Gomorrah

In Matteo Garonne's film Gomorrah, there is a strong struggle amongst the men, not only socially, but I believe internally as well. There is a struggle amongst themselves over the question "what is masculinity and how can they fulfill that status of a true man". Even though this struggle amongst themselves is not clearly stated, it can be seen through their interactions with one another. It's as though they are constantly trying to "prove" themselves to one another and one up each other. Everything is a competition and a challenge. At the beginning of the movie, when one of the gangs initiates one of the young boys, they tell him that "now he is a real man...".  This initiation process involves putting a shield on the boys and shooting them in the chest, which bruises the younger boys up. Also, in the film, the two young teens get so caught up in trying to prove something to the men around them, that it leads to both of their deaths at the end of the movie. The movie ends not really answering all of the men's questions about what makes a true man, but it just feeds into the vicious cycle of violence that boosts their egos.

It's Time to Vote!

Since it is that time again to vote, I thought it appropriate to watch Jay Roach's The Campaign.  Although I found it to be an absolutely hilarious movie, I noticed one thing in particular about this film...the role of women, specifically in their sexuality. I found myself being particularly aware of the way that women were being portrayed mainly because I'm writing my final research project on the role of women.  I found myself getting really frustrated at the way that women were presented in the movie. Every single woman in this movie is seen as either a sex symbol or someone that is easily allured into having sex. Basically, all the women are seen as weak individuals that cannot retain some self-dignity and respect and that they do not have any self-control. They are seen as almost animalistic and manic. Most of the women in this movie have the cliche physical appearance of "big boobs, big butt, and skin-tight clothing". All I can say is that even though women have come a long way socially in that they are able to vote and that they are able to run for office, women have fallen a long way in other aspects. In the older movies, men respected women, and their interactions with each other went deeper than just lustful, one night stands. Audrey Hepburn was the epitome of a classy, yet respected woman. She still was completely independent and had a mind of her own, but there was something deeper to her than just having sex with men and than having those men move on to the next girl with an attractive body.  She showed self-control and was seen a self-respected woman. In my opinion, even though women can vote and voice their opinion in society, they have not progressed in respectability and classiness at all. They are just falling deeper and deeper into the feeding and growth of a man's sexual fantasies.