Engaging Life Through Love, Death, and Time Is there beauty in death? The loss of a child is a tragedy that no parent ever wants to experience. In the film Collateral Beauty, a grief-stricken father named Howard Inlet, played by Will Smith, learns how to cope with death and heartbreak from the loss of his daughter after writing letters to the universe. In these letters, Howard addresses his anger to love, death, and time, and they appear to Howard in human form to help him cope with his daughter’s death. As Howard begins to neglect life and all of his responsibilities, the interchangeable love-death-time triangle teaches Howard not to give up on his will to live, to love, and to interact with other people (Gleiser). Within the meaning of collateral beauty, an individual learns how to reinvent oneself and how to grow from the loss of a loved one. In this 2016 American drama film, director David Frankel excelled in delivering a definitive yet …show more content…
Furthermore, viewers learn that love is a mere creation of the human mind, and people have the power to control it. Love, played by actress Kiera Knightley, exclaimed to Howard, “Love is the reason for everything. I was there in her laugh, but I am also here now in your pain.” Similarly, it is safe to embrace love when all is well in life, but it becomes dangerous to dwell on love after death because it consumes an individual’s every thought. Therefore, Howard clung to the beautiful moments he had with his daughter, but it soon lead to his own physical and mental destruction. The aspect of love is one that can heal all wounds through peace and resolution. For this reason, love revealed itself in Howard’s pain as it helped him to see the beauty in his daughter’s legacy. In times of despair, the act of love shows how the intimacy of human connection has the power to make or break an
During the Talladega 500, Cal Naughton Jr., Ricky Bobby's former best friend, pulled ahead of Ricky, allowing him to slingshot around his car and pass Jean Girard. Though Cal and Girard were teammates at Dennit Racing, Cal disregarded this and jeopardized his team's success to aid Ricky in the movie Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. This moment was crucial to Ricky, he having fallen from grace, going from NASCAR's top driver to being let go by Dennit Racing. The love Cal exhibited was a selfless form of love that was centered entirely around Ricky's happiness, not his own. Because of this selflessness, Cal compromised his own agenda, winning for Dennit, and disregarded personal consequence in hopes that Ricky would win the race. If you truly love someone as Cal loved Ricky, you must sometimes compromise your own interests for their benefit.
Lee Daniel’s Precious is a movie centered around Precious Jones, a 16-year-old overweight black girl living in Harlem, New York. The movie begins when she is in public school pregnant with her second child by her father. Because Precious is pregnant, the principle recommends an alternative school for her. At home, Precious is a servant to her mother, Mary, who is physically, emotionally, verbally, and sexually abusing her. Mary constantly tells Precious that she is not good enough and that no one will ever want her. At times of distress, Precious tends to dissociate and fantasize about another life where she is a blonde white girl. She wants to be famous and loved by all. Precious arrives at the alternative school hardly knowing how to read or write. She gets placed in a class of girls with a dedicated teacher, Ms. Rain. Ms. Rain asks each student to write in a journal every day, and she will write back to their letters. This is the first time in the movie when Precious feels very
Steel Magnolias is a movie about the lives of six southern women and the drama that unfolds during a difficult period in their lives. As you can probably guess, there are tears, laughter and drama galore. The move is set in Chinquapin Parish, a small southern town in rural Louisiana. During the opening credits it draws you into the peaceful small town charm: beautiful homes, lush landscapes, blooming trees, shrubs and people lounging on their front porch. A young woman walks across a town that appears to be pulled straight from a Norman Rockwell painting, then gunshots! It’s the wedding day and there can be no birds pooping on the reception. You just got on the roller coaster; hang on! This movie will bring about every emotion you have
Saw is a American horror film directed by James Wan. The film is about a killer who calls himself the Jigsaw. He kills and/or “teaches” his victims to respect life. He watches his victims and then abducts them when learning their problems in life.
"Mrs. Robinson, you are trying to seduce me," says Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman). The Graduate, directed by Mike Nichols in 1967 is an influential satire/comedy film about a recent East Coast college graduated who finds himself alienated and aimless in the changing, social and sexual general public of the 1960s, and questioning the values of society. The theme of the film is of an innocent and confused youth who is exploited, mis-directed, seduced (literally and figuratively) and betrayed by a corrupt, self-indulgent, and discredited older generation (that finds stability in “plastics”) that I found to be quite clear and understanding, while also capturing the real spirit of the times and allows America's youth to perceive onscreen an image of themselves which they can both identify with and emulate. The Graduate is a significant film even today due to its use of abstract camera angles, telephoto lenses, excellent cinematography, and great acting. Few visual effects were used, however, matting and numerous point of view shots were used. These characteristics and the fabulous use of mis-en-scene, great writing and the era of the film all made The Graduate what it is today, magnificent.
... eventually realizes that there is absolutely no way to control whom you will love or when one will fall love. Xuela admits, “It is sad that unless you are born a god, your life from its beginning, is a mystery to you.” (Kincaid 202). The love that both Janie and Xuela feel, testifies to the incalculable and expected, nature of love.
American Sniper is an action movie based on one of the greatest snipers in history and what he experienced through his days as a Navy Seal. It was directed by Clint Eastwood, he also was one of the producers. The movie was released on December 25, 2014. American Sniper was written by Jason Hall. The protagonist of the movie is Chris Kyle who is played by Bradley Cooper. Chris Kyle lives in Texas and really would like to be a cowboy. But he changes his mind and decides to go to the SEALS to become a sniper. The movie takes place in Texas and in Iraq.
District 9 is a film that takes us into a realm of a different world from the one that we know now. It combines extraterrestrial life with immense science fiction to illustrate a story we could only imagine to ever actually occur. Although it was created for entertainment purposes, the motion picture can be compared to many different types of individuals and situations. District 9 displays many underlying concepts throughout the movie about racism, prejudice and discrimination. While studying and analyzing the plot and characters, these concepts became more translucent to me, the viewer. This paper will discuss the treatment of District 9 residents and equate their treatment to people with disabilities.
Grief in media rarely goes in depth and is often rush often with little consideration to how it impacts people 's everyday lives. This may be a reflection of how grief is viewed in our society. Collectively people are uncomfortable with death and talking about it publicly. We rather acknowledged it as little as possible. The movie “My girl” takes on the unique plotline of grief and loss. The movie, taking place in a funeral home, touches on both tangible and symbolic loss. These losses are represented in numerous instances throughout the movie within the character development of the main cast.
A movie that almost perfectly intertwines social work related issues and their various aspects into the storyline would be the 2009 movie The Blind Side. The movie follows Michael Oher; a boy living under harsh conditions at home that eventually lead him to be homeless. When spotted by a woman named Leigh Anne Tuohy, she takes him in and assists him in becoming a pro-football player (“The Blind Side (2009),” n.d.). The issues faced in the movie by Oher are reminiscent of issues dealt with by social workers, homelessness and child neglect being a few. For example, issues presented in the film that emphasizes social work-related problems are seen when Leigh goes to visit Michael’s mother, who is a drug addict, which is what led to Michael being
Sex, love, depression, guilt, trust, all are topics presented in this remarkably well written and performed drama. The Flick, a 2014 Pulitzer Prize winning drama by Annie Baker, serves to provide a social commentary which will leave the audience deep in thought well after the curtain closes. Emporia State Universities Production of this masterpiece was a masterpiece in itself, from the stunningly genuine portrayal of the characters of Avery and Rose, to the realism found within the set, every aspect of the production was superb.
The film, Fruitvale Station, is based upon a true story of a young, unarmed African American male, Oscar, who was shot by a Caucasian BART police officer. The film displays the final twenty-fours of Oscar Grant’s lives going through his struggles, triumphs, and eager search to change his life around. There will be an analysis of the sociological aspects displayed throughout the movie that show racism, prejudice, and discrimination.
After watched the Shutter Island, I believe this film is combat against stigma of mental ill.
For my second media critique, I chose to focus on the 2011 film Bridesmaids. Bridesmaids is a comedy written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, directed by Paul Feig. With grossing almost $300 million worldwide, 44 nominations, and 11 awards won, Bridesmaids has been a relevant film in popular culture over the last three years (“Bridesmaids”).
“The Mission” is based on a true story that occurred around the borderlands of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil in the years 1750’s according to the film and history. The Treaty of Madrid of 1750 with the Spanish and Portuguese caused both havoc and death for the people of the Guarini and the members of the Jesuits. The Jesuits, members of the church, tried to bring Christianity and civilization to the natives while keeping at peace with Spain and Portugal. The Jesuits were the teachers for the natives; Teaching them not only the Christian religion but also civilization. Father Gabriel, a Jesuit, is first introduced in the film when he is showing his respects to a former Jesuit priest killed by the natives. He walks through the South American