In Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, themes of race and sexuality are explored throughout the film. Growing up in a hostile environment, the protagonist Chiron is both gay and African American. In many parts of the world, being gay is still frowned upon and unacceptable. In this film, these struggles are seen through Chiron’s perspective. Chiron grew up in a community where men had to act tough and sell drugs in order to survive. Growing up as a black man, you are expected to have a strong exterior. Chiron was very quiet and kept to himself for most of his childhood, and without a father growing up, he had no one to look up to. This meant that he was going to be seen as weak. And because everyone knew that Chiron was also gay, this fed into the toxic masculinity seen within the black community. This is especially seen when Terell convinces Kevin to beat up Chiron. Despite Kevin having clear feelings for Chiron, he is much more concerned about his reputation, and how he’s seen amongst his peers. And with the pressure to cool like ‘the man’ in front of Terell, he throws several punches at Chiron, someone he actually cares for. Kevin knew that if he did not go with what Terell was asking him to do, it would look suspicious.

As a black man growing up, Kevin feels as if he has to keep up a façade of being ‘the man’ as well. In the scene where Kevin sees Chiron afterschool, he openly brags about being in detention for having sex with a girl. This is another example of toxic masculinity within the black community seen in this film. Kevin feels the need to tell Chiron and others about his sexual history because he wants people to give him respect and to think that he is straight. However, we see later on that his sexuality is not as obvious as he made it out to be. These themes of race and gender are how intersectionality plays a significant role in Moonlight.

In Michel Godry’s film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a huge emphasis on memory, desire, and identity are all displayed throughout the film. The protagonist Joel Barish decides to erase his memory after discovering that his ex-girlfriend has already done the same. However, once he has begun the process, he soon realizes that he doesn’t want those memories erased and would rather have them instead. I believe that with this film, Godry is trying to say that despite the pain that one can cause and the difficulties that surround a harsh break-up, it is still worth having those memories because it’s better to have those experiences (both good and bad), than to not have them at all. Joel and Clementine thought they could not be together. They tried to get their memories erased, but they were still drawn to each other. This film shows the fight between the rational aspect of human nature and the emotional aspect. When you watch how their story unfolds, you realize that the rational solution may not always be the best solution. Godry may be saying that it is wiser to follow your heart, instead of your mind. Towards the end of the film, it seems almost certain that Joel and Clementine will not be together. However, Joel’s heart and instinct draws him to the train that Clementine is on and they fall in love all over again. Godry may also be saying that no matter how hard you try, you cannot ignore your true feelings towards someone. Patrick tried to be exactly the person Joel was when Clementine fell for him, but failed miserably because Clementine did not love him like she did Joel despite Patrick doing the same things that Joel would’ve. Clementine would rather fall in love with Joel all over again. This is the commentary that Godry makes in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining implements a variety of filmic techniques that make it very unsettling for the viewer. Throughout the film, Kubrick uses different strategies to make the viewer feel uneasy and aware they are watching a horror film. One of the ways Kubrick accomplishes this is with the score. The music played at certain scenes during the film makes them even more disturbing than if they were silent. This can be seen in the scene where Jack comes hostile and aggressive towards Wendy. In addition to Jack Nicholson’s acting where we see his facial expressions are very gritty and harsh, the violin playing in the background becomes louder and more ominous as Jack raises his voice towards Wendy. The music builds up more and more as Jack gets closer to Wendy, and we hear a sharp piano key played as Wendy strikes Jack.

Mis-En-Scéne also plays a huge role in the film’s unsettling nature. The film does an excellent job of showing the haunted Overlook hotel and all of the creepy things inside of it. In the scene where Jack enters the ballroom for the second time and sees an extravagant party taking place, the film emphasizes that we are no longer in the late 1970s. The ‘roaring 20s’ atmosphere is felt because the all of the people wearing fancy gowns and suits. The chandelier lighting and golden curtains also give it the feel that we have gone back in time, which is another unsettling aspect of this film. And finally, we are met with Grady’s ghost in an all-red bathroom who not only denies being himself, but also implies that Jack attempt to harm his family. Quite arguably the most unsettling part of this scene is when Grady tells Jack about Hallorann using a racial slur. The shock in his face, which is executed very well by Nicholson, makes the viewer extremely uneasy. This is how Kubrick makes The Shining unsettling for the viewer.

The François Truffaut film The 400 Blows was one of the first films in the French New Wave era of films. The 400 Blows is unlike any film we’ve studied this semester because it incorporates many new wave film conventions into one genre. French expressionist films during this era attempt to evoke a lot of raw emotion and The 400 Blows is no different. The film looks at Doinel’s life as he tries to understand the world with no help from anyone else. And for every step of his life, he is misguided into making more mistakes. Despite Doinel seeming like a bad child from beginning to end, the film still makes you feel sorry for him. From the lonely walks around the city of Paris to being punished and disciplined without given a proper explanation why, Truffaut highlights the struggles of childhood. Doinel simply wants to be free, but he faces obstacles throughout the film and none of them truly teach him why he is wrong. His parents, his teacher, and other adults in the film scold him for trying to escape school, lying, and stealing, but he still doesn’t understand the severity of his actions because nobody tells him. The film also does not shy away from showing these punishments either. When Doinel’s teacher finds out that he lied about his mother being dead, Truffaut chooses to show his father striking him in front of his classmates. There is no dialogue between him and Doinel, no questions asked, just action being taken. And then he returns to his seat with a cold look on his face as if he is used to this treatment. It is all that he knows. This kind of sheer emotion is something unique to new wave films and that is why they are important to the history of film.

Alfred Hitchcock does an excellent job of building suspense in his 1960 film Psycho. Throughout the film, he does a terrific job of captivating the viewer and keeping them on the edge of their seat. This can be seen in the infamous shower scene. Before Marion enters the bathroom, she is sitting down at her desk with soft music playing in the background. When is begins to step into the shower, there is only diegetic sounds of her taking off her clothes and turning on the water being heard. At this moment, the viewer feels the shift of tone. Marion showers with a smile on her face, as she enjoys this moment where she can finally relax. However, the shot of the silhouette on the other side of the curtain makes the viewer more and more uneasy as it gets closer. And finally, once the figure moves the curtain, the loud scream from Marion followed by the horrific music playing in the background furthers the suspense even more. This leads to her vulnerable death. The extreme close up of her hand as she is falling down is a great cinematic choice because it displays her weakness in this situation.  In addition, the pan towards the shower drain followed by the dissolve to a shot of Marion’s lifeless eyes are also magnificent decisions of camerawork and editing. The pan shot shows the viewer that literally all of her life and vitality is going down the drain. Her pupils are small and restricted from all of the light inside of the bathroom. Once the camera zooms out of her more and you see the water still running, it sends chills to viewer. Hitchcock’s decision to kill a character with such prominence this early in the film was truly shocking. This is just one example of how Hitchcock builds suspense in Psycho.

In the film Casablanca, directed by Michael Curtiz, there are several ideas and recurring themes regarding romance that have lasted for decades. The film is centered around the love triangle between Rick Blaine, Ilsa Lund, and Victor Laszlo. Throughout the film, both Victor and Richard are essentially competing for Ilsa’s love. However, Richard want what’s best for her, even if it means letting Victor have her. The first time we Richard’s feelings is when Ilsa and Victor come to Rick’s Cafe. The moment Rick and Ilsa make contact, the stare at each other for long period of time. They’re drawn to each other after listening to Sam perform “As Time Goes By,” a song that brings back memories for the both of them. At that instance, there is so much sheer emotion between the two of them. The twinkle in Ilsa’s eye as she gazed Richard’s face is an iconic detail, often mimicked in many romance films in recent decades. Richard returns her expression with one of disbelief, almost as if he’s holding back something. It seems like he wants to cry, but holds back his emotions. This facade that many men put up in romance films and romantic comedies could certainly be traced back to Richard. Another example of romantic conventions being mirrored is the final scene between Richard and Ilsa. Richard knows that once Ilsa leaves, he won’t be able to be with her anymore, she’ll be with Victor. However, Richard loves Ilsa so much that he is willing to put his feelings aside to do what;s best for Ilsa. He holds her with immense affection in this scene and makes eye contact with her the entire time to emphasize his message. As much as it pains him to see her go, he knows he as to. This is how Casablanca sets up many other romance films many years later.

In Jordan Peele’s horror film Get Out, the protagonist Chris goes with his girlfriend Rose to visit her parents up north. The reason why Chris is concerned with how this meeting will go is because he is black and they are white. Peele’s Get Out is a great satire on modern day racism because it shows that racism does not have to be so clear and outright for the viewer to still sense it or feel uncomfortable. Many of the white characters in this film all try to have normal conversation with Chris or talk about Chris about Chris normally, but end up making him feel uneasy anyway. An example would be Rose’s father Dean and his argument about how he’s not racist. “I would’ve voted for Obama a third term If I could.” Although his intention was to make Chris seem more comfortable, he actually does the opposite because of how he comes across saying it. It almost sounds as if Dean is saying that because Obama is also black, not because he was a good president. Another example of covert racism would be during the afternoon party where Dean and Missy’s friends stop by. Everyone is coming up to Chris to ask about him, and more specifically, his physical and mental characteristics. Towards the end of the film, we realize it is because they want to use him for his body. However, at the time of the scene, it still comes across as racist because these are not questions people would normally ask person a person of another color. They are curious about his style, his strength, his speed because he’s black. Even if they were liberal, they still don’t come close to understanding the struggles african americans have and continue to face. This is the racial commentary that Jordan Peele addresses in Get Out.

In Christopher Nolan’s film Memento, the main protagonist Leonard Shelby claims to know who he is despite suffering from anterograde amnesia. However, although he remembers his life prior to his accident, Leonard does not actually know the person he is now or has become. Leonard mainly relies on his past memory, his photographic evidence, his files and his general instincts to make conscious decisions. But because he has short term memory, he can be still be easily manipulated or place his trust in the wrong people. This causes him to (temporarily) change who he is or what he thinks he would/wouldn’t do. For example, when he comes to stay with Natalie at her house, he seems like a person who would never lose his cool or put his hands on a woman. However, when Natalie continues to berate him with insults and yells at Leonard, he loses his temper and hits Natalie in the face. And even though Natalie was trying to provoke him the entire time, Leonard has become a domestic abuser at this point. But once Natalie leaves the house and returns, Leonard has completely forgotten everything that’s happened and returned to a caring & understanding individual. If you were to ask Leonard if he would ever hit a woman, he would most likely say no. But we can see that Leonard does know himself as well as he thought because he hit Natalie. Perhaps if Leonard had time to write down what happened with Natalie and realized he was being used by her, he would have developed further as a character. But he would not even have been in that situation if he knew that the clothes he was wearing weren’t even his. This is why I believe that Leonard does not truly know himself as well as he claims to.

The neo noir film Blue Velvet, directed by David Lynch has an opening and closing that does not necessarily match the film’s dark undertones. The film starts with off wit various shots of Lumberton, North Carolina, where the film takes place. The scenery is very wholesome. The grass is green, the sky is blue and everyone seems visibly happy at first. The fireman on the firetruck even gives a friendly wave to the viewer. In the background, the song Blue Velvet is softly played. Similarly, the ending of the film returns to this setting as well. I believe that the film opens up this way because it is trying to depict how the town of Lumberton, North Carolina is supposed to be. This is supposed to be a nice neighborhood to live in. There are supposed to be children who walk home from school without having to worry about anyone or anything to attack them. However, we learn that this is not the case. Instead, we are met with a much darker side of this town with people who have evil intentions. This is foreshadowed by insects underneath the grass towards the end of the opening. They are displayed as disgusting and grotesque creatures, which represent the criminals and antagonists in the film. And although a majority of the film is dark like this, it does return to it’s bright and happy tone by the end. This is because Frank has been killed and his gang has been apprehended. They were the ‘insects’ of the movie and now Lumberton can be the pleasant and peaceful town is was meant to be. This is also why Jeffrey is disguised as an exterminator during the film. eventually , he becomes the one to ‘exterminate’ Frank. That is why the film opens and closes the way it does.

Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, a 1982 neo-noir film based on the Philip K. Dick novel, tackles several areas of discussion surrounding the world’s socio political climate. One area that it chooses to tackle were the strength of corporations, as well as the government. More specifically corporate power, which had assumed control from popularity based government completely. The danger of outside financial forces surpassing the US also added to Blade Runner’s blended, bilingual Los Angeles, especially Japan. At the time, Japan was then purchasing huge pieces of the US, including Hollywood studios (a couple of years after the fact, Scott would make the Japan-phobic spine chiller Black Rain). Dread of atomic demolition was additionally high during the 1980s, yet on the off chance that it hasn’t occurred as of now in Blade Runner, it should have done. Any individual who could leave this fruitless planet has officially done as such. On the off chance that we could run with them, we would be in an amazing, intergalactic space experience, like Star Wars. Rather, we are stuck down here with the residue of humankind. Blade Runner fills in as a record of how our tragic feelings of dread have advanced over the past 50 years. At the point when Philip K. Dick composed the story, in 1968, he was thinking about the dehumanizing procedure of nazism. His replicants,  which are falsely built people with a four-year life expectancy, were basically nothing more than human parts and pieces. Similar to the nazis, they have no remorse for human life and have their own set motives. They were wretched on the grounds that they are unfeeling, they are totally conceited, they couldn’t care less about the end result for different living things. This is how Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner critiques the social and political climate of the world during the 1980s.