Film text review
I have suggested that we should engage and be engaged by those persons who see and understand the world differently from those who sit comfortably within a dominant we
society so that we might (re)imagine or discover a new place for democratic politics. And as film-goers who find ourselves more susceptible emotionally to the stimuli
presented in a movie theatre, we can at times experience vicariously, yet deeply, the events, the stories, the lives of those who are different from ourselves. As
individuals living in a multicultural and diverse society we should consider opening ourselves up to and welcoming such engagement and the possibilities for personal
transformation in our individual sensibilities. Such a transformation might occur when one considers and compares the experiences of his or her life and the impact of
those experiences on his or her identity next to those raw materials that make-up or construct the identity(ies) of those who are different from them, specifically
those who have been marginalized, disregarded, and silenced by a dominant we society. I have suggested that when one truly sees Other, sees and hears the stories of
difference crafted and told by the Other in film, one might come to respect the different voices and stories of those lives and thus allow him or herself to see and
experience life from a new position, a transformed sensibility, where politics transcend convention. In other words, when we consider our lives next to those who are
different from us, when we frame those different human stories next to our own personal human narrative we may come to understand how a particular human uncertainty
and vulnerability informs all of our lives.
In 300-500 words share whether or not you believe film has the potential to transform one’s political sensibilities. And if you believe that your personal
sensibilities have been (re)shaped or transformed by a particular film, say so. The objective here is to share your thoughts pertaining to the major thesis presented
in Democracy and Difference.
I have chosen film, cinema, in my work in order to theorize difficult questions regarding democracy and difference. There are, however, many points of caution in
choosing to use film. Films often can reinforce and affirm stereotyped and demeaning images of others; that is, film is as effective a tool for installing as it is
for challenging and overcoming oppression. However, as I write in Chapter One, the fictionalized realism of film can allow for a sharing of the different experiences
that individuals live through and can serve as a helpful tool to uncover the raw materials that make up our various social or cultural identities. In other words, and
more specifically, film and film criticism facilitate the search for a location from which to envision a democratic politics in ways that are respectful of difference
and that quite possibly can contribute to the transformation of one’s sensibilities by providing an opportunity to theorize and imagine a new or emerging politics from
a position of eyewitness
Identify two films not presented in class that you believe have the potential to transform one’s political sensibilities pertaining to deep differences. In addition to
your recommendations, be sure to give a full citation and a short abstract for each of the two films you suggest. To add a new post, click the “My Recommendation” link
below
films presented
Boys Don’t Cry, 1998; Directed by Kimberly Pierce
Boyz ‘N the Hood, 1991; Directed by John Singleton
Cesar Chavez: An American Hero, 2014; Directed by Diego Luna
Do the Right Thing, 1989; Directed by Spike Lee
Milk, 2008; Directed by Gus Van Sant
My Own Private Idaho, 1991; Directed by Gus Van Sant
Selma, 2014; Directed by Ava DuVernay
Smoke Signals, 1998; Directed by Chris Eyre
Straight Outta Compton, 2015; Directed by F. Gary Gray
Twelve Years a Slave, 2013; Directed by Steve McQueen
A Place of Rage, 1991; Pratibha Parmar
A Question of Identity: What is Race, 2003
A Family Portrait, 2011
Cultural Criticism & Transformation, 1997; bell hooks
Ethnic Notions, 1986; Marlon Riggs
Gender, 2005
Race and Ethnicity, 2005
Responding to Diversity; 2011
Social Class, 2008
Soundtrack for a Revolution, 2009
The Brandon Teena Story, 1998; Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir
The Celluloid Closet, 1995; Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
The Times of Harvey Milk, 1984; Rob Epstein
White Like Me: Reflection on Race from a Privileged Son, 2013
