Geog/Film

Topics for M 12/2

Here are, belatedly, some topics for our discussion of X2. Feel free to comment.

• Which characters embody mutation as marginalization?
• Which can “pass”?
• How does the film in particular show mutation as a metaphor for gayness/queerness?
• How does Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) embody mutation as queerness?
• Brian Cox as William Stryker - how does he embody prejudice against mutants?
• How does the film show de-humanization of mutants?
• Logan (Wolverine/Hugh Jackman) - how doe he embody the dehumanization of mutants?
• How do mutant “powers” complicated the idea of mutants as marginalized? How does Magneto, in particular, (Ian McKellen) embody that complication? Which of the “good mutants” also embody this complication?

Mutants On The Margins

Are mutants/the X-Men compelling to you as marginalized figures? What do see them as being a metaphor for, e.g., sexuality, gender identity, race and ethnicity, ability? How does X2 show this marginalization?

Carol On The Margins

How do Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara) negotiate their identities in daily life? In what way do they try and flee "to the margins" to live their lives together? Why doesn't this work? What are the power differences between the two of them?

Blindspotting: On the Margins

How do Collin (Daveed Diggs) and Miles (Rafael Casal) show different sides to and perceptions of marginalization? How does the particular history of Oakland play a role in making the question of marginalization complicated here? How does the film show us these complexities?

Topics for M 11/18

Here are topics for our discussion of Blindspotting 0n Monday. Feel free to start the conversation in comments and to suggest additional topics.

• Setting, particularly through contrasts.
• Use of props, costume and make-up for character development and also setting.
• Masculinity through action and performance.
• Color and lighting, especially in Collin's dreams/memories).

Topics for M 11/11

Here are some topics for our discussion of The Florida Project on M. Feel free to suggest additional topics or start the conversation here.

• The use of color.
• Setting: how does the film show us that this place is centered on tourists and what that means for the people who actually live there?
• How the film makes the mundane beautiful.
• The use of props, costume and make-up to develop character.
• The use of editing to fragment m-e-s.
• What's up with the helicopters?

Leave No Trace on the margins

How do Will (Ben Foster) and Tom (Thomasin McKenzie) demonstrate the tension or fluidity between being marginalized by choice and marginalized because of how others identify you? How does this tension affect their relationship to each other?

Topics for M 11/4

Here are possible topics for our discussion of Leave No Trace on M. Feel free to make additional suggestions or to start the conversation here.

• Establishment of setting in the opening shots.
• A related issue is the use of light and color.
• Use of props to develop character.
• Action and performance, particularly in terms of how Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie use their faces and bodies to communicate their place in the world.
• Based on what we are shown in the first act of the film, what do you think we are supposed to think about how Will (Dad) and Tom live? How do you think these feelings are meant to change as the film progresses? Who did you identify with more, Dad or Tom? Why? Or is this a false choice? What did the filmmakers show you that persuaded you to feel this way?

Zodiac: On the Margins

How does this film show how some individuals and groups can be both centered and also marginalized socially and culturally? In particular, how do the law enforcement and media figures in the film demonstrate how wielding significant social power may or may not mean that someone is centered in other contexts? Is there a character or characters who are particularly shown to be caught in this tension?

On the other side of the story, how does the film show how marginalization (of people, of places) creates space for someone like "the Zodiac" to practice their violent compulsions and exercise power over others from those margins?

Goodfellas: On the Margins

How do you see the central characters in Goodfellas as being marginalized in ways that may be both similar to and different than the main characters in The Perez Family and Children of Men? How do these characters demonstrate the central idea that "marginality" may always be a question of perspective (how someone sees themself and their place in the world) and context (who you and where you are)? For example, is it possible for someone to be centered in the world of organized crime, but marginalized in "normal" society? Are there particular scenes from Goodfellas that demonstrate these kinds of differences?