Faat Kine the character is shown in the film centered around her as an immensely charismatic and independent character. Kine’s personality can be seen as a clear reflection of the social values that were changing in Senegal at the time. Kine both independently and with her friends makes fun of men in a playful manner and in some cases just downright scolding as Akudinobi points out in her book “Durable Dreams” Kine is not perfect heroine made to be digestible to western audiences but rather a character who shines with independence in the midst of her specific culture (Akudinobi, 2006,p.177). Another aspect of the film that showcases the change in social values present in Senegal and Africa at large is how Kine interacts with her family and vice versa. Kine’s brutal past of abuse is shown through her mothers stories filtered through the emotional tone of tough love, at a stark contrast to the loving yet intense relationship that Kine has with her mother Kine’s two children have a much more lenient and friendly relationship with their mother in which they bring up the discussion of finding her a partner, a discussion that is somewhat disturbing to kine’s mother. Although I would argue that the social divide between generations is the most significant societal tension shown in this film other schisms are very present. The conflict between religions seems to be at the very best broken down to petty interactions among people of different faiths as shown firstly by Kine’s children asking a christian man named Jean to pursue their mother, In response to their proposition Jean brings up his perceived incompatibility with Kine due to his faith and kicks Kine’s kids out of his office. However it is the difference in perception that comes with generations that is the central point by the end of the film. During a party Kine’s previous suitors (one of which being the father of Kine’s son) show up and instigate a conversation with Kine’s Children resulting in a exchange of calculated insults and points that sum up the sociopolitical setting of the movie. Kine’s son (Djib) is confronted with his father who tries to convince him to study elsewhere besides Africa to which Djib responds passionately that his goal is to change his country for the better, that means his allegiance is to his people and not to the countries previous colonizers. In the ending sequence Kine and Jean escape to a private room letting their attraction sown with tension loose. In one sense these scenes present a uplifting emotions while also displaying the profound changes being put into motion in Senegal and Africa as a whole.

The film follows the trial of Hossain Sabzian an impostor who fools a family with his facade of a renowned director. Sabzian is presented to be surprisingly quit meek yet as the film goes on the depth of his character is displayed in way that justifies the documentary film crews fascination with the case.

Besides the intriguing story the creation of the film is incredibly interesting because the case the film centers around is a real one and the people who play the characters are just that…the actual people that were involved in the crime. The context of this is of an utmost importance as one usually does not consider the organic emotions that actors themselves experience during a scene as their entire job is to fulfill a role that does not necessarily pertain to their real life situations or personality. A good bit of the movie takes place in the court room where the culprit of the crime Sabizan sits in the front of the room and the victims being the Ahankhah family sit behind him. With the consideration as to what the conditions of the film were it should be no surprise how organic the tension in the room seems to the viewer. The Ahankhan family follows their accusations in court with a passionate yet disoriented tone as expected from a family who was collectively bamboozled. On the contrary Sabizan himself presents himself in a manner that makes you question how the family feel for his lies in the first place, if one is to believe that the character of Sabizan that is shown in court is the same as the one who fooled the family the mechanisms by which he performed his artifice must have been through his showings of genuineness and not his obvious lacking of confidence. The result of the case comes to the judge telling Sabizan that with no prior criminal history he would pardon him if the family agrees, the family agrees on the term that he becomes a productive member of society. After the trial Sabizan actually meets the real director he pretended to be and they have a wholesome interaction with the Ahankhan family wishing him well.

To my knowledge this film offers a perspective so unique it stands out among almost all the movies I have seen. The movies nature as a documentary gives it the power of grounding the emotions views have in reality while also being able to dramatize the scenes in a way to make the film a truly intriguing piece of art.

The Crimes of Padre Amaro follows the character of Amaro as his presentation turns from an innocent priest to a culprit of the same sins he preaches against. Amaro arrives in Los Reyes the town he wishes to establish his job as minister in. Upon arriving he is noticed quite fondly by 16 year old Amelia who shows strong attraction towards him in the midst of her schism with her current boyfriend. In the Beginning of the film Amaro reacts to the affection of Amelia like someone would expect out of a moral preacher but eventually Amaro gives in to her pleas for intimacy and they end up meeting up under the cover of helping a girl who seemingly is need of a exorcism. These sins are drops in a sea of disingenuous behavior that is occurring all around Amaro, Father Benito a colleague of Amaro is witnessed cheating on his wife with a local resturant owner and more importantly is funding his new hospital with cartel money. It is almost humorous to also see that the priest who accuses him of laundering money from suspicious sources is also supporting political racialists in the local area.

The relationship of Amaro and Amelia grows to where Amelia is shown to seek something more than what Amaro is in for. The climax of their relationship is when Amelia informs Amaro of her pregnancy in which he responds by asking her to either give it away or abort it. After much conflict Amelia agrees to a backstreet abortion that contributes to her death. In a vile ending Amaro is taken away from the blame and it is placed on Amelia’s x boyfriend. As film critic Roger Ebert expands upon in his review of the movie The point of the film is that through the crimes committed by Amaro and his priest acquaintances it displays that they are just as capable of evil as anyone else but the crimes real weight comes not in that Amaro did something like have sex but that he and his other colleagues went through great measures to cover up their actions and in the process hurt people through their dishonesty (Ebert, 2002).

In the film Mood for Love we follow Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan both of which having significant others we never fully get to see. The mysteriousness that surrounds their partners only grows in intrigue when Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan grow a tense friendship in the absence of their lovers being home. It does not take both of them long to expose their theories as to why they see so little of their partners and they conclude that their his wife and her husband are having an affair together. The rest of the film follows the two as they ambivalently dance with each others desires for one another while wrestling with the burden of their partners unfaithfulness. Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan are shown recreating their predictions as to how the affair between their lovers were initiated. It is through these interactions and through the attitude that the neighbors take towards their obvious relationship that show the strong social pressure for spouses to stay loyal. As pointed out in Nochimson’s “World on Film” This is a struggle for both Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan as their feelings towards one another are obvious to the viewer even before Chan declares it with his words but they still have issues along the way in communicating to one another how they feel clearly as the societal shame of being unloyal looms over them even in private settings (Nochimson,2010,p.346) Slow motion shots and extravagant music accompanies their small interactions showing the deep meaning in their ambiguous brief encounters. The extent to Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan’s relationship is left up to mystery so when the film skips 5 years we are left with more questions than answers when they go their separate ways. The film shows the fragile veil between unguarded sensuality and the social standards that surround marriage and no matter how distant Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan are in distance their still is a connection there.

The milky way follows two rugged travelers on their road trip to a holy pilgrimage sight. The two characters Pierre and Jean carry the audience through a seemingly odd train of disconnected mythical events that are placed all through out different times in history. Besides the seemingly supernatural instances such as the two protagonists coming upon a caped man who makes a claim about who they will bare children to, the characters in virtually every situation they find come upon some conversation about the nature of God, free will and religions role in society in general. The film harbors an almost Monty Python like humor when it comes to the characters interactions with each other and the mythical events that happen around them as discussed Nochimson’s “World on Film” Seemingly profound and odd events happen all around Jean and Pierre yet they themselves are not interesting characters at all as they are not shown to do anything besides hoard as much food as possible and give interesting philosophical arguments shallow explanations to each other (Nochimson,2010,P.294). The directors Humorous approach towards religion becomes quite apparent as the defenders of religion in the film showcase arguments ripe with logical fallacies. In one scene a man preparing a fancy party says that people cant doubt the existence of God…because it says so in the bible, in another scene a catholic priest makes the absurd claim that people belonging to other religions were actually Christians. Jean and Pierre at the end of their long travels through a landscape disconnected by any consistency in time and space end up in the hands of the prophecy that the caped man they came upon foretold. The film doesn’t really offer any points of contemplation or discussion and almost seems to be a work of art for itself in that the whole journey fulfills what it says it was gonna do at the beginning of the film.

Panther Panchali stands out among its other Indian film counterparts through its dedication to realism, but what makes the movie profound is that it retains the expressive elements of music that play a role so heavily in Indian entertainment as a whole while still offering a different perspective of an Indian drama. The film captures the life of a poor family living in rural Bengal, Karuna is a hard working mother of two children Apu and Durga who are both frequently caught up in troubling situations as both witness and the culprits of the trouble, their father Harihar has unrealistic dreams of becoming a writer and contributes to their financial instability by putting off the relevant concerns for the sake of his intended wealth as a writer. How the film displays Indian culture even under the limits of poverty is done beautifully in that it does not shy away from death and misfortune but in the way that in the midst of such suffering beautiful music and rituals can be seen interwoven into daily life giving the bitter realism a bearable if not a rustically pleasing aspect to the film. As Shambu explains in his Essay “The Apu Trilogy: Behind the Universal” India was not used to a film that was as dedicated to the “delicate realism” that this film displayed which can be attributed to its success in India and internationally as well (Shambu,2015). Although it should be pointed out that music serves a more integral role to the film then just a vague pleasantry, In scenes where few words are exchanged the communication of emotion is conveyed through intense close face shots of the characters combined with the appropriate music tone. A good example of this is when Durga is accused of stealing by neighbors and as a result Karuna is partially blamed for her behavior. After the accusers leave Karuna ominously descends upon Durga and with little exchange the Karuna casts Durga out of the house all the while the music changes in its intensity as well. Through out the film the tragedies of life are shown in full colors, Harhir’s older cousin who frequently was shown to have conflict with Karuna is found dead by Apu and Durga. Durga herself catches a deadly cold that ends up in her death. Panther Panchali is composed of the brutal elements of a poor life but in its display of suffering the films profundity can be seen through its realistic portrayal of a rich culture.

The 7 Samurai is a truly epic film that holds weaves concepts into its story that are not just relevant to understanding history or tradition but also have an intense relevance to modern japan and the questions of old tradition at large. The movie begins with a group of villagers overhearing bandits discussing plans to raid their villager after the harvest, after escaping with the information the village elder is consulted whereupon he advice’s a scouting group to seek out hungry samurai as the village has no money to provide. With no success the scouting group comes upon a village completely take by dismay in the face of a dire situation. A lunatic has taken a baby hostage and threatens to kill it if the place he resides in is breached. In desperation one of the villagers asks a samurai for his help. The samurai named Kambei almost surprisingly agrees to help the villagers ,with a couple of rituals and a few words Kambei makes swift work of the bandit. The scouting party being incredibly intrigued by his performance asks for his assistance in matters of dealing with the bandits. Kambei agrees showing himself to be a very honorable man and exemplary samurai but the confines of the concepts surrounding what makes a legitimate samurai and what doesn’t become shakier as the film progresses. Along the story of the film Kambei gathers 6 more warriors to his efforts, all of which vary incredibly when it comes to their character, composure and even experience as a warrior. Kyūzō for example is regal in that he carries with him an intense resolve that is expressed through his intense face and unmatched swordsmanship and then there is the opposite of the spectrum as shown by Kikuchiyo a hot headed warrior who although carries with him many endearing qualities to his character suffers from many moral dilemmas due to his impulsive nature. in the end through much adversity the diverse group of warriors is able to stave off the bandits but in the process the villagers loose their trust of them and kick them out of the village. Nochimson points out in her Book “World on Film” The process of a group composed of morally attuned but imperfect warriors rising to the occasion for a noble cause puts many of japans issues of tradition in to question. Even when a certain group seemingly can coexist with another through noble actions the barriers of class still get in the way, an issue still relevant to Japan and the rest of the world (Nochimson,2010,P.220).

In the Movie The Bicycle Thief We follow the character and most importantly the actions of Antonio Ricci a poor man residing in Rome with his wife and son. The film spends much of its time around Antonio’s attempts to retrieve his stolen stolen bike which he needs to fulfill the requirements for his newly acquired job. After being unsuccessful in trying to recover the bike Antonio resorts to stealing a bike but not without a internal conflict being displayed, In the moments before Antonio commits the crime a wide shoot encompasses the block with Antonio and the Bike spaced perfectly to show the weight of his decision. The action of Antonio stealing the Bike fulfills the title in that he becomes the culprit of the same crime he was originally a victim of, this exhibits the reality of what seemingly moral people such as Antonio will do when faced with desperation. One aspect of this film that displays neorealist tone is its gritty settings the film is shot in and the lack of grandeur in how the protagonist composes himself, as it is a important thing to consider that the director of the movie choose to have the person who plays Antonio not be a professional actor. Nochimson discusses in her Book “World on Film” It is essential to notice that Antonio’s crimes are put into the context of his financial desperation for a job, in the spirit of making the setting fit the characters circumstance The shots of Rome in the movie offer no view of the prized monuments only the streets and run down neighborhoods full of working class people are shown to make our considerations about Antiono’s theft different (Nochimson,2010,166). cringe inducing moments such as Antonio’s son rushing to him as he is condemned for his crime of theft show a dramatized version of the working class persons reality. The films main goal seems to illicit emotion where it is unpleasant in the face of the inconveniences faced by those who are wholesome and unlucky and their reactions to it.

Without the continuity of a story Man with a Movie Camera has just about everything else. The iconic shots the film captures are displayed with the efficiency of an experienced artist while at the same time harboring a sense of naive confidence a child might have who just discovered a matchbox. The film includes seemingly accurate depictions of daily life in Russia juxtaposed with scenes that obviously utilize special effects, the contrast puts into question the films label as a documentary film as its ties to any sense of realism seem to be shaky in the face of staged shoots and clips with an almost mythical tone invoked through the special effects used. As pointed by Nochimson in her book “World on Film” there is something special about the films way of displaying perception through the power of a camera, it is shown throughout the movie that no perspective is forbidden as we follow the cameraman himself humorously traversing perilous situations such as walking through traffic or crossing a dangerously active river (P.82). Another way in which the film challenges the norm of even what would be considered a loosely defined documentary is the interactions with the subjects being filmed, in the film we are lead into deeply personal situations such as man being treated for a grave injury or a women at a grave site (Nochimson,2010,P.84). The neurotypical role of a camera as a means to capture something without the people themselves interacting with the source of view is defiantly shattered in this movie. Man with a Movie Camera in my opinion is shown to be just what its title shows it to be a man who’s only role is to use the camera to capture what is real and what is not with a freedom of boundaries never before known by people unbeknownst to the technology.

The 400 blows follows the life of a young teenager named Antione in France. The film while physically being confined to locations in France takes us to many diverse locations from Antione shifting through the urban sprawl of Paris to engaging in a soccer game and suddenly escaping to the beach. As pointed out in Insdorf’s essay on the film “The 400 Blows: close to home” The inability for Antione to stay out of trouble is a honest reflection of how the director wished to display the time of youth, instead of relying on the nostalgic innocence that often characteristically associated with movies surrounding youth the movie explores the themes of dysfunctional family systems as shown by Antione’s biological father being out of the picture and what is left is his mother who does not get along with his spouse and is caught cheating by Antione. Besides from dysfunctional family systems other aspects of adolescence that have a less wholesome outlook are also explored such as Antione’s subtle sighs of awakening to his sexuality as displayed by his interest in his moms make up and stockings (Insdorf, 2014).

The defining feature of Antione and the film at large is what is expressed without words. We follow Antione while he seemingly acts out of simple rebellion towards all aspects of authority but the interest in his character is most defiantly sparked if not heightened when we see his powerful motivations surrounding getting to a beach he saw in a commercial. For a character that is exhibited as impulsive it is intriguing to see a young boy captured by such a vague concept without much discussion or dialogue about the actual place that has become the locus of his desires. The most profound moment in the movie is when Antione arrives at the beach he sought after for much of the film and what is shown is an undefined expression that encapsulates the entire film. With Antione’s life being so heavily defined by his impulsive actions that seem to harbor no actual goal when Antione is faced with the grand destination of his desire he is simply at a lost for words or any emotion that is familiar to him.