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April 20, 2019 at 2:09 pm #1383ALISON AMESParticipant
I do agree that The Station Agent has plot elements and is a movie with a plot. I think one reason that it may be considered as lacking a plot is that the conflicts are predominantly internal. Each of the central characters struggle internally rather than some opposing force which must be overcome. I also think, the fact that the central characters are all represented as minority figures (widowed woman, Hispanic, dwarf, black girl) suggests that not all victories involve saving the world; sometimes learning how to cope with loss, indifference, and cruelty is victory enough. As to the hero role, I would suggest that each of the three central characters possess heroic qualities, again reminding us, or at least suggesting, that we are all heroes of our own stories. Fin demonstrates courage when facing Emily’s boyfriend in the bar parking lot and he certainly acts noble and dignified in the face of daily abuses, for simply being a dwarf (we see him in the supermarket, outside his home with the two men at the food truck, the candid picture that was taken by the store clerk, etc.). Joe exhibits a tenacity and loyalty, not only to his two friends, but to his father as well. Working at the food truck for his father while he is sick, for at least six weeks, in the middle of nowhere, is an act of selflessness. He also defends Fin, who he barely knows at the time, to two customers he appears to be at least acquainted with. Olivia, demonstrates the least in terms of outward heroic qualities; it is clear that she is a good person but her struggle to deal with her loss appears to be the foremost conflict for her. It’s as you said, “each character has a clear motivation.” I would even argue that the ‘hero journey’ begins in different points for each character, implying that heroism is continual, complex, and interrelated rather than neat set of contrived plot devices made to order. For Fin, as you stated, he was pushed into the ‘unknown world’ by the death of his friend. Olivia was forced out of her isolation and stagnant mourning by the arrival of Fin and the tenacity of Joe. And Joe, is rewarded for his selfless act of love and duty by the arrival of Fin as well. The plot is a reminder that life is about relationships and when relationships are removed, in whatever way, we struggle. Each character has been deprived or stripped of a dependent relationship and the only resolve to that very mundane and ordinary conflict is to establish new relationships.
April 9, 2019 at 4:35 pm #1376ALISON AMESParticipantCommenting on your hero in Wind River response, I agree with you. I left the film feeling as though there was an absence of heroism in the film. Although Cory appears to mentor Jane through the investigation, he is driven by a want for vengeance not justice. As Jane stumbles around behind him, not every truly understanding the gravity of her situation, her character never really reaches a moment where there is any clear character development. In fact, I would argue that she devolves; initially she attempts to ‘just do the right thing’ but she ends up sending Cory after Pete- not simply assuming the implications of this action, but acknowledging it. I do not support the ‘eye for an eye’ justice system because it reduces our heroes to criminals.
March 4, 2019 at 8:32 am #1326ALISON AMESParticipantThere are a few films that come to mind that are more geared to illicit a ‘female gaze,’ however, their genres leave them tediously on the other side of what we consider to be seriously considered films. The first film that came to mind was Magic Mike. Despite the majority of the cast being male, the film is considered to be a drama/comedy and is obviously filmed with a female audience in mind. The other film that comes to mind provides an example of both female and male gaze, Dirty Dancing. Considered a drama/romance the women are emphasized as well, but Swayze’s character is a subordinate who is objectified by the guests and women. His body is definitely highlighted from/for a female perspective. One thing I would note is that defining a male gaze or a female gaze is just another bifurcation that limits our perspectives as humans. When you hear a story from someone else’s perspective you have to assume that the story is subjective to their world view, male or female, what is important is the recent attempt in film to expand one’s own view in order to include other perspectives that may not have been represented in the past. The rising number of women involved in film and production of film contributes to this but I’d like to think that an awareness of this bias contributes to the recent changes as well.
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