Essay: "O" by Tim Blake Nelson
America has
developed a reputation of being an egalitarian society which after many years
had brushed aside its previous reputation of oppression and racism,
particularly towards the black minority. This has been through the many years
of changes in values and beliefs, as well as legislation started by the civil
rights movement in the 1900's. Although legally many rights have been given to
the black minority, there are still many racial undertones present in society.
This is because in some places social change in regards to racial vilification
and discrimination is slow moving and this is seen in some southern US states
that still fly the confederate flag that represented oppression and the support
for slavery during the civil war. The film O is set in a southern
US State – South Carolina – and develops
on this idea that the black minority are still segregated and oppressed
racially even after legislative change. Racial undertones have been used in the
film to demonstrate this slow moving social change and to help create conflict
in the film. This can be prominently seen in the scene where Desi's father
interrogates Odin about the accusations made by Rodger towards Odin in regards
to his daughter. Desi's father, in this scene, asks Odin “have you ever had any
run ins with the police?”. This question comments on the ethnicity of Odin,
suggesting that Desi's father believes that due to the fact that he is black he
has probably engaged in interaction with police. This interrogation occurs with
Desi's father standing over Odin which is taken with a low angle camera shot.
This emphasises that Desi’s father has power has over Odin. The racial
undertones and stereotypes in conjunction with the low angle shot highlight
that ‘whites’ have more power or an advantage over the black minority, even now
in the modern society. This idea causes the audience to consider whether discrimination
is still present even after all the legal changes and the supposed social
change.
Discrimination
may still be present in the modern society and this has led to the segregation
of communities. Minority ethnic groups such as those of African-American
background were usually depicted as being of low-socio economic status. Those
of Caucasian background however have been depicted as higher socio-economic
status with more privileges and freedoms. O
subverts this racial stereotype and uses these expectations to develop conflict
and present to the audience the disadvantage still maintained by the ethnic
minorities. Odin is of African-American descent and he is within a prestigious
school. This use of characters race in relation to their surroundings creates
immediate conflict as the idea of individual versus society arises. He does not
fit into this elite school as there is no presence of anyone else from his
ethnic background. By introducing this idea of individual versus society, O establishes this hyper
segregation, depicting this stereotypical view of black minorities not being
able to attend such a high-class school. These ideas are extended to the scene
where Desi and Odin are naked in bed together. Odin retells a fake story about
his child hood “I was scared once…My mother couldn’t afford a good doctor”.
Even though this story was fabricated the use of a close up shot of Odins face
shows that this issue is still seiours. O
emphasises through this scene that monetary disadvantage is still a
real issue for many ethnic minorities. This story is told whilst Odin is naked.
Odin being naked suggests that this story is “bare” or true as it is stripped
of any façade or fake image. This emphasises the fact that the story’s issue of
monetary segregation. Through this scene and throughout the movie, O has used racial stereotypes
and filmic techniques to introduce the
audience to a not so egalitarian or equal society and presents to the audience
the idea that racial and monetary segregation is still present in the modern
world.
Popularity,
favouritism and charisma are all elements that determine your power and social
status in the modern context. Within a democratic society like America the most
popular and favoured become leaders, with many often envying and being jealous
of such attributes. Due to the importance of power and social status in the
modern context, many people are envied due to their popularity. The idea of jealousy and envy has been used
in O through filmic techniques to demonstrate the importance of
social hierarchy and popularity in the 21st century. Hugo embodies these ideas
of envy and jealousy. This can be seen in the beginning of the movie during the
voice-over of Hugo "All my life I wanted to fly, I wanted to live like a
hawk, I know that you’re not supposed to be jealous about anything but to take
flight, to soar above everyone and everything, now that’s living". Hugo
admits to being jealous of the "hawk" which symbolises Odin and his
popularity. This voice is heard during
the beginning scene that depicts a darkened environment. The use of darkness
through pathetic fallacy foreshadows that Hugo's jealously will lead to
unfortunate events. Within this scene there are white doves, which symbolise
purity, innocence and peace. The use of the doves during the voice over shows
the infiltration and consuming nature of jealousy, how it changes ones
behaviours for the worse, causing anarchy.
This idea that jealousy can consume and overtake an individual in
conjunction with the voice-over and pathetic fallacy depicts an issue of the
importance of popularity and questions how easily jealousy can corrupt people
in the modern context.
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