Identities: Identity & Film blog task

1) Complete the Twenty Statements Test yourself. This means answering the question ‘Who am I?’ 20 times with 20 different answers. What do they say about your identity? Write the 20 answers in full on your blog.

1. I am Gifty
2. I am Black 
3. I am a Virgo
4. I am Ghanaian 
5. I am quite shy
6. I am a womanist
7. I am a lover of everything Pink
8. I am a Girl
9. I am not sure if I'm a Millennial or Gen Z 
10. I not my own person
11. I am an actor
12. I am a maladaptive daydreamer
13. I am born in the wrong era
14. I am not much
15. I am an artist 
16. I am a preformer
17. I am not competitive
18. I am a disco lover
19. I am for team cat
20. I am anti-fascist

2) Classify your answers into the categories listed  on the Factsheet: Social groups, ideological beliefs, interests etc.

Social groups:

• I am Black 
• I am a Virgo
• I am Ghanaian 
• I am quite shy
• I am a womanist
• I am not sure if I'm a Millennial or Gen Z (?)
• I am a maladaptive daydreamer
• I am a Girl

Self-evaluations:

• I am anti-fascist
• I am not much
• I am quite shy
• I not my own person
• I am born in the wrong era
• I am not sure if I'm a Millennial or Gen Z (?)

Interests:

• I am an actor
• I am a preformer
• I am an artist 

Preferences:

• I am for team cat
• I am a lover of everything Pink
• I am a disco lover

3) Go back to your favourite film, What does this choice of film say about your identity? Are there any identities within the film (e.g. certain characters) that particularly resonated with your values and beliefs?

I don't have a favourite film because of indecisiveness but I do have specific type of movies I find interest in. I particularly like films which focus on the human psyche particularly in teens because I fit in the age bracket such as Submarine or literal mind confusing films : Oldboy, Attonement  .I resonate particularly with Oliver in Submarine because of his outlandish but wistful personality. 

I find the animation Perfect Blue, the director Darren Aronofsky denies copying/ mimicking with Black Swan, or Girl Interrupted portray the mental instability faced by young and I believe the mental illness in women can sometimes goes untreated and misinterpreted by others and films such as these portray this images well.

Also, many films I watch have a commentary on society and marginalised groups specifically Black people such as Get Out, Hidden Figures or Daughters of Dust, because many movies like that always hold a message on how society treats Black people and it is something I am passionate about and hold similar ideologies with. In Daughters of Dust I find the characters chosen were very authentic and weren't there for props which many dark-skinned Black actresses are used for in films.

To add, films focusing on female protagonists or sexuality are good too because they are subjects that aren't talked about either in race or gender: Moonlight, The Handmaiden, A Girl at my door, Exhale (list goes on), also they all have beautiful cinematography which I love.

4) Watch the trailers for the five films highlighted as examples of gay/lesbian representation in mainstream film:

• Wilde (1997, dir. Brian Gilbert)

The trailer shows the taboos of couples which identify as homosexual and focuses on the oppression they face because they do not fit the heterosexual norm in society.  The trailer suggest the audience to sympathise and realise the hardships of LGBT+ people and having to hide their relationship because of society.

• Philadelphia (1993, dir. Jonathan Demme)

This trailers shows the micro-aggression and prejudice faced by the LGBT+ people and the story line gives the audience a look into the impacts and effects of discrimination and prejudice and through the presentation of the legal case, that society needs to change these harmful views.

• The Wedding Banquet (1993, dir. Ang Lee)

Similarly, this trailer focused on the hardships of hiding a relationship as someone who is gay and how they overcome the social norms made for everyone to follow.

• The Kids are Alright (2010, dir. Lisa Cholodenko)

This is a positive image of homosexual couples, like the loving and caring image of the parents, rather than the pitying image in other films. The trailer presents homosexual couples like heterosexual couples and it has no effect on the children. 

• Pride (2014, dir. Matthew Warchus)

The trailer highlights how segregated LGBT+ community were from others, the tone of alienation is evident in the trailer from the villagers but changes in the as they begin to appreciate the communities support in their time of need.

5) How have representations of LGBT issues changed in recent years? What examples from across the media (not just film) can you provide to support this view?

Representations in the past wee very toxic and horrific as many propaganda all around the world saw relations with the same sex as an illness, disease or demonic which led to many having this belief and attacking those of the LGBT community because of this. This has changed tremendously, I think, due to the changing generations as particularly Millennial and Gen Z are more accepting of those who identify with anything not seen as the norm in society. Also, even in the LGBT+ there is racism seen as the representation of POC is lacking but has changed as many films are seen to be portraying them Moonlight or The Handmaiden, and particularly in POC community homosexuals are extremely demonised, this shows the extreme change that has happended in favour of the community.  In the news where LGBT issues such as the protests in Stonewall were presented as something dangerous and pointless as they weren't as open-minded but now we see presentations of protests for the community as positive and a sign of change.