Resources: Films

Erin O'Connor-Garcia and Daniel Garcia

Throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, many writers, directors and viewers have chosen film as a medium through which to explore the social structures of the world.  The films listed here demonstrate what happens when we open our eyes to the world around us…and urge us to do so.

The Truman Show (1998)
directed by Peter Weir
This film raises questions about Western consumerist societies as a main source of the information of self and identity.  In what ways are we all living like Truman?

Secrets and Lies (1998)
directed by Mike Leigh
Secrets and Lies reveals the corrosive power of dishonesty in the microcosm of the family unit, and shows the power of sincerity as it restores trust and hope.  What does it take for us to uncover our own social masks and those of people near to us?

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
directed by Walter Salles
Young, Argentinean medicine student, Eneresto “Che” Guevarra decides to see directly the social reality of his continent.  This immediacy transforms him more than any book or report.  What are the opportunities we have today to see in a tangible way the existence of people who may be close to us but socially miles away?  Do we look for that encounter or avoid it?

Stevie (2003)
directed by Steve James
Follow Steve James (who also made Hoop Dreams) as he tracks the difficult journey for Stevie, an emotionally wounded young man he met 10 years prior in a Big Brother program.  The film raises issues of dysfunctional families and understanding the dynamics of the destructive cycle of abuse.  How does our understanding of mental illness and our understanding of social conditioning explain someone like Stevie?  Do our explanations perpetuate situations like his?

Mondovino (2004)
directed by Jonathan Nossiter
Mondovino presents the politics behind the wine industry, revealing that every industry has voices consumers may not get a chance to hear.  Raises questions about consumer choices and how society is impacted by the marketing and selling of unique cultures.  How much of our culture (within our family, town, city, etc.) is unique to our location?  How much is purchased from other cultures?

The Corporation (2003)
directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott
A humorous critique of the rise of corporations that also discusses the moral implications of accountability (and lack thereof) of the most important economical unit.  What do we lose (if anything) as a society when the most powerful forces of progress do not have to consider the well-being of individuals but profit as the scale of success?

 

Further digging ...

Each of the following films can help broaden our understanding of particular social issues.   Ask yourself: what is the director’s approach?  What does that approach communicate about the causes of and solutions to injustice?

The Bicycle Thief (1948)
directed by Vittoria di Sica, Italian language
Demonstrates Italian NeoRealism in a story of post-WWII depression in Rome, where such a simple tool as a bicycle can determine survival.

Pixote (The Law of the Weakest—1981)
directed by Hector Babenco, Portuguese language
Follows the vicious street life of a 10-year-old runaway boy in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Philadelphia (1993)
directed by Jonathan Demme
The story of a gay lawyer with AIDS who sues his conservative employer when he’s fired.

Central Station (1998)
directed by Walter Salles, Portuguese language
Follows the tradition of New Latin American Cinema with the story of Dora, a dour woman who writes and sends letters on behalf of illiterate customers and gets caught up in one of their stories.

Children of Heaven (1999)
directed by Majid Majidi, Farsi language
A brother and sister hatch a plan to share shoes when one pair is lost and their family can’t afford another.

The Gleaners and I (2000)
directed by Agnes Varda, filmed in France
A story of French life for both the poor and the provident, explored through the experiences of gleaners who scour for food in already reaped fields.

City of God (2000)
directed by Katia Lund and Fernando Mierelles, Portuguese language
Two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro choose two different paths: art and drugs.

Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
directed by Stephen Frears
The story of two immigrants, a Nigerian doctor and a Turkish chambermaid, working in a seedy London hotel who follow up on evidence of a bizarre murder.

Bus 174 (2003)
directed by Jose Padilha and Felipe Lacerda, Portuguese language
A documentary of a fateful day in June 2000 when a Rio de Janeiro bus carrying 12 passsengers is hijacked.

Born Into Brothels (2004)
directed by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski, filmed in Calcutta, India
A documentary that tells the story of children living in the Calcutta red light district who learn photography while their mothers earn a living on the streets.

The Edukators (2005)
directed by Hans Weingartner, German language
The rebellion of three young Berliners takes on the form of social commentary on wealth.

Nobody Knows (2005)
Directed by Hirakazu Koreeda, Japanese language
A film about what happens to 12-year-old Akira and his three younger siblings when their mother abandons them in a Tokyo apartment.