During the second week of our film class we will explore the ideas and culture behind the Coming-of-Age film and a bit of formal analysis. Here is a list of two short articles and two short films (combined no longer than 21 minutes) that are part of our studies this week.
Molly Ringwald Article:
Why the Coming-of-Age Story is a Conformist Lie
F(Art): The Spectrum of Form and Function
Using Form in Cinema (An article with a video clip dovetailed in to show you how form is used in the cinema)
Formal analysis of American Beauty
Lecture:
Y'all know that these lectures were recorded in a hurry for the response to the pandemic. I know they aren't perfect, but I also know it helps to have a professor break things down for you. I hope they are useful: https://vimeo.com/403021294/6dade169f8
Film of the Week:
This week I'm asking you to watch a wonderful film that many missed a few years ago and it surprised everyone at the Oscars. It's called Beasts of the Southern Wild.
It is a story of a mythical place called The Bathtub which is a swamp area located outside the levies in Louisiana. Some people have criticized that this is a film about "dirty, poor people". If that's all they got from it, I think they missed the entire point. It is a film about community and culture. About being the last of your kind and carrying on tradition despite the forces of change.
CW: At first it will seem that the child Hushpuppy (lead character) is being abused by her father and will be violently harmed in a fire. That is not the case. I promise. Just give it a minute to let the story play out. By the end you will all love the father (Wink is his name).
This film won many awards, but possibly the most stunning is the young actor who plays Hushpuppy was six years old at the time. Not only is she the youngest actor ever nominated for an academy award, she is also African American. Many of the folx in this film are not actors by training... for example, the actor who plays the father actually owns a bakery in New Orleans (or did at the time). The directors cast him because he was perfect for the role.
You can find this film streaming from many places. I believe it's a $4 rental on amazon to stream.
I hope you enjoy!
More Films:
Wadjda
Electrick Children
Pariah
Boyhood
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