In the introduction to his text, Engaging Cinema, Bill Nichols tells us that “Because of its indirect or metaphorical qualities, the cinema prompts reflection. Films get us thinking about their thematic concerns, about what kind of comment they are making about the world…” (11). Similarly, in Understanding Movies, Louis Giannetti observes that, “The desire of the fiction filmmaker – or any artist who creates an imaginary world – is for the audience to accept the symbolic truth of the situations and characters.
In light of these observations, discuss the extent to which at least three of the films
we have screened this term explore social tensions as opposed to being merely
stories about an individual. How are they critiquing their respective societies in
order to make them better? And don’t forget to explain just what, in each case,
“better” means. That is, how do these films suggest we improve our real world?
