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?
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?
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?
What do you think of our second set of three films: Zodiac, Leave No Trace and The Florida Project? Which, if any, had you seen before? Which did you enjoy the most or the least? Which did you find most interesting in terms of our critical analysis of m-e-s in class or the theme of "On The Margins"?
What does this film show in terms of how children are often marginalized or left to the margins? The reading assigned with the film emphasizes how children live in a world defined by adults. How does the film show this? How are the families shown in the film also on the margins, and not just the children?
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?
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?
What are your thoughts on our first three films (The Perez Family, Children of Men and Goodfellas)? Had you seen any of these films before? Which did you enjoy watching the most? Which do you think was the most interesting in terms of critical discussion of mise-en-scène? What about in regards to the theme of "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?
Here are some topics for our discussion of Goodfellas on M. Feel free to start the conversation in comments or to suggest additional points for discussion.