Schindler's List (1993)

Symbolism - The girl in the red coat

There she was - a flash of colour among the black and whites.

The movie was portrayed in black and white to symbolise the bleak tone of the stories of the Jews. However, when the ghetto is being liquidated, Schindler's notices a girl in a red coat, walking by herself and then hiding under her bed from the German soldiers. Later, he notices the same girl, dead, being taken on a wagon filled with corpses. What does this splash of colour mean? It can be perceived that the colour symbolises the conscience of Oskar Schindler. Initially he was a businessman, just wanting to profit from the doings of the war and the ready availability of cheap labour. He does not care for the fate of the Jews. However, after seeing the little girl dead, he starts to realise the atrocities that is being done on the Jews. Schindler starts to see the Jewish people as individuals and not just as a group, or as his workers. He starts to realise that murdering individuals, and even mass killings are wrong.

No one is spared - not even the innocent children

Furthermore, the girl in the red coat also symbolises the loss of innocence during the Holocaust. The death of the little girl highlights that not even innocent children are spared from the horrible actions of the soldiers. Hence, this is when Schindler and assumedly, the audience, starts realising that even young, innocent children are undeserving casualties of a war they are unaware of.

The end justifies the means

 

Pay them all - and get as many Jews as we can

Also means that "anything is acceptable if it leads to a successful result" (Stover, 2005). Though this phrase is always portrayed in a negative way; however, in the movie, Schindler positively portrayed this phrase. His 'ends' were to save as many Jews as possible, and his 'means' of doing so was through corruption, bribery and sweet talk. Though corruption and bribery are essentially wrong but he could not have saved so many Jews if he had not resorted to such actions. Furthermore, his actions are also justified because he used his own money and belongings to ensure the safety of the Jewish individuals. There are certain instances where we have to do whatever we can to achieve an ideal result because humans are easily corrupted. Also, there are times when doing good acts could get you punished, as in the case of the German soldiers. Göth and the rest of the German soldiers allowed Schindler to open a factory and hire Jewish workers because to them, they would not get punished for doing so as they were bribed. Hence, Schindler took advantage of the 'evil' side of human nature and used it to his benefits. 

Therefore, sometimes the end does justify the means, especially if it contributes to saving the lives of many people.

Violence has become a routine

 

His morning activity

Why was Göth able to nonchalantly shoot the Jews without any remorse or without flinching? He senselessly killed anyone and everyone whenever he is able to. He does not need any reason to start shooting at the Jews. In fact, it would seem that shooting Jews is a sport to him. It could be perceived that Göth has been desensitized (Krahé & Möller, 2010) to the barbaric methods of killing the Jews. Day in, day out he witnesses the senseless killing of the Jews, and frequently performs them himself. He is used to the senseless violence so that is why Göth can just pick up his rifle and to randomly shoot (Krahé & Möller, 2010) at the Jews. This barbaric act has become a morning routine to Göth. To him, it was no different and just as normal as urinating or having sex with his girlfriend. 

References

Stoker, S. (2005). The end justifies the means. Retrieved from http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/44/messages/923.html

Krahé, B., & Möller, I. (2010). Desensitization to media violence: Links with habitual media violence exposure, aggressive cognitions, and aggressive behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100(4). 630-646. 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

A movie that gave me mixed emotions; but I loved it. 

Home Sweet Home

To Ricky, the hot water bottle meant home

The first night Ricky stays at Bella's, he sees a hot water bottle in his bed. It brings him comfort and warmth. Over time, Ricky has been condition to associate the warmth of the hot water bottle with the warmth of Bella's love. The hot water bottle also signifies that he has a family and a place to live in. That is why, the night after Bella's death, Ricky was sad when he did not find a hot water bottle in his bed. He then proceeds to fill up the hot water bottle himself as he is trying to rationalize that he still has a loving home even with Bella gone. Therefore this shows that Ricky has conditioned himself to associate the hot water bottle with a loving family.

Furthermore, when Ricky ran away into the bushes, he brought his water bottle and proceeded to heat it up. He misses Bella's love and warmth, He misses having a proper family. To Ricky, the hot water bottle gives him a feeling of comfort, familiarity and happiness. Also, when Ricky finally gets adopted by Kahu's family, he is happy that he was given a hot water bottle. To him, he finally has a another family that loves and accepts him. He finally has a home.

Once a Criminal, Always a Criminal

Both immediately started accusing Hec of abuse

When the 'body' of Ricky was found in the burnt barn, Paula and Andy immediately blames Hec for the disappearance of Ricky. They don't hypothesized that Ricky could have ran away because he did not want to go back to welfare. Instead, both Paula and Andy hypothesized that Hec must have sexually abused him, causing Ricky to run away. Also, Paula attempts to strike a deal with Ricky by attempting to convince him to lay the blame on Hec. All he had to do was say that Hec was a pervert and Ricky would not go back to welfare.

These instances showed that even though Hec was an ex-inmate and has dutifully served his time in jail, he will always be labelled as a criminal (Lindley, 2014). He will always have that stigma (Lindley, 2014) with him. Hence, that is why Paula could convince Ricky to blatantly lie about Hec's 'crime'. She knew that the public would believe the false statements as criminals are always stigmatized. In most instances than not, society believes that ex-criminals would never change their ways (Lindley, 2014).

Paula striking a deal with Ricky

Furthermore, the stigmatization that Hec faced could have shaped his personality (Lindley, 2014). In the beginning of the movie, the audience perceives Hec to be a nasty, cantankerous old man. He is seen as someone mean, unpleasant and uncaring towards others. It could be assumed that Hec became bitter and unpleasant because of the way society treated him (Lindley, 2014). Though he killed his friend when he was young, the label stuck with him. Consequently, he only appreciates Bella and her love as she gave him a second chance.

This just shows the poor state of our society and how we tend to stigmatize and alienate ex-inmates. Thought they should be treated with caution; however, we have to accept that they have paid their dues. Society should learn to accept these individuals into society, because otherwise, these ex-criminals would just go back to their old ways.

I didn't choose the skuxx life, the skuxx life chose me.

References
Lindley, R. O. (2014). Life after prison: Ex-offenders face many challenges when reentering society. Retrieved from https://news.wbhm.org/

Grace is Gone (2007)

I loved this movie as it was beautifully portrayed the relationship between an awkward father and his two growing daughters. Though I believe that the death could have been handled better by Stanley, but considering his personality and the circumstances, I felt it had a perfect ending.

The Stages of Grief

1. Denial and Isolation

Stanley started to ponder his reality and took the day off work

In most cases, when people hear the death of their loved ones, they start to deny the reality of the situation (Axelrod, 2017). They block out the words and hide from the facts. Upon hearing the death of his wife, Grace, Stanley just sat on his couch and took a day off work. He wanted to isolate himself from reality, he wanted to deny it (Axelrod, 2017). Hence, when a kindly neighbour gave his family casserole, he did not allow his children to eat it, as eating it would mean to accept the truth that his wife is dead. Stanley's defense mechanism kicked in. He was in denial as he even withhold from telling his children the truth, and wanted to buy more time by bringing them out.

Stanley was also in denial as he kept calling home to listen to the sound of Grace's voice over the voicemail. He even left messages as though she was at home, the place where she is supposed to always be.

2. Anger

He cried his heart out while his children are absent

As reality begins to hit and the masking reality of denial and isolation begins to wear off, the individual affected by the death starts to get angry (Axelrod, 2017). Their anger may be aimed at anything or anyone, be it at inanimate objects or at people. Reality hits Stanley when he is at his mother's house. Filled with grief, he sobs on his bed and curls up, trying to find some comfort from his actions. However, unable to accept the intense emotions, he vents his sadness and anger (Axelrod, 2017) at his brother, John. Stanley could have just explained his decisions and his thoughts, but his intense feelings became deflected into anger; thus, he chose to yell at his brother. Stanley immediately hugs his brother after, indicating how affected he is by the death of Grace.

3. Bargaining
This is the stage where the person affected will be plagued with thoughts such as "What if.." and "If only.." (Axelrod, 2017). They start wishing for the alternatives. They feel vulnerable and helpless, and wished for to prevent their loss and to regain control of their frustrating situation (Axelrod, 2017). Stanley wishes that he was the one sent to Iraq instead. He wished he had died in his wife place, because the children would be better off in her care.

4. Depression
Stanley was filled with sadness and regret (Axelrod, 2017). He began to realise that Grace's loss and the effect of her death to his and his children's life. Yes, Grace was hardly home and it seemed like the routine would remain the same, but prior to Grace's death, Stanley and the children had hope that their mother would return. However, after Grace's death, Stanley realised that he had no one to give him parenting advice or advice on how to take care of two growing girls.

Perfect day at Enchanted Gardens

It could be assumed that Stanley regretted that during his grief (Axelrod, 2017), he had spent less time with his two daughters. He realised that he was emotionally distant. Though he was an awkward man with only an army experience, he started to put in more effort to be with his children. Hence, he starts talking to Heidi and wants to know more about why she is unable to sleep during the night. Also, he offers to keep Heidi company during nights when she is unable to sleep. Stanley starts being emotionally and physically available (Axelrod, 2017), as well as starts being more warm towards his children. This is why during the day at Enchanted Gardens, Stanley joined his daughters in all the rides and had fun with them.

5. Acceptance

Postponing the inevitable

In my opinion, Stanley only finally accepted Grace's death when he told Heidi and Dawn the news at the beach. This is because, prior to that, Stanley was reluctant to leave Enchanted Gardens as he was hesitant to tell his children the sad news about their mother. It could also possibly be that Stanley himself had not fully accepted her death and needed more time to come to terms with it (Axelrod, 2017). However, seeing his children break down and cry only made the death of his wife more real. and then he began to accept his reality. Stanley was there for his children and his children for him, as comfort.

They had each other

The three of them starts moving on with life as can be seen with the beautifully written eulogy by Grace. I believe all of them truly moved on when they stood in front of Grace's grave, waiting for Dawn's watch to go off, indicating that Grace was on the same time with them, probably from heaven.


References
Axelrod, J. (2017) The 5 stages of grief and loss. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-5-stages-of-loss-and-grief/

Experimenter (2015)

I enjoyed the movie as it provided me an insight into Milgram's life and the rest of his other smaller experiments. This movie made me aware of the behind-the-scenes of a researcher's life and thoughts.

We Will Always Be Obedient

An outsider who was aware of the deceptions and justifications of the study

Sasha, the one person who is close to Milgram and knew intimate details about the experiment. She knew about the deception and even was present during the study. She saw first hand how the experiment was conducted, the actions taken by the participants and their reactions. One would assume that with her knowledge, she would be an anomaly (Ying et al., 2016).

The irony: She was nonetheless obedient

However, Sasha was also a 'victim' of obedience (Ying et al., 2016). Oh, the irony! This can be seen when Milgram had a heart attack and was brought into the hospital. The nurse made Sasha filled out a form before a doctor was allowed to meet them. Even though the situation was serious and dire, Sasha obediently followed the nurse' instructions. She did not attempt to oppose or argue the nurse's instructions. This shows that regardless of circumstances and knowledge, people are still obedient towards authority.

Juxtaposition of Background
The uncomfortable truth

The elephant in the room that no one wants to accept

Milgram walks through the hallway and an elephant appears behind him, I believe the contrast between the hallways and the elephant signifies an uncomfortable truth or 'the elephant in the room'. The elephant appeared when Milgram was discussing his family origins and his inspiration for the obedience experiment, the Holocaust. The Holocaust and the atrocities committed by the Germans made him wonder how civilized human beings are able to participate in inhuman acts.

Unable to come to terms with their actions

Hence, the uncomfortable truth that society needs to acknowledge is: Evil is undeniably all around us. Why do I say so? Well, the experiment showed that everyone was 'evil' because they were obedient to a 'malevolent' authority. Anyone and everyone can be evil regardless of their personality as per the circumstance. This is a reality that needs to be acknowledge because most participants from the obedience experiment could not understand why they would perform the actions, defending that they were indeed nice people and would choose the well-being of others than following the orders. They could not accept that they could be as evil the German soldiers during the Holocaust. Indeed, they are nice people, but the experiment showed that when it comes to an authority figure, we become puppets and most of us do not argue and go against these people of power, though we like to think otherwise.



References:
Ying, X., Mingliang, C., Hongxia, L., Wuke, Z., Zhen, Z., & Anwar, C. H. (2016). Neural basis of two kinds of social influence: Obedience and conformity. Frontiers In Human Neuroscience, 10(51), 1-8. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00051/full

Amadeus (1984)

I did not enjoy this movie as it was draggy and boring. However, it gave me some insight into Mozart's life and that made me understand his gift and struggles.

In this post, I will be reflecting on Mozart's personality base on the Big Five.

The Big Five: Mozart

Openness

He played the song after listening to it once

Mozart is someone who has a high level of this trait. There is no doubt that he has a high level of imagination and insight (Cherry, 2016). Mozart is able to compose musical pieces with little or no effort. For example, after listening only once to Salieri's March of Welcome, Mozart is able to play it from memory and even effortlessly plays a variation of it. Also, individuals high in openness are also more adventurous and creative (Cherry, 2016). Personally, I feel that Mozart is someone adventurous as he is always willing to explore and compose different pieces. Mozart is always keen to compose more opera pieces, always broadening his horizons and playing with wild ideas (Cherry, 2016). He manages to turn simple musical ideas into something creative and beautiful.

He loves his weird parties

Mozart is also high in openness because he is able to enjoy his unusual parties and games (Cherry, 2016). The attendees of the parties are sometimes requires to undergo punishments that to someone low in openness (Cherry, 2016), could be deemed as stupid and silly. However, Mozart clearly enjoys the games and actively participates in his 'punishments'. One example is he did not hesitate to play the piano while facing it the opposite way.

Openness: High

Conscientiousness

Alcohol and parties: his vices

I believe that Mozart is someone who has low conscientiousness. Mozart has low levels of impulse-control, thoughtfulness and has no goals (Cherry, 2016). For example, Mozart is unable to hold on to any money for long. He impulsively spends his earnings on alcohol, parties and on his lavish lifestyle. Mozart also has low levels of thoughtfulness as he does not seem to care for his wife's welfare. He does not save any money for their expenses, nor spares any heed to her requests of saving money. Due to his insensitivity (Cherry, 2016), she leaves him; only to come back to find him on his death-bed.

Furthermore, Mozart is also undependable (Cherry, 2016). He does not pay his debts, instead always seeking out for loans from his colleagues and friends. He is unreliable when it comes to money and savings, that his own wife has to beg and plead with him to save some of his earnings. Mozart is also seen as unreliable as he was unaware of the timing of his own performance, instead choosing to frolick and have fun with his then future-wife, Constanze.

Conscientiousness: Low

Extraversion

His love for music can be clearly seen

Mozart has a high level of extraversion. Individuals with extraversion are characterized by excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness and have high amount of emotional expressiveness (Cherry, 2016). Hence, I perceive that Mozart is easily excitable as he always produces his high-pitched laughter whenever he perceives a situation as awkward or funny. I also believe that he has a high amount of emotional expressiveness as the viewers are clearly able to understand and perceive his current emotions during a scene. He does not hide his emotions and does not hesitate to let his feelings known. For example, during scenes where he is composing and writing his music, viewers are able to empathize with his passion for music. His facial expressions changes to one that is filled with awe and wonder.

He loves people

Mozart also has a high level of sociability (Cherry, 2016) as he is always excited and willing to attend parties and to have guests over. He enjoys the company of people and tends to seek them quite frequently.

Extraversion: High

Agreeableness

Constanze was important to him

Having a high level of agreeableness means that an individual is altruistic, kind, cooperative and affectionate (Cherry, 2016). I do believe that he is affectionate, to those he loves. For example, he loves his wife and son, and brings them out with him for operas and shows. Mozart also has a trusting nature. He trusts and regards Salieri as a friend as Mozart approaches him for money and for help.

He did not suspect her

Furthermore, individuals with high agreeableness are also seen as naive and submissive (Cherry, 2016). Though Mozart is not a submissive person; however, he can be perceived as someone naive. Mozart is someone who had to grow up too fast. He did not have a normal childhood as he was exposed to music at a very young age. Though he is well aware of how talented he is; however, it could be that is unaware of how he makes others feel. For example, he is unaware that Salieri would feel bitter and inferior in his presence. He does not make an effort to be kind towards Salieri's musical talent, instead he critiques Salieri's music. Therefore, Mozart is naive as he does not understand the ways of maneuvering the adult world. He is unaware that he makes enemies, does not know how to manage his finances and only seeks parties and alcohol. He is also unaware of the ways to make a living. For example, he refuses to seek out students, assuming that students will come to him instead. Another example is he willingly allows a stranger to work in his house, without bothering to know who her true employer was. Mozart ignored his father's concerns in allowing Lorl to work as a maid in his house, without even considering that she could have an ulterior motive.

Agreeableness: High


Neuroticism

They were clearly a couple in love

Individuals with high neuroticism are characterized by sadness, moodiness and emotional instability (Cherry, 2016). I believe that Mozart is someone with a high level of neuroticism. His emotions are unstable and he always seems anxious and moody. He is irritable especially when he does not get enough to drink or when he lacks money.  Furthermore, Mozart is also easily excitable and reactive. This can be seen during his behaviour with his then future-wife, Constanze. He can be seen chasing her around, teasing her and talking to her crudely. Towards his dying days, Mozart seems to be more moody and unstable. Even though he knew he was ill, he still wanted money. To him, money made him happy as without it, he could not get drunk and go to parties. Mozart's emotions was influenced by money. With him, he was happy and without, he was moody and irritable.

Neuroticism: High


References
Cherry, K. (2016). Psychology: The big five personality traits. Retrieved from https://www.verywell.com/the-big-five-personality-dimensions-2795422

Whale Rider (2002)

A movie that made me realised about the different cultures, heritages and beliefs still present in this world.

This post will reflect what I observed and reflected upon watching the movie.

Cognitive Dissonance

Koro giving Paikea bike rides.
He is fond of her.

This theory by Festinger (1957) explains that there are occasions where our actions are incongruent our beliefs and attitudes. In the movie, Koro shows dissonance towards his granddaughter, Paikea. When she was born, Koro disliked her as her twin brother, a potential leader died at birth, but she lived. Fast forward a decade, Koro and Paikea seems to have a good relationship. For example, he fetches her from school everyday and even lets her hold on to his rei puta during their journey back home; however, he still mistreats her by condemning her for her gender and blaming her for the conflicts happening within the tribe.

In accordance, Festinger (1957) explains that there are a few ways to resolve a dissonance, and one of the ways is to alter your actions. To resolve his dissonance, it can be perceived that Koro decided to open a cultural school for the village boys, and choose not to have Paikea as a student, stating that girls are not allowed to be leaders. Koro distanced himself and repressed his grandfatherly affections for her, instead, distancing himself and choosing to mistreat her instead.

Culture and Heritage Has Lost its Significance and Value

Culture, heritage and beliefs are important to the Maori people.

It's suggested that the 'modern' lifestyle seems to be more attractive compared to one filled with culture and heritage. In the movie, the audience rarely sees any youths in the Maori village, instead only young children and the elderly. With this, it is apparent on how the significant culture and heritage is to the older vs. the younger generation (youths). For example, to Koro, a leader can only be found via the cultural methods, where one of the ways is by recovering Koro's rei puta. However, for the younger generation, a hedonistic lifestyle filled with alcohol, drugs and parties are much better than ones where they have to learn how to lead and follow ancient cultures; cultures that sometimes do not hold any deep and significant meanings to them. Hence, it can be perceived that the youths have found that their life in the village is insignificant and boring.

Consequently, the only time the young children in the village learn how to use a taiaha is when Koro leads the cultural school to find a leader. This could be an indication that if a leader was not desperately needed by Koro, the young children in the village would not have the opportunity to learn to fight using a taiaha, to learn Maori chants and to learn the how to perform the Haka. Koro's action of leading and teaching the boys the cultural ways of their people could prove beneficial as this would ensure the lineage and heritage of the Maori tribe in the future.



References
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Evanston, IL: Row & Peterson

Strictly Ballroom (1992)

A life lived in fear is a life half lived

Though cheesy and cliché, Strictly Ballroom is a beautiful movie that captivated me.

For this post, I will talk about what I learned from this movie.

Communication is important

Dancing has always been a part of them

Time and time again we have seen how miscommunication or a lack of communication have caused a rife between romantic partners. Their conflict gets resolved only when they are forced to confront each other about the issue. This is no different for Doug and Shirley Hastings, former dance partners and a married couple that did not have a happy, healthy relationship. Doug is a meek, quiet man who did not have a say in any of Scott's dancing affairs while Shirley is always either yelling at Doug or speaking ill of him. It can be assumed that both Shirley and Doug's conflict started at the time of their dance championship. Personally, I feel that both Doug and Shirley had deep unresolved resentment and unhappy feelings towards each other because they both felt hurt that the other did not want to be their partner.

Their unhappy relationship also had an effect on Scott. It could be suggested that Scott always ignored his father's requests to speak with him because he had no respect towards his father, particularly because of the way his mother treated his father and how submissive his father is. Therefore, communication between two parties is always crucial, especially between romantic partners. Effective communication can increase and strengthen the level of trust, honesty and respect between partners in a relationship (Wiley, 2007). An honest and open communication could have prevented Scott and Fran from getting their feelings hurt. Though Doug and Shirley had their loving moments, but the love between them could be prominently seen after they were forced to talk about their dancing championship night and they could be seen dancing together, after years of not doing so.

Therefore, I learnt that communication is important because it can prevent misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Assumptions and miscommunication, as seen in the movie, can lead to a unhealthy relationship and may cause someone to hide deeper in their shell. Reality isn't like the movies, where a dance could heal deep wounds.

Child, my dreams are now yours

"I have my happy face today"
Shirley is upset with her son's actions

Shirley Hastings was living her unfulfilled dreams vicariously through her son, Scott. In the movie, Shirley does everything she can just to see her dream of seeing Scott win the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Dancing Championship come true. While wailing in despair and sadness about Scott's unstrictly ballroom steps, she also placates the people in the Federation and Liz that Scott's unorthodox dancing days are over and done with. She also tries to find the perfect dance partner for Scott, by only accepting auditions from experienced and expert dancers. For example, she disapproves of Scott's partnership with Fran, a frumpy, beginner dancer and wishes for Scott to dance with Tina Sparkles instead.

Everyone, including Shirley wants the best dance partner for Scott

Therefore, Shirley wanted Scott to achieve and win what she couldn't, the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Championship. Shirley's hopes and dreams for her son have been deeply ingrained into Scott, that he was willing to sacrifice his personal style of dance to fulfil his father's 'dreams' instead of his.

Hence, this taught me that everyone has their own unfulfilled dreams. However, as parents we should not project our dreams onto our children and live vicariously through them. Children too have their own hopes and dreams, and by restricting or preventing them from achieving their goals could lead to negative consequences. And the cycle would just repeat with every generation that is produced. So when will it ever end? Personally, I think it will only end when parents understand that not all of their dreams are able to come through. They should either learn to accept it and move it, or perhaps work towards those dreams even at an older age.




References
Wiley, Angela R. 2007. Connecting as a couple: Communication skills for healthy  relationships. The Forum for Family and Consumer Issues, 12(1). Retrieved from https://ncsu.edu/ffci/publications/2007/v12-n1-2007-spring/wiley/Wiley.pdf