Discussion Questions for Le Fils / The Son (Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne, 2002)

Discussion Questions for Le Fils / The Son (Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne, 2002)

• Identify how the Dardenne brothers create a claustrophobic atmosphere in the film. What could be the reasons for such a visual style in this film?
• Why do you think there is no music in the film?
• Why do you think Olivier has an expressionless face in the film?
• Why do you think the camera always shows the back of Olivier’s head?
• Does the film feel like a documentary at times? If yes, when and why?
• What could Olivier’s eye-glasses represent in the film?
• What could Olivier’s leather belt represent in the film?
• Do you find Olivier’s injured back significant in the film? What could it represent?
• Consider the toilet scene and comment on the directors’ use of mirrors in their depiction of Olivier.
• What could be the effect(s) of the use of the hand-held camera on the story, on the characters, on the actors themselves and on the audience? Why is it so shaky at times?
• Comment on the final scene of the film. Why do you think the directors prefer not to have any words?
• What do you think about the title of the film? Who do you think “the son” refers to?
• Why do you think the directors choose “carpentry” in this film? Examine it as a metaphor.
• Why do you think the camera shows us Olivier washing his hands very often?

Suggested writing tasks:

• Identify and examine two of the strategies the directors use in their depiction of Olivier’s conscience.
• Examine in what ways this film could differ from a popular mainstream movie.
• To what extent would you call “The Son” a religious parable?

© Ali Nihat Eken, Istanbul, June 2008

Discussion Questions for Ae Fond Kiss (Ken Loach, 2004)

Qs will be here soon

Study Guide for Sweet Sixteen (Ken Loach, 2002)

Discussion Questions for Sweet Sixteen (Ken Loach, 2002)

• As far as monetary values are concerned, what message(s) could be conveyed in the opening moments of the film where the children pay Liam and Pinball to see the stars?
• As far as human relationships are concerned, what could be the irony in the use of first, the telescope and later the binoculars in the film?
• Comment on Loach and Laverty’s depiction of the streets and the interiors in the film. In what way could they contribute to the story?
• What does the caravan represent in the film? Why is it placed in an idyllic location?
• Discuss the character of Pinball in light of what he says to Liam after he hits the car into the health club: “I would have done anything for you”. In light of Pinball’s words, also think about Liam and his mother.
• What could the knife Douglas gives Liam represent?
• What could the flat Douglas gives Liam represent?
• What could the vast sea at the end of the film represent?
• What could be the significance of a toothless grandfather in the film?
• What does Chantelle represent in the story? What does she mean to Liam? What does she represent in a capitalist context?
• What is the significance of the song “I’ll Stand by You” (performed by the Pretenders) in the story?
• Identify some important steps in Liam’s personality transformation and discuss them in light of the social and economic factors as presented in the film.
• Why could Liam be regarded as an anti-hero?
• Audiences outside Britain (and even some in Britain) may have difficulty understanding the dialects and accents in the film. Why do you think Ken Loach and Paul Laverty (the scriptwriter) keep these dialects and accents in Sweet Sixteen?
• Discuss the irony in the title of the film. [Remember the irony in Loach’s It’s a Free World]
• According to Branston & Stafford (1996), some of the typical characteristics of a Ken Loach film are as follows: “use of actors who are not stars”, “naturalistic acting style”, “location shooting”, “documentary filming techniques”, “scenes in narrative sequence to encourage the involvement of the audience”. Why do you think Loach gives priority to these as a filmmaker? Discuss these characteristics in relation to Sweet Sixteen.
• What could be Ken Loach’s motive for making this film? What is your reaction to the social issues depicted in the film?

© Ali Nihat Eken, Istanbul, June 2008
Photo credit: Sixteen Films

Media Literacy through Funny Games (Michael Haneke, 1997)

Media Literacy through Funny Games (Michael Haneke, 1997)

• Haneke’s Funny Games starts with an aerial shot of the Schlober family driving home. What is the significance of the soundtrack (classical & heavy metal) and the guessing game Anna and George play in these early moments of the film?
• What means does Haneke use in order to create a sense of claustrophobia in the film?
• What could the killer’s white gloves represent in the film?
• Comment on Haneke’s pereference for the off-screen depiction of Georgie’s murder.
• Following Georgie’s murder scene, why do you think Haneke prefers to use a stationary camera? What effect could this create on you/the viewer? What could Haneke be encouraging his viewers to do here? What message(s) could he be conveying about cinema and spectatorship?
• Right after Georgie’s murder scene, Haneke puts his protagonists at a distance. Why? What message could he be giving to his viewers?
• In what ways could Funny Games be regarded as a critique of mass media?
• What could the killers represent in the film? Does Haneke provide in-depth information about them and their motivation? Why? Why not? Why are they called Beavis and Butt-Head? Why do they wink at the audience and address them very often in film? Answer these questions in light of the following quotes from the film: “What do you think? Don’t you want a full-length movie, with plausible plot developments?” “But we are not up to feature length yet.” “Why don’t you kill us right away”, “Don’t forget the entertainment value. We’d all be deprived of pleasure”.
• What could the opening moments of the film and the whole film suggest about social class?
• Did you ever feel like you wanted to stop watching the film? Why? Why not?
• Why do you think Haneke avoids providing his audience with any sense of resolution at the end of the film?

© Ali Nihat Eken, Istanbul, June 2008
Relevant link: Media Literacy through Michael Haneke’s Cache (2005)

Media Literacy through It’s a Free World (Ken Loach, 2007)

Discussion Questions for It’s a Free World (Ken Loach, 2007)

Director: Ken Loach
Screenplay: Paul Laverty
Production credits & Cast

• According to Quart & Kornblum (2001), Ken Loach is a social-realist filmmaker who “makes films that depict working-class characters confronting oppressive labor conditions, indifferent unions, and callous government bureaucracies” (p. 117). In what ways is this valid for It’s a Free World? Would it be possible to say that Loach’s treatment of contemporary labor issues is slightly different in this film and if so, is it due to Loach and Laverty’s treatment of Angie? Why? Why not?
• Discuss the depiction of Angie in the film. How is she represented at the very beginning? In what way(s) does her representation change later? How do you react to her?
• What could Angie’s father represent in the film?
• What could Rose represent in the film?
• How do Loach and Laverty represent the economic system in the film?
• Discuss the irony in the title of the film.
• According to Branston & Stafford (1996), some of the typical characteristics of a Ken Loach film are as follows: “use of actors who are not stars”, “naturalistic acting style”, “location shooting”, “documentary filming techniques”, “scenes in narrative sequence to encourage the involvement of the audience”. Why do you think Loach gives priority to these as a filmmaker? Discuss these characteristics in relation to It’s a Free World.
• What could be Ken Loach’s motive for making this film? What is your reaction to the social issues depicted in the film?
• What gender issues are dealt with in It’s a Free World?
• Does the film provide any solutions to the issues raised? If yes, in what ways. If no, why not.
• Discuss the following words/phrases in relation to the film: business ideology, free market, flexible employment, profit-seeking, voice, Ken Loach and Gordon Brown, global exploitation, victimization.

© Ali Nihat Eken, Istanbul, May 2008
Photo credit: Sixteen Films.

Relevant link: About Ken Loach (in Turkish)

Media Literacy through Caché / Hidden (Michael Haneke, 2005)

Discussion Questions for Michael Haneke’s Caché / Hidden (2005)

• Examine how Haneke examines the sense of guilt both at the national and personal levels in the film. What link(s) does he establish between collective and individual guilt?
• Make a list of the features that encourage the audience to view the film as a political allegory.
• What is the significance of the bicycle scene in the film? How are Georges, Anne and the person who rides the bicycle positioned in the scene?
• Make a comparison between Georges’s house and Majid’s house. In what way(s) could these places contribute to our understanding of the film?
• Examine the concept of “The Other” in the film.
• What is the significance of the talk between Georges and his mother? What does this talk tell us about guilt and responsibility?
• Why do you think Haneke uses almost no music in the film?
• What do you think about the ending of the film? What could such an ending imply about Haneke’s attitude towards the cinema audience?
• In what way(s) do you think Haneke makes a critique of the mass media?
• After Georges and Anne realize that their son has not come home, they have a discussion for some time. In this scene Haneke shows a television set in the background. What is being shown on television? Do Georges and Anne hear or see what is presented on it? What is the significance of the television in this context?
• How is Pierrot’s school represented in the film?
• What clues do you get about youth cultures when you examine Pierrot’s room?
• Why do you think Haneke leaves the question “who has sent the video tapes?” unanswered in the film?
• Examine the title of the film by relating it to different characters in the film and discuss what such an examination could tell you in general.
• How would you interpret Georges’ drawing the curtains in his bedroom and sleeping naked in the darkness of the room at the end of the film?
• Comment on the following quotes by Haneke in an interview:
  “What did we suppress in order to arrive where we are?”
  “Behavior is always a moral question”

© Ali Nihat Eken, Istanbul, May 2008
Photo credit: The Guardian.
Relevant link: Media Literacy through Haneke’s Funny Games

Documentary Realism: Media Literacy through “Bloody Sunday” (Paul Greengrass, 2001)

Paul Greengrass’s Bloody Sunday (2001) is a film which depicts the infamous events in Derry on January 30, 1972 through documentary techniques. Take notes on the following while watching the film and then use your notes to demonstrate how the director attains authenticity in Bloody Sunday.

• The use of camera: the hand-held camera / the panning and tilting camera in Belfast streets
• The opening moments of the film and the impact of intercutting in these moments
• The dominantly used colors used in the film / the overall texture of the film
• The use of fade-outs in the film
• The soundtrack of the film: cacophony of voices, what you hear in the background: in the streets, in the offices, rubber bullets vs. live bullets, etc.
• The camera’s focusing on faces of the actors
• The use of end titles

© Ali Nihat Eken, Istanbul, May 2008
Photo credit: BFI.

Discussion Questions for “A Way of Life” (Amma Asante, 2004)

Discussion Questions for “A Way of Life” (Amma Asante, 2004)

1. Many film critics regard “A Way of Life” as a film in the “social realist” mode. Find out the characteristics of films made in this mode, and discuss to what extent Asante’s film should be considered a film of the social realist mode.
2. Why do you think Asante preferred to have a flashback at the very beginning of the film?
3. How does Asante represent her protagonists? What is your reaction to the protagonists in the film? Do you blame them or do you sympathize with them? Discuss why/why not.
4. What does the Hassan character represent in the film?
5. What does the word “Paki” connote in the film?
6. According to the film what factors have brought about racism? What other factors could have been mentioned in the film?
7. Discuss the following: “Asante’s protagonists appear to be using racism as a means.”
8. Comment on the ending of this film. What could it suggest?

© Ali Nihat Eken, Istanbul, May 2008

Discussion Questions for Billy Elliot (Stephen Daldry, 2000)

Contextualizing the film

Collect some information about the following and discuss how they contribute to your understanding of the story and the characters:

the 1984-85 miners’ strike in Britain / Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher and her economic policy, e.g. privatization / trade unions in Britain / privatization / social mobility and social classes in Britain

Questions for classroom discussion

1. Discuss what role the setting of a working-class Durham plays in Billy Elliot.
2. Make a list of the conflicting views/situations/parties in the film, and discuss how these conflicting views
   a) affect both the community in general and an individual’s life
   b) help you analyze the film (e.g. what dance means to Billy and what it means to the father).
3. What does the boxing hall signify in the film?
4. How would you describe Billy in the film?
5. Find examples of how Billy struggles with his father and with himself to break free. What metaphors does the director employ in depicting this struggle?
6. What is the role of Miss Wilkinson in the film?
7. What is the role of Michael in the film?
8. What could Billy’s kissing Michael on the cheek before he leaves for London signify?
9. Discuss the concept of emasculation by relating it to the film.
10. What does the classical ballet Swan Lake symbolize in the film?
11. Examine the ending of the film with regard to the concept of social mobility in Britain.
12. To what extent does the film manage to challenge masculine stereotypes?
13. In her article “Cinderella Dances Swan Lake: Reading Billy Elliot as Fairytale” (2006), Judith Lancioni argues that there is a Cinderella theme in Billy Elliot. Discuss to what extent this can be considered an accurate interpretation.
14. Discuss the poem below (source and authour unknown) in light of the film:

How are little boys made?
Take one new baby,
Poke it and toss it, force it and push it,
Leave it alone a lot, and never speak softly to it.
How are little girls made?
Take one new baby,
Cuddle it and coo at it, soothe it and calm it,
And never let it stray.
What are little boys made of?
Scrapes and pains, fears not shown,
Lessons learned the hard way,
Loneliness ingrown.
What are little girls made of?
Questions and dreams, secrets never told,
Trusts nurtured and betrayed,
Life waiting to unfold.

© Ali Nihat Eken, İstanbul, April 2008
Photo credit: Billy Elliot - Official Website

Discussion Questions for Alice Walker’s Everyday Use (1973)

Discussion Questions for Alice Walker’s Everyday Use (1973)

1. Collect some information about the following before you read the story: “The Black Power Movement”, “The Nation of Islam”, “Black Feminism”, “Womanism” and “The Black Arts Movement”. These will help you put the story in a historical and cultural context.
2. Identify who the narrator is and comment on how Walker’s choice of the narrator could be significant.
3. Identify how the narrator describes her garden and what this description would signify.
4. What is the importance of the TV show in the story? How does it help us understand Mama and Dee?
5. Comment on Mama’s dream. What could it tell us about the characters and the themes of the story?
6. Identify the physical descriptions of the three women in the story. Make a list of their personality traits. Then discuss what each of these women could symbolize in the story.
7. Comment on the three women’s responses to the fire.
   
8. What is the importance of the quilt in the story? What does it represent? What does it mean to Dee, Mama and Maggie? Do these three women differ from one another in relation to their perceptions of the quilt? If yes, in what way(s).
9. What could be the significance of quilt making from a black feminist perspective?
10. What is the importance of names in the story? For example, what does “Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo” signify in the story?
11. Discuss the significance of the “churn” in relation to the three women in the story.
12. What could Dee’s taking a Polaroid photograph signify? Why do you think Dee prefers to exclude herself from the photograph?
13. Why does Maggie have a real smile at the end of the story? Comment on the mother’s choice at the end.
14. Why is the story titled “Everyday Use”?
15. Why does the mother compare her daughters to different animals? What does this reveal about her attitudes toward Dee and Maggie?
16. To what extent would you consider the story a critique of the Black Power Movement?
    

© Ali Nihat Eken, İstanbul, March 2008.