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Kristina Khadka
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Exploring Societal Issues Through Cinematic Lens
Science fiction movies and coming-age movies are mostly oriented toward showcasing social distress and anxiety. Such a portrayal of society mirrors the present societal hierarchy and the potential future of humanization. As the writers and movie directors provide the ideal lens to the social context and help to explore both hopes and fears. Among the films we analyzed in the class, We Ate the Children Last, The Space Traders, and Silent World present the scenario where the world is grabbed with dehumanization. The context of technological advancements in these science fiction movies helps to narrate the condition of society as a whole through its contrasting implications of social issues, however, these issues are presented in different manners.
The story of the movie We Ate the Children Last was written by Yann Martel and was directed by Andrew Cividino. Similar to its most blunt and disturbing title, his movie mainly tackles the social issues of racism through a more direct approach. The extremity of food scarcity and how people themselves become food sources make a foundational storyline of this movie. The dystopian future is where societal hierarchy is maintained by dominating marginalized and minority groups to get high-end technological power after the apocalypse world depicted in this film. The movie takes an extreme turn as a quest for unfettered technological advancement goes wrong therefore the means of survival gets tough and people begin to eat their own children to survive which serves as the metaphor of blind conformity and erosion of ethical consideration.
As described by Yann Martel in the original story, “The story of starvation was the same in all of
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the people: first the detainees ate their clothes and went naked, hen the weaker men and women disappeared (Martel). The protagonist's journey of defiance to keep the family safe while eventually embracing the sad truth of the situation provides a sample of stories that make you stop and ponder. The representation of cannibalism as the societal norm raises worries about the dehumanizing effects of conformity and the loss of personal autonomy in the future era where technological domination is all considered supreme. Technological advancement in being in the wrong hands makes humans reliant on basic needs and makes the quest for mastery always makes minorities vulnerable.
Another similar movie, The Space Traders, is written by Derrick Bell. The main plot line of this movie addresses the subtle form of dehumanization and racial injustice of present society. This documentary focuses on the societal concerns of racism and the moral quandary that results from monetizing people's lives for financial gain. When this movie was released quest for technological supremacy was at the top of the world therefore the plot of this movie of exchanging people with cutting-edge technology makes sense. As the plot continues, alien beings offer to provide humanity with cutting-edge and inventive technology that can not be built for another 10-20 years but in exchange they ask for African American society. In 2000, a bargain is presented to us: in exchange for giving up all African Americans, we will receive three gifts: enough gold to pay off the nation's debt, a miracle chemical that will purify America's contaminated air and water, and an endless supply of safe energy to replace our depleting reserves (Delgado and Stefancic 321). The tale has highlighted the ongoing issues of racism and black community exploitation. This story also demonstrates how corporate greed and rising income disparities are lowering the value of human life. The African American population is incorporated in the avaricious commercial pact, and human lives are linked with financial
achievement. This portrayal has far-reaching implications because it offers a critical evaluation of the moral compromises made in the case of power and wealth through technological advancement as well as the persistent legacy of racism.
The third movie Silent World takes the issue of the dehumanization of people and communities in a unique way. The movie was directed by Charlie Dennis and was released in 2021. Through this movie, unexplored consequences of COVID-19 and how communication was damaged are showcased. This is showcased through the eyes of Signkid, a deaf rapper in London. The unintended consequences of human reliance on technology and contemporary materialistic things are unraveled by this movie. As the pandemic hit the world, the situation of social isolation and how disabled people had to deal with such a situation was extremely well documented here. The social ignorance of these people and their lack of communicative ability is thoroughly presented by the director. Through the lens of an all too real pandemic, Silent World skillfully illustrates what it must be like for Deaf people, especially people of color, to operate in our noisy society (Saveliev). The movie serves as a metaphor for how society is still ignorant about disabled communities and how such situations are exacerbated by the harsh instances of pandemics or war.
Through these films, people witnessed a powerful portrayal of social injustice from either of the perspectives, and each emphasized a different or common facet of a problem. We Ate the Children Last is a wake-up call in order to bring to light the risks of losing your personal ideologies in exchange for following the crowd, and it does that through an extremely vivid depiction of how societal pressure erodes human values. It invites contemplation on the perils of giving up one's distinctness in the presence of societal pressure being great by demonstrating to us the need for resistance to the copying and preserving of one's own originality. The other side
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of The Space Traders underscores the covert manifestations of racism, and it shows how the life of the people is used for financial gains in a racist setting. Casting light on the history of minority exploitation, the movie challenges social notions and demands the utmost justice and equality for all as a result. These events advance the society of human rights, where the truth of racism and structural injustice are confronted. On the other hand, the Silent World addresses the issue of societal ignorance in the face of a pandemic-driven dystopia, the latter-case represents the protagonist’s realization of their own culpability in contributing to this ignorance. It is the crucial topic of social illiteracy and portrays the way that insufficient attention to vital problems worsens the existing social gap, simultaneously offering a more authentic story. The film gives a grim scenario as a warning that everyone should face the aftermath of society’s indifference and inattention even if the global challenge is beyond comprehension.
In summary, each of these three films has shed light on the intricacies of human society and its underlying issues. The main societal issues such as racism and the loss of individuality were presented via an engaging story. The ways of portraying the underlying cultures of dehumanization and racial injustice can not be portrayed in a single definitive answer but these movies here are trying to demonstrate the far-fetching consequences of such actions. Thematic richness in these stories contributes to raising public awareness of the need for further societal development.
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Works Cited
Delgado, Richard, and Jean Stefancic. "Derrick Bell's chronicle of the space traders: Would the US sacrifice people of color if the price were right." U. Colo. L. Rev. 62 (1991): 321. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/ucollr62§ion=17
Saveliev, Alex. “Silent World Featured, Reviews Film Threat.” Filmthreat, 2 Feb. 2022, filmthreat.com/reviews/silent-world/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Yann Martel. “Original Fiction: We Ate the Children Last by Yann Martel.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 17 July 2004, www.theguardian.com/books/2004/jul/17/originalwriting.fiction4