Category: Nominee
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Metropolis: A Searing Critique of Inequality Through Contrast
Written by Lea Safaryan for Justine McLellan’s Cinema Styles course Metropolis (Lang, 1927) is a Weimar-era sci-fi film that explores themes of class disparity and industrialization. Through the use of contrast within the mise-en-scène, elements such as the aristocratic costuming, the theatrical acting, and the hyper-industrialized megacity come together to compound on those central themes.…
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Parasite and The Menu on Anti-Capitalism
Written by Lily Greenspoon and Gabriella Kouri for Magdalena Olszanowski’s Cinema Styles course Described as “eat the rich movies,” Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 film Parasite and Mark Mylod’s 2022 film The Menu have been praised for their commentary on class consciousness: exploring anti-capitalism, and highlighting the inequalities that exist between classes, along with the problems that arise…
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Love Without Borders: The Parental Relationship Between Theodore and Samantha in Spike Jonze’s Her
Written by Elliot King for Justine McLellan’s Cinema Styles course Spike Jonze’s Her (2014) is set in a futuristic world where technology has been fully integrated into everyday life, even more than today. This is clear when the protagonist Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) falls in love with an operating system named Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). Regardless of…
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Cinematic Transformations: Exploring the Evolution of Violence in Film Narratives
Written by Eva Sivilla and Noa Druker for Michael Filtz’s Cinema Styles course In its primitive form, the use of violence in cinema ranged from portraying moral consciousness to simply serving as a form of entertainment. Yet, through the evolution of characterization, the advancement of modern-day cinematography, and a societal desensitization to violence, Hollywood and the film…
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Spectatorship Theory’s Relation to Genre Films
By Clarisse Boutin, written for Cheryl Simon’s Film Theory course Since its development in the 1970s, spectatorship theory has become an integral aspect of film studies. This theory explores the connections between cinematic apparatus —including, but not limited to, cinematography, editing, music, and performance— and individual interpretations of a film based on our personal baggage…
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An Exploration of National Identity: New German Cinema
By Alexandrina Sandu, written for Cheryl Simon’s Film Theory course Andrew Higson, professor of Film and Television at the University of York, explains that it is primordial “[…] to pay attention to historical shifts in the construction of nationhood and national identity: nationhood is always an image constructed under particular conditions” (Higson 44). Considering that…
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