The Climate of the isolated
So, I decided that every week I am posting up some good films on an international level. The following is part one of some films from Eastern European cinema, and their interweaving themes
( sorry it might divulge from my regular style of writing it comes from some of my old film papers..)
Cinema and psyche in Eastern European film
One element which I think are paralleled in the movies observed was the fact that in each of the movies viewed we were able to see a key character which played the role of the Isolated . This was a recurring theme throughout the movies….the question is why? Why is this fascination of the alienated? From Bolshe Vita all the way to Virgina the images streamed was that of distance and isolation. Of course this is a very human characteristic and many other movie genres explore it ….yet I cannot help but wonder if there is a deeper underlying message here. There are clear links between the political , social , and economic state of both the movies and the countries they were filmed in. This will attempt to explore the phenomenoma of the Isolated, the reasons behind it and the instruments of cinematography used to convey this message.
Cinema and Psyche
“The climate of the isolated”
In the films “time of the gypsies”,”tito & me”,
“virginia”, “Broken English”, “before the rain”
and “”a promesse” .
The psychology of the isolated
Obviously the more clear cut reasons for the characters being isolated is the element that they are all different in some shape or form. This difference causes the inability to interact properly with others whether by choice or by other means. This impending difference is due to something that is considered inferior or not conforming to the standardized quality of normalcy. The boy in Tito and me was too fat, the boy in Time of the Gypsies was poor and psychic, the woman in La Promesse was black Hans in”virginia” was actually a boy. If we observe deeper in to the current conditions in which they lived in it gives way to the analysis that in situations of great economic and political uproar there is a more outright persecution of the weak (or seemingly so) and defenseless.Therefore for the sake of a deeper analysis let us now analyze the social , historical and economic factors involved.
Social and economical context:the scapegoats
The Eastern European regime is one of great turmoil.Throughout it’s history it has been plagued with wars and separation as well as a constant restructuring of boundaries.The constant turmoil and change disrupts a sense of identity and self commonly established in less tumultous surroundings therefore there is a need to restructure this identity in more clear cut forms.
Due to this and the constant setting of boundaries and isolation the goverment sets out on a political campaign of extreme nationalism especially in the postcommunist regimes1.These nationalist campaigns although giving a sense of naitonal pride tend to isolate those that do not achieve the standards of the norm. Such is the case of “Tito and me”. Thus these ethnic,gender or otherwise differences are solved by depriving them of education, economic gain and social dignity making them resort to menial jobs and degrading positions. But what happens when the boundaries are so miniscule and leaves room for only a spare few? When the government is no one specific? What happens in these cases is there is an isolation among every character thus the case in “Before the rain” .The film offers different results to the same age old problem of violence and warfare and either way it is brother killing sister and cousin killing cousin…blood against blood. What the films inherent message is the fact that we are essentially following the same path….leading to different tragic outcomes yet always continuing the same path.
The alienation of individuals in a society is not just limited to communist regimes. In Democratic societies that are free from warfare there is a continous plea for the homogenous…especially in the depictions of the media.Yet as we see in “La Promesse” , “Broken English” and “ Before the rain” this is merely a mask that covers the prejudice lying underneath. In many of the scenes oof the “free world”. Many of the movies wish to convey the message that this is not limited to the Eastern European block but is a problem clearly set in our society. One must examine if they are better off in the situation placed when they are migrate to escape the injustices. None is better depicted than in “ La Promesse” where the woman is tricked coerced and deprived of human dignity in order to be able to live. There are clear cut lines between the characters … boundaries by which one muist clearly not pass. So in East Europe there is physical boundaries in the West it is the boundary of the invisible that makes it clearly inevitably worse.
There are even worse situations such as if the nationalistic pride is carried to a foreign land . in this situation there is an even greater risk of a loss of identity therefore it is inherent to try to conserve it with even more conservatism than before. In “Broken English” the father sees all of his daughters marrying locals therefore breaking off from his native land from him home. And thus he loses the sense of ethnic pride. And when he clashes with others who are desperatly trying to conserve this ethnicity a rage disrupts.
However there is also a need to solve the sense of isolation. Some try to adapt erroneously into the culture. In “time of the Gypsies” the boy becomes something that he is not rejecting his true self. The same happens in “Virginia” although it is not a conscious decision. When these betray their true selves they can no longer accept who they were before. Thus in “Before the Rain” the photographer forgets where he comes from and tries to assimilate into the culture. But as the saying goes “the truth comes back to haunt you”
And a true transformation must evolve negatively or otherwise.
Part two is available next week happy weekend everyone!
1 Living on the Edge : The East European Roma in Postcommunist Politics and Societies
( sorry it might divulge from my regular style of writing it comes from some of my old film papers..)
Cinema and psyche in Eastern European film
One element which I think are paralleled in the movies observed was the fact that in each of the movies viewed we were able to see a key character which played the role of the Isolated . This was a recurring theme throughout the movies….the question is why? Why is this fascination of the alienated? From Bolshe Vita all the way to Virgina the images streamed was that of distance and isolation. Of course this is a very human characteristic and many other movie genres explore it ….yet I cannot help but wonder if there is a deeper underlying message here. There are clear links between the political , social , and economic state of both the movies and the countries they were filmed in. This will attempt to explore the phenomenoma of the Isolated, the reasons behind it and the instruments of cinematography used to convey this message.
Cinema and Psyche
“The climate of the isolated”
In the films “time of the gypsies”,”tito & me”,
“virginia”, “Broken English”, “before the rain”
and “”a promesse” .
The psychology of the isolated
Obviously the more clear cut reasons for the characters being isolated is the element that they are all different in some shape or form. This difference causes the inability to interact properly with others whether by choice or by other means. This impending difference is due to something that is considered inferior or not conforming to the standardized quality of normalcy. The boy in Tito and me was too fat, the boy in Time of the Gypsies was poor and psychic, the woman in La Promesse was black Hans in”virginia” was actually a boy. If we observe deeper in to the current conditions in which they lived in it gives way to the analysis that in situations of great economic and political uproar there is a more outright persecution of the weak (or seemingly so) and defenseless.Therefore for the sake of a deeper analysis let us now analyze the social , historical and economic factors involved.
Social and economical context:the scapegoats
The Eastern European regime is one of great turmoil.Throughout it’s history it has been plagued with wars and separation as well as a constant restructuring of boundaries.The constant turmoil and change disrupts a sense of identity and self commonly established in less tumultous surroundings therefore there is a need to restructure this identity in more clear cut forms.
Due to this and the constant setting of boundaries and isolation the goverment sets out on a political campaign of extreme nationalism especially in the postcommunist regimes1.These nationalist campaigns although giving a sense of naitonal pride tend to isolate those that do not achieve the standards of the norm. Such is the case of “Tito and me”. Thus these ethnic,gender or otherwise differences are solved by depriving them of education, economic gain and social dignity making them resort to menial jobs and degrading positions. But what happens when the boundaries are so miniscule and leaves room for only a spare few? When the government is no one specific? What happens in these cases is there is an isolation among every character thus the case in “Before the rain” .The film offers different results to the same age old problem of violence and warfare and either way it is brother killing sister and cousin killing cousin…blood against blood. What the films inherent message is the fact that we are essentially following the same path….leading to different tragic outcomes yet always continuing the same path.
The alienation of individuals in a society is not just limited to communist regimes. In Democratic societies that are free from warfare there is a continous plea for the homogenous…especially in the depictions of the media.Yet as we see in “La Promesse” , “Broken English” and “ Before the rain” this is merely a mask that covers the prejudice lying underneath. In many of the scenes oof the “free world”. Many of the movies wish to convey the message that this is not limited to the Eastern European block but is a problem clearly set in our society. One must examine if they are better off in the situation placed when they are migrate to escape the injustices. None is better depicted than in “ La Promesse” where the woman is tricked coerced and deprived of human dignity in order to be able to live. There are clear cut lines between the characters … boundaries by which one muist clearly not pass. So in East Europe there is physical boundaries in the West it is the boundary of the invisible that makes it clearly inevitably worse.
There are even worse situations such as if the nationalistic pride is carried to a foreign land . in this situation there is an even greater risk of a loss of identity therefore it is inherent to try to conserve it with even more conservatism than before. In “Broken English” the father sees all of his daughters marrying locals therefore breaking off from his native land from him home. And thus he loses the sense of ethnic pride. And when he clashes with others who are desperatly trying to conserve this ethnicity a rage disrupts.
However there is also a need to solve the sense of isolation. Some try to adapt erroneously into the culture. In “time of the Gypsies” the boy becomes something that he is not rejecting his true self. The same happens in “Virginia” although it is not a conscious decision. When these betray their true selves they can no longer accept who they were before. Thus in “Before the Rain” the photographer forgets where he comes from and tries to assimilate into the culture. But as the saying goes “the truth comes back to haunt you”
And a true transformation must evolve negatively or otherwise.
Part two is available next week happy weekend everyone!
1 Living on the Edge : The East European Roma in Postcommunist Politics and Societies
