Category: Film Analysis
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Avatar Explained – The Allegory of Social Salvation
Amazing Grace is a Christian hymn about forgiveness, redemption and… Avatar. That’s right, the first verse does a great job of summing up the plot of James Cameron’s 2009 film. The grace is the god and guiding spirit of the planet Pandora and its wood spirits are the sweet sound. Jake was a wretch when…
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District 9 Explained – The Allegory of Damnation
Ah, 2009. The world was obsessed with Twilight, Kesha released her hit single “Tik Tok”, and the global economy was tanking. Sound familiar? From this dark, pessimistic reality came District 9, a film about oppressed aliens forced into squalid living conditions on earth. Its protagonist quite literally loses his humanity as he’s transformed into one…
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American Beauty Explained – The Sociology of Identity
It’s often said that American Beauty is a film about identity. Each character seems to go through a very personal identity crisis. But I would argue these crises are not personal at all. They are the products of wider social forces. By focusing on the identities of American Beauty’s characters we can learn a surprising…
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How I, Daniel Blake Explains Poverty
Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake is brutally realistic portrayal of poverty in Austerity Britain. Set in Newcastle, it follows Dan and Katie as they try to navigate a frustrating and unforgiving welfare state. In doing so, the film illustrates the ongoing ideological battle between two ways of explaining poverty. Are poor individuals responsible for their own situation? Or is poverty ultimately…