Overview
Having developed a greater understanding about film and aspects of the film art, and its influence on society and culture, the students will conclude their Film Appreciation journey exercising their analytical and critical skills, writing a critical analysis of a film selected from the list below. In this essay, the students should explore formal aspects of the film and its influence on society and culture.
- Choose and watch ONE of the films listed below (the student must rent the film):
- Do the Right Thing (1989), directed by Spike Lee
- All About My Mother (1999), directed by Pedro Almodóvar
- Monsoon Wedding (2001), directed by Mira Nair
- The Lives of Others (2006), directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
- Son of Saul (2015), directed by László Nemes
- Atlantics (2019), directed by Mati Diop
- Parasite (2019), directed by Bong Joon Ho
- Promising Young Woman (2020), Emerald Fennell
- Nomadland (2020), directed by Chloé Zhao
- The Power of the Dog (2021), directed by Jane Campion
- Critically analyze and explain how FILM ELEMENTS (from list below) communicate CONTEXT (from list below) in the film.
- Film elements (choose TWO or more):
- Story
- Mise-en-scène
- Cinematography
- Video Editing and Sound Design
- Acting Performance
- Film elements (choose TWO or more):
- Context (choose ONE or more):
- Social
- Political
- Economic
- Artistic
- Context (choose ONE or more):
- Explain the film's influence on society and culture.
The students must cite at least two scholarly sources in their essay. IMPORTANT: the textbook and the course content materials do NOT count as those sources, but the students are encouraged to use them (textbook and course content materials) in addition to other sources. Also, Wikipedia and IMBD are NOT scholarly sources.
The critical analysis is an argumentative essay. The students should develop their ideas for the film providing support for their arguments, information that confirms the ideas presented. Include detailed descriptions presenting and supporting these ideas.
- Essay Structure Suggestion
First, write a thesis: what is your essay about, and what do you want to say about the film? The answer for these questions, and the reasons and examples you give will help you structure your essay. Broadly speaking, your essay should have an introduction, where you provide background information about the work to be discussed and present your thesis; a body, where you discuss the reasons and argument for your thesis; and a conclusion, where you re-state your thesis and present a final reflection on the ideas presented.
- Formatting
Use MLA guidelines (ODU Library Guides-MLA) in formatting the essay. It must be typewritten in 12-point font, double-spaced with no extra spaces between paragraphs, and with 1-inch margins.