen virtually creates the improve comedy film. Annie Hall relies on the typical tropes of Woody Allen movie with the jazz music and other things commonly associated with his film, while making you genuinely feel for Allen's character and his neurotic relationship tendencies. The scenes rely on Allen and Keaton's chemistry on screen as well as Allen's own neuroses to feel their "realness" to their relationship. The scenes where Ivy reflects back on his childhood are especially comedic given his timidness to ask his mother for any dating or relationship advice. I think that in these scenes people can relate to Ivy and the type of improve Allen does so well, certainly having been in similar situations during their adolescent years. Allen is very successful on using improvisation to his advantage and his own comedic awkwardness to successful get us to laugh at a character who we can truly relate with due his strange relationship history. Annie Hall I feel is one of the best examples of Allen as a comedian because it gives Allen a chance to be in the spotlight to his comedic talents, unlike today where that comedic edge is behind the camera.