Day: March 17, 2023

Raise the Red Lantern: Women against Women

On By Bella M.In Binaries, FilmLeave a comment

‘Raise the Red Lantern’ is a Chinese film that focuses on the new life of Songlian, who at the beginning of the film has just become the Fourth Mistress of a rich household. The plot of this film is far from cut and dry, with twists and turns, and occasionally confusing plot points too.

The most important characters of ‘Raise the Red Lantern’ are its female characters. ‘The Master’, as he’s referred to, is one of the few major characters who are male, and his face is never shown directly in shots. It is obvious that the avoidance of the Master’s face is purposeful, however there are a multitude of different reasons why this was implemented into the film’s cinematography. One possible reason could be an attempt to make the Master appear almost god-like by keeping him as a hidden figure lurking but never completely on screen. Another, and more likely, is to keep the focus on the Mistress’s of the household.

Each of the Mistresses are distinct and well thought out characters, you can sympathize with all of them to some degree. However, they all fall victim to one thing; The Gender Binary. Despite being independent and interesting individuals, they fight desperately for the love of Master, who controls their lives with his family traditions. This dynamic pits the mistresses against each other, all trying to sabotage one another in some way.

Whats interesting about a binary like this is that one would assume the women would band together to overcome such a boundary, however, throughout ‘Raise the Red Lantern’ they all try to use one another as stepping stones rather than allies. In the first half of the film, this is seen as nothing more than annoying competition, however by the end of the film its clear that everything could have been avoided only the relationship between the Mistresses and the Master were different. We’ve seen this type of competition among women all throughout history, and it does nothing but further strengthen the patriarchal system.

For the women of ‘Raise the Red Lantern’, there is nothing but suffering and unhappiness. All of which is inflicted not by the Master, but by the other women who they are supposed to consider sisters.

Unique Storytelling and Dramatic Comedy

On By Jhaden J.In Comedy/SatireLeave a comment

Aristotle explains that dramatic comedy is meaningful because it allows us to see the human condition in a new light. It points out our flaws and teaches us that these flaws are what make us human. The aspect of comedy provides an optimistic outlook on the world despite its realism. This perspective gives us the ability to better deal with the challenges we face in life. 

Dramatic Comedies allow the audience to explore important themes and issues with the aspect of humor. By having comedic relief viewers have an engaging and relatable way to deal with complex problems. It can find ways to give new perspectives to different social issues, personal struggles, cultural differences, etc. 

The movie Parasite is a good example of how dramatic comedy can be meaningful. Parasite is a South Korean movie that tackles themes of class struggle, social inequality, and the consequences of poverty. Parasite is an effective dramatic comedy with sharp writing and the subtle use of humor to create a powerful social commentary. Despite addressing serious issues, the film never feels heavy. The story’s comedic elements help to relieve tension and make the characters more relatable. The movie’s success as a dramatic comedy comes from the blend of different genres smoothly and its ability to talk about serious topics while staying entertaining and engaging.

The genre of dramatic comedy can help to process what we’re taking in in a positive way. Humor is one of the most common and powerful coping mechanisms that people use, using this we can address serious issues without feeling overwhelmed by the context. The use of comedy with drama makes challenging topics more approachable, engaging, and meaningful to audiences who view them.

The Element of Satire in Get Out

On By Jhaden J.In Comedy/Satire, FilmLeave a comment

The movie Get Out was director Jordan Peele’s debut film; it immediately put him into high status in the directorial world, winning him an Academy award for best original screenplay, and for good cause. The film follows Chris, a black man who is going to meet Rose’s, his white girlfriend’s, family for the first time. Throughout this movie we see an amazing craftiness of the racism that exists beneath the surfaces of white America.

Hypnotizing is the main way throughout the movie that Rose’s family hides their true intentions under the mask of being proactive in race issues. Rose’s mother, Missy, uses hypnotism to keep various black people in a mental spell, working for her, portraying it to the outside world as them willingly working for her. She does this hypnotizing through tea, an unassumingly harmless activity, something that is done to be welcoming and social. 

The tea in the movie plays a huge role, having the ability to give Chris and the other mind controlled servants the feeling of falling and being trapped. The imagery in the movie, Chris falling from reality into a dark place, underlines the families true intentions to keep him suppressed. While this is happening the words, “you’ll live in a sunken place” are used. In the movie, this sunken place is a state where people are unable to be in control of their own actions, also hinting at the push back on going forward in racial issues. In the end of this scene, Chris closes his eyes, alluding to the things that black people in society cannot see and do not know because of the history and education being held away. 

Throughout the movie we see the support of two narratives within the satire, both of racial issues in America, accompanied with a clever and effective criticism of our society. As well as, a satire of what a horror movie is in general down to the movie being titled Get Out. The satire in the movie is not targeted at outward racism but more so the self approving white liberal mindset, causing viewers to put deeper thought into some of the things they do and why exactly they’re doing them.