Analysis of Gran Torino

Gran Torino is American drama film, directed and produced by Clint Eastwood in 2008. The movie plays out in a typical suburban neighbourhood, in Michigan, a Hmong neighbourhood. It is a modern movie, and the plot could be played out twenty years ago, just as well as today.

The theme of the movie is multiculturalism, and the plot of the movie circles around the history of the Hmong people. The Hmong people is a mountain people which origins from Laos, Vietnam and China. Their history is troubled, and filled with political prosecution. During the Vietnam War they were recruited by US forces to fight on the American side, so that when the war ended, they had nowhere to go. They now lived in the same area as their enemy. Therefore, several groups of Hmong people resettled in America. This is important background information when watching the movie.

In the beginning of the film we are introduced to the main character, Walt Kowalski played by Clint Eastwood, an old war veteran from the Vietnam war. He lives in a Hmong neighbourhood, but he refuses to move, as he is determined to stand his ground. He is a typical old fashion American, extremely nationalistic and committed to his civic duties. In the house next door lived his neighbours, Thao and Sue Lor, along with their mother and grandmother. Sue is a behaved teenage girl, compared to Thao, a confused teenage boy. He is in a constant struggle between being a dutiful and kind person, and pleasing his cousin and his friends whom tries to persuade him into illegalities. This is how Kowalski and Thao Lor meets, when Lor tries to steal his car.

We can find many symbols in the film. The most prominent example is Kowalski’s car, his old Gran Torino, which the movie is named after. This is a typical symbol of the American, because it is an American car, and it is a product that the Americans are very proud about. When Thao tries to steal Kowalski’s car, this is a symbol conflict between different ethnic groups, in this case the Hmong people and the American people.

There are few or none special effects in the movie, and the use of camera is not standing out. The choice of music is after my opinion very good and suited for the setting and plot, as well as it makes the message come across more clearly. It also helps getting the audience more engaged, which makes us remember the movie better, as it leave prints in us emotionally. 

Sources: 

Pitures: - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Torino#mediaviewer/File:Gran_Torino_poster.jpg

            - http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=139

The social medias

What is really a social media? The definition of a social media is electronic communication where the users form online communities, where they share their ideas, thoughts, information, and so on. When someone says social media, the first thing that pops into your head may be some of the most popular social medias, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and so on. Many more are also quite known, such as Flickr, Myspace, Youtube, and others. Personally, I only use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter on a daily basis, and from time to time I also use Youtube.

Facebook is a well-known phenomenon, where you create a user, and then you can share pictures, information and statuses, so that all your friends can see what you are doing. Instagram is about the same thing, except that on Instagram you only share photos. On Snapchat, you can send pictures with a short message to your friends, and they can reply the same way. Youtube is a social media where you can upload different videos on your account, and watch the videos other users have published. Pros about the social medias is that they make it easy for people to stay in touch, even though they live for from each other. You get to know news and information quick, and it is also entertainment for many of us. Cons about social medias is that there can easily be posted pictures or videos with offensive content, because pretty much anyone can publish whatever they want to. Most of all the social medias are a giant time thief. You easily get distracted, and you get less time for the things you should do.

As a conclusion we can say that there are some good things about social medias, but most of all I think it is a distraction and a time thief in many peoples everyday life. You easily get distracted from doing what you really should, and I also think that social medias contribute to make people a little self-centred. In social medias it is all about you and who you are.  

Nobel Peace Centre exhibition; Democracy and social medias

The Nobel Peace Centre had an exhibition about the connections between social medias and peace, or human rights. We met our guide by the entrance, and here he showed us some important and famous quotes that could be related to the theme medias and peace. Afterwards we entered the main part of the exhibition. Here they had placed small screens that you could press, and a short video would pop up, and learn you about a theme, give you a question, or tell you a story. Then you could give your opinion, and your answer would appear in the centre of the room, at a giant globe in the middle. At the end of our visit we went upstairs, to the second floor of the building. Here we were asked to sit down on some chairs in front of a flat screen. Then our guide turned on a video on his pc, and the film appeared on the screen in front of us. The video was about Edward Snowden, the founder of WikiLeaks. On his page he leaks sensitive information about the US government, and their surveillance. I had fun at the exhibition, and I think it’s great to do something different. I learned quite a lot, and found the visit very interesting.