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
