Kait Wilson

Professor Hicks

HONR 3702

30 April 2013

Final Reflection

The perceptions that intertwine in the film Babel, by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, create a separate theme apart from the rest of the film. The most obvious misperception that I saw in the film was how the American and British tourists viewed the citizens of Morocco. The first presentation of this misperception is when Richard and Susan Jones are eating lunch in Morocco. Susan seems to have a bitter attitude toward Richard because he chose to bring them to the country. She obviously does not appreciate the differences that Moroccan culture presents from America, and she possesses a clear fear of the culture in many ways. During their lunch, Susan throws out Richards drink because she believes the ice will make him sick. Because Morocco may not have the same filtration systems as the United States, Susans first instinct is to believe it must be contaminated. Later on in the film after Susan is shot, she begs Richard not to leave her alone with one of the old villagers. Of course, Susan may be saying this simply because she wants her husband to stay with her and comfort her, however one must suspect that she doesnt trust the Moroccan woman or is afraid of what will happen if she is left alone with her. It certainly is sad that the old woman only wants to help Susan but is being treated like a monster. However, Susan ends up coming around later in the film when the woman shares her pipe with Susan and helps relax her. Earlier in the film, I think Susan wouldnt have shared a pipe with any Moroccan citizen, so her perception of the people was clearly altered throughout her experience with the people of the country.

The other British and American tourists expressed the same fear of the Moroccan villagers and Moroccan culture as a whole that Susan expressed at the beginning of the film. Although most of the Moroccans did not understand them, the other tourists were much more overt about their disgusts with the Moroccans. They cursed and yelled about their fear of the terrorists (meaning all of the villagers) and expressed concerns about being in the village once the sun set. Although they had some right to be frightened since one of their fellow tourists was shot, they immediately drew conclusions that the shooters were terrorists and would come after them, as well. Their fears were so overwhelming that they chose to leave behind a wounded woman on the verge of death so that they could reach civilization and escape the heat that seemed to make them even more cranky. It seems that people who voluntarily chose to visit a country would be more open to different cultures, but these tourists were disrespectful and total snobs in the way they treated each other and the Moroccan people and culture. This disregard for the villagers reflects poorly not only on the tourists, but also on the countries that these people are from, especially the United States.

I found the perceptions that the Moroccan villagers had of the tourists to be the most fascinating. The villagers seemed to be mesmerized by the presence of the tourists, and one person even said theyve never seen real white people before, which was interesting to me. Whereas the tourists thought the villagers were looking at them like they wanted to kill them or something, the villagers were simply fascinated by their presence, and probably wondering what in the world the white people were doing in their simple village. The villagers perspectives of the tourists reminded me a lot of the way some college students treat visiting high schoolers and new freshmen on campus. It is fascinating to watch these people try to survive or simply navigate their way in a different environment from their high school, and it certainly feels like a different culture at first. Most students just watch them try to find their way, maybe laugh, and remember what it was like when they were in the younger peoples shoes. This is the point in the high schoolers and freshmens lives where they realize how huge the world is and that they must adapt to their new environment, and I think that is what is most entertaining about watching the new students on campus. I think this experience directly correlates to the tourist-Moroccan villager dichotomy, as the tourists realize that they are not in their comfort zone anymore and the Moroccans were simply entertained by the presence of new people.

One prevalent theme in most of the films we have viewed this semester is the idea of borders. Babel presented a few problems that related to the idea of borders. The most obvious was the problem that Amelia faced when trying to get back to the United States from her sons wedding. She somehow easily crossed the border into Mexico with Richard and Susans children, but when her nephew chose a different route to get back into the United States. Once her nephew abandoned her and the children in the desert, Amelia must have felt trapped by many borders. She was not only trapped in Mexicos borders, but also confined in the hot desert with police searching for her. Once they are found, Amelia is told that she is being deported and cannot cross the border for her belongings in America. One has to think that borders must have been a huge part of Amelias life; she illegally crossed the Mexico-American border and lived in the United States for over 16 years; she was separated from her family by the national border, which must be emotionally difficult for her; and in the end she was going to be permanently separated from the family she worked and cared for for 16 years because she was being deported.

Borders were a huge theme in the same way for the film Sin Nombre. The people making the journey to cross the border into America were obviously confined by the countrys borders. In addition to this physical border, Casper and the other gang members are confined by invisible borders that prevent them from leaving the gang. These borders also decide for the gang members what to wear, how to communicate and if they are allowed to live or be green-lighted. Borders are also a big theme in A Separation. Borders prevent the women of Iran from doing basic things such as working and even wearing the clothes they choose to. The borders of religion are heavy on Raziehs life as she could not carry out her jobs duties without consulting with the head of her religion first.

Another theme that was prevalent in Babel and throughout most of the films we viewed this semester was the dichotomy between the privileged and working class people. In Babel, the theme is clear when the tourists are in the Moroccan village. They act snobby and disgusted with the simple lives that the villagers live and cannot get out of the village fast enough. The dichotomy is also clear with Amelias story, as well. The film begins with her in a nice house, although she is nannying, and living a seemingly easy and luxurious life compared to most immigrants. When she and the children go to the wedding in Mexico, the culture is completely different. The wedding is simple, as are the lives of the people, and it is easy to see that the children are uncomfortable with the change for most of the time. Although the difference between the privileged and working class didnt seem to be the biggest theme in Babel, it certainly played a part in the film.

Wealthy versus working class was a prevalent theme in A Separation, as well. Nader and Simin represent the wealthy side of this dichotomy, as they live in luxury compared to most of the Iranian population. They live in a nice flat apartment, both owned a car, and had electronics such as a television and cell phones. They also had the money to hire a nanny and send their daughter to a private school. On the other hand, however, Razieh and Hojjat represent the working class side of the picture. Hojjat was unemployed and desperately searching for work. Neither have cars and must take public transportation across the city. They also live in a very cramped and old apartment that seemed to be very dirty. The split between wealthy and working class is easy to see throughout the film between these two families.

Symbols and metaphors have always been very difficult for me to pick up on in film, so understanding some of the underlying meanings of the films was difficult for me for part of the semester. As I am sure I have said in some of my responses, I am very realistic and practical, and that doesnt change much with respect to films, so a lot of times I only pick up on the basic plot line in films. One of the films that symbols made difficult for me to understand was Turtles Can Fly. I didnt expect there to be so much symbolism that was important to the plot, so when the film ended and we had discussion, I was completely confused by what everyone was saying. People were talking about the turtle symbolism and the representation of the young blind boy, and I was really thrown off. I think that I missed out on a large part of the meaning of the film was because I didnt pick up on the symbolism of the film. Now that I understand symbolism and metaphors in film better and can pick up on them easier, I would like to watch Turtles Can Fly again, just to see what else I can find that seems important to the purpose of the film. With regards tot he rest of the films, I dont think that the symbols and metaphors hindered my understanding of the films as much. There were a few simple things that I did not notice, such as the importance of the large number of walls in the apartment in A Separation, that were important but didnt necessarily affect my understanding of the film. On the other hand, after I began to be able to see symbols on my own, I appreciated the meanings behind them, and I think they enhanced my understanding of the films. In Babel, I really think the symbolism that was presented in Chiekos part of the story allowed me to understand her struggle much better than I would have at the beginning of the semester. The inner conflict that Chieko faced was loudly presented when she appeared in the living room naked in front of the police officer. The vulnerability and need for love and attention was powerfully depicted in this scene, and I was proud of myself for picking up on her feelings through this demonstration.

The internet resources helped me get a better grasp on the history of each culture that we viewed, which allowed me to understand the feelings of the characters in many circumstances. For instance, before we viewed The Syrian Bride, I had minimal understanding of the conflict between Israel and Syria. However, the resources provided before watching The Syrian Bride allowed me to understand the anger that Hammed had for his son and not be completely confused by the rebel protests that were happening in the town. By the same token, the links provided for Johnny Mad Dog helped me understand the logistics of child soldiers as far as how they become involved in the war and also understand the basics of the inner conflict in Liberia. These links helped me comprehend the emotions of the child soldiers as well as little things such as why the government could not put a stop to the violent children. I definitely appreciated the online resources, and looking up the CIA Factbook on each country also helped grasp the situation of each culture better, as well.

One major thing that I learned about myself through watching all of these films was that I desperately want to travel. When I planned to study abroad, I didnt want to travel to England or Ireland where people look like me and talk like me. I wanted to go to a country such as Thailand or Greece where I would be put completely out of my element and experience a culture shock. I think that this semester has definitely confirmed my wanting to experience different cultures, but now I want to travel to countries that arent usually categorized as luxurious. I would love to visit India, as the colors and cultural traditions in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel were enticing to me. I also desperately want to visit Tokyo, as the Asian cultures we have experienced through film seem exciting, such as the city life in Babel, and serene, like the death practices in Departures. I think that viewing films from different countries and cultures has given me better respect for the people who live there and endure the struggles that we may not understand in America. Although I have never had any type of disrespect for immigrants in America, viewing their struggle to cross the Mexico-American border in Sin Nombre has given me so much more respect for their journey and the people they leave behind.

The first film response I would put in my portfolio would be Amores Perros. I think that it would be important to put this response first because, although I did not hate Central Station, Amores Perros was the first film that I enjoyed of the semester. Viewing the world through film was something that I didnt expect to enjoy as much as I have, and Amores Perros opened up my eyes to how complex and interesting foreign film can be. The plot was complicated, but each individual story served a different purpose, yet tied all together into one theme, which absolutely fascinated me, as Hollywood film has definitely trained me to expect much less of film. Amores Perros is still one of my favorite films of the semester, and it will always be the film that opened my eyes to the wonders of foreign film. The next film response I would select for my portfolio is A Separation. I think this response really symbolized the misunderstanding that Americans have of different cultures, as I was one of them with regards to Iran. I expected all of the Iranian citizens to be deep in poverty, a large portion active terrorists, and all women to be visibly oppressed. I was wrong, simply put. The culture of Iran ended up being the next-to-most fascinating cultures that we viewed this semester, in my opinion. I think that, despite all of the fear most Americans possess of the middle east, I definitely want to visit Iran in the future. My response to A Separation showed both my growth in understanding foreign film and culture and the impact that foreign film has had on my world view. The last response I would put in my portfolio would be Departures. This film was by far the most fascinating film of this semester to me, and had the biggest impact on the way I view the culture and a part of my own life. Tokyo culture was depicted in such a serene light in this film with respect to the public baths, food, and of course death practices. I think that this film changed my view of not only death and the funeral that I would like to have for myself and my loved ones, but also my view on life. The people in Departures believed in embracing and celebrating life, as they are constantly surrounded by death, so the film really made me think about my appreciation for my life and those close to me. It is a close race, but Departures was my favorite film of the semester, and it made me want to experience Japanese culture for myself.

If I were to select two American films to represent America in a different country for a class like this, I would choose Remember the Titans and Iron Jawed Angels. Both of these films tackle very important milestones that the United States has overcome. I know that many people in other countries have bitter feelings toward America about our not-so-distant slavery past and the way we treat women in our society. I think these films show how far we actually have come, although we do have a ways to go. Remember the Titans has always been one of my personal favorite movies, and I think it reflects a lot about the United States past regarding segregation and the treatment of minority races in the south, which is still a prevalent problem in some southern states. This film, in my opinion, is brilliantly crafted with humor, education, and heart-break, and definitely isnt the typical Hollywood film that America usually produces. Iron Jawed Angels is also one of my all-time favorite movies, and I cant help crying every time I watch it. As far as I know, the United States has a unique history of womens suffrage, and most people dont know how violent of a movement that it actually was. I think that the suffrage movement should be taught more in depth in America and given more credit, but maybe thats just my feminist coming out. However, Iron Jawed Angels is certainly a raw and gut-wrenching film that really opens peoples eyes to the struggles that women faced in order to simply vote in the United States. Showing this film in other countries would give an insight to the suffrage movement, not to mention that its a really entertaining film on the surface, as well.