Week Nine: Mira Nair's Work as a Director

I chose to watch the works of Mira Nair, an accomplished director born in India in the late 1950s.  Many of her films’ main characters are Indian, and the themes of such are based on cultural situations and values.  My evaluation of her works as a whole may be distorted, as I watched some of her more “English” films, such as Vanity Fair, which takes place in London, and New York I Love You, which as the title suggests, is set in the United States.  While many of her films could be defined by her role as an “auteur”, I believe the defining characteristic is the constant incorporation of her heritage.

That being said, several of her films seem to illustrate the “strong, independent woman”, or at least focus on the role of women in society.  Vanity Fair follows the progression of Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon) as she overcomes poverty and enters a high-class society full of financial and romantic drama.  Monsoon Wedding explores the experience of an Indian daughter’s arranged-marriage.  Even Amelia, which is based on real-events and thus leaves little room for the director’s personal preference plot-wise, tells the story of the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic.   Although not always the case, it seems that female directors often take the opportunity to illuminate the power of the woman and create from the female perspective.  Browsing Nair’s filmography, however, one will also find The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a thriller featuring a Pakistani man and his search for the American Dream. 

So what is the defining characteristic of Mira Nair’s collection?  For any director, there will usually be exceptions when it comes to their entire filmography.  In Nair’s films, though, her culture constantly shows through.  It’s her rich background that influences her audio and visual artwork.  Though she was born in India, she now resides in New York City where she teaches in Columbia University’s film department.  She also spent time in Africa and is married to Mahmood Mamdani from Uganda.  Whether the film features an Indian or African cast, or themes from either culture, she skillfully integrates her personal background throughout her work.  New York, I Love You is a very peculiar film, as it is rather story-less.  It’s simply a series of short segments that introduce brief relationships, conflicts, or quirky stories.  The bright colors and music used especially in the opening segment are very powerful and reflect Indian culture.  Such a distinct portrayal of culture provides an interesting take on any film, for it puts a spin on the typical feel of a movie set.  Adding a “Bollywood” feel to a New York scene or an English cast generates an unfamiliar experience for the viewer and breaks from some of the stereotypes we typically see in genre. 

When a director is so connected to such a strong cultural background and is able to incorporate it into their works without deviating from the script, it creates a fresh experience for the audience.  Her influence on the actors themselves is interesting as well; before filming sessions, she has cast members engage in yoga, as she is also a dedicated yoga practitioner.  Mira Nair’s filmography has some diversity, but I believe her strong focus on women and Indian culture is the core of her success.

Week Eight: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Week Seven: The Medium is the Massage Bonus Page

Week Six: Howl and the Characteristics of Our Generation

Our generation is in a constant state of advancement.  I believe a defining characteristic is the need for newness and change.  As our attention spans grow shorter and shorter, we crave fresh experiences and the latest technology.  We revolve our lives around the newest iPhone update, the newest edition of a video game in which you can have green hair instead of brown, the newest clothing store in town even though we’ve spent the last ten years perfectly satisfied with our current purchases.  In fact, society puts a lot of trust in the success of new enterprises.  Even with no guarantees of quality, efficiency, safety, and the like, we still pace impatiently up and down the sidewalk until the delivery of uncertain outcomes.   

I think perhaps this reflects how far our world has already come.  As technology and invention become more common, the demand grows exponentially.  Humans instinctively assume that manufacturing cannot cease, that companies will always take their products one step further.  That being said, as expectation increases, ability remains constant, which lends itself to fear of slowing down.  With where we stand in a modern sense, inventing something “new” becomes more challenging every day.  As the public racks its brains to create something with no promise of effectiveness, it lessens the importance of the past, of the comfort that has been there all along.

One film that speaks to our generation is Toy Story.  From the first to the third, Andy aged along with us.  We watched him pack for college as we simultaneously filled our rooms with cardboard boxes for the same adventure.  This is a more obvious connection between the film and our generation.  In addition, though, Andy also demonstrates the desire to “move on”.  His toys are devastated when he so willingly regards them as “no longer important”.  Although this may be more of a loss of childhood, it still shows how we have separated ourselves from the mind and imagination and have entered an electronic world.

Another film that demonstrates this idea of advancement is Click.  An adult experiences the conflict in this film, but the themes are still relevant to our generation.   Michael literally fast-forwards through his life with a remote that appears to make everything easy.   His dependence on this remote gets so out-of-hand that it spirals out of control.  This is a prime example of putting trust into something new and never-before experienced.  Our generation is a pool of bored consumers and optimistic risk-takers.   

Week Five: Girl in Landscape, An Outsider’s Point of View

Jonathan Lethem’s Girl in Landscape is a difficult novel to define as each page brings questions of uncertainty.  My reading experience was something along the lines of comfortable discomfort.  Throughout the story, I hesitated to believe the truth behind any event; the author constantly forced us into inquiries such as, “Is this really happening to Pella or is she dreaming?” and “Is this normal behavior among the Archbuilders?”  As Pella drifted off into her reveries or her deer state of mind, she herself was unsure whether her experiences were real or imagined.  The entire novel was in a setting that no reader can relate to: first futuristic Brooklyn and then a different planet entirely.  The author still incorporated relatable elements through his characterization and tragedies (Caitlin’s death, for example), but even then the story plays out in an unfamiliar way.  When Pella’s mother collapsed in the bathroom, her son continued to watch television like nothing had happened.  Of course, one could argue he was in denial of a tragic event, but because the setting is a pre-determined unknown environment, as readers we must ask ourselves: has the craze with TV and media become this sick in a futuristic world?  I believe Lethem wanted to create something fresh – a twist on the typical genre.  Thus, I sort of dived into the reading with the notion that nothing should be expected.  He introduced us to a world that could potentially make sense if we were raised in it.  However, Pella was an outsider and her observations and ideas regarding the new culture became our own.

However much the novel led me to confusion, I found it very refreshing.  Many authors pull from their past and their surroundings to create a story for the reader to curl up in and become part of.  Jonathan Lethem has created a story for the reader to watch curiously from the sidelines.  I think that every novel has to be relatable in some way, however miniscule, and Lethem achieved this by handing his audience the same position as his main character.  Pella has stepped blindly into a new land, only knowing what her mother has informed her (which, of course, we’ve been informed as well).  I think the defining aspects, then, are not the events that actually take place, because their validity is always in question, but instead Pella’s reactions to these events.  This embraces her coming-of-age and learning from unfamiliar experiences and this is something everyone can relate to.  If we were reading Girl In Landscape through the eyes of an Archbuilder, I think we’d be completely lost.  But we read it as Pella, an outsider, and find it relatable in this way. 

Group Discussion 9/10/13: Genre

What is genre?

A "genre" is a category that defines literature, throughout which contains recurring characteristics of character, setting, theme, and the like.  A genre is highly visual or based on imagery, especially in film.  For example, a western film would not be much of a “western” if the setting was in a spaceship and the characters dressed like astronauts.  It encompasses literature, as all novels fall into a certain genre. 

Genre is certainly strongly dependent on the physical attributes.  Authors may have a certain “style”, but they can incorporate this style in multiple genres.  J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter is obviously fantasy, but if the physical parts were different (different characters, setting, and the like), then it would be classified into another genre.  In fact, she is currently writing detective stories; her style is not genre-specific.

What is the purpose of a genre?

It’s very money-driven.  Writers know what to include to draw people in.  People stereotype genres and this creates a strong attitude on which stereotypes are “better”.  It often could be considered a marketing strategy.  If moviemakers notice a strong draw to a particular genre, they’ll most likely make more just like it. 

How are characters defined differently in genre pieces?

It has to do with the physical aspects of the character (their appearance) as well as their motives and behavior.  They have to be pre-defined, though.  If the characters in Harry Potter were not defined as “wizards” or “witches” by the author herself, we may not classify it as a fantasy novel.  Characters remain the same throughout literature because traits from characters in prior novels are incorporated into new works.  In other words, the personality of a genre-specific character is built upon over time but still contains within him or her a strong "type".

What defines the genre of the novels we read?

A film or book can have more than one genre, but there is generally a prevailing genre.  Genre, in a way, becomes an ingredient for literature.  Authors pull from several genres and mix them together, but there should be a strong “set of rules” to help the reader experience the story.  If the author doesn’t clearly define what they hope their story to be, it may be confusing to the reader.

How does genre evolve?

Genre develops based on real world events.  American technology and lifestyle have changed dramatically over the years and you can see this transformation in film and literature.  Especially in romance for example, the roles of men and women have changed based on new equality of men and women.  Video games have become popular, thus Wreck It Ralph was recently made, and certainly wouldn’t have been made in the past.  Also, genres have evolved by mixing with each other.  Romantic comedy has become a genre in itself because both love and laughter are key components throughout.

What is the difference between literature and genre?

Literature seems to have come first - authors wrote what they wanted to write and in the past, several books were just “books”.  They weren't separated in book stores, but instead they were all simply considered "literature".  But readers started to classify them into categories.  Audiences choose the aspects of novels they like and they began to fall into categories.  Writers, in turn, see this categorization and now use it as a marketing strategy.

Genres are strongly dependent on aspects of our own personalities.  Books have unique flavor when the stories are pulled from things the author has experienced.  Novels also depend on our own personalities, as we connect to books that are comfortable and relatable.  

-Brenna, Megan, Garrett, Maurice

Week Four: Agatha Christie's "Partners in Crime" 1920s Radio Style

Partners in Crime