Session Five Father Figures Department of Film & Audiovisual Culture, Masaryk University Dr. Richard Nowell ¨ ¨1. Quirky and “Problematic” Fatherhood ¨ ¨2. Quirky and Fatherly Redemption ¨ ¨3. Quirky as Father-Child Therapy ¨ ¨To develop a demonstrable understanding of: ¨ ¨ ¨I. How quirky films are argued routinely to critique father figures. ¨ ¨II. More sensitive depictions of father figures in these films. ¨ ¨III. How address to older audiences drives more positive depictions. ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨Along with MPDGs, father figures represent the most discussed characters of Wes Anderson films and Quirky Cinema generally ¨ ¨Academic and popular stakeholders invariably frame quirky’s fathers negatively, whether they appear on the screen or not ¨ ¨This represents a critical double-bind of Quirky Cinema; exclude father figures and they are deemed guilty of abandonment ¨ ¨If featured they – but rarely mothers – are deemed culpable for the personal development issues of quirky cinema’s protagonists ¨ ¨This critical quicksand casts Quirky Cinema as a veritable outlier to recent American cinema’s general championing of fatherhood ¨Robe’s essay on the depiction of patriarchs in early Wes Anderson films offers an exemplary view on father figures in Quirky Cinema generally ¨ ¨Its explanatory value is limited as it only links film content and themes to broad cultural forces, but it still offers us a useful springboard, so… ¨ ¨1. What psychological shortcomings characterize older males in Wes Anderson’s films? ¨ ¨2. Why do they suffer from these issues? ¨ ¨3. How do these issues affect their conduct as fathers? ¨Echoing claims about Quirky Cinema more generally, Robe argues that Anderson’s father figures are characterized by a flawed masculinity ¨ ¨1. They are emotionally detached and alienated from family life as they are trapped by their Victorian anti-emotional masculine performance ¨ ¨2. This performance prevents them from ever mourning, accepting, and moving on from personal losses, leading to a state of melancholy ¨ ¨3. They engage in aggressive acts as a socially-sanctioned substitute for the pain their trauma has caused them but which they cannot express ¨ ¨4. This characterization is supported by these flawed fathers expressing ¨ intolerance by way of racist and homophobic rhetoric ¨Robe’s claims are a little guilty of cherry-picking examples, and down-playing character development in the films he discusses ¨ ¨In reality, his examples feature fathers who are well-meaning or who try to address shortcomings to bond with their offspring ¨ ¨Rushmore: Blum is not a bad father per. se., he is depressed at his family; Mr. Fischer is a supportive albeit unambitious father ¨ ¨Royal Tenenbaums: Royal seeks and finds redemption. Chas overcomes his well-meant, trauma-induced overprotectiveness ¨ ¨The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: Steve overcomes his fears to embrace fatherhood, learning from his role model Esteban. ¨ Wes Anderson's 10 Best Montages - Phần mềm Portable ¨ ¨1. How are fathers – literal and symbolic – depicted in this film? ¨ ¨2. How might this material be geared to fathers in the audience? ¨ ¨3. How does this film suggest quirky cinema ¨ itself can support fathers in the audience? ¨This film clearly responds to the notion that the father figures Robe describes are typical of Anderson’s (and quirky) films ¨ ¨Mr. Rogers represents a positive masculinity that addresses trauma, embraces emotionality, and help others to do the same ¨ ¨His masculine sincerity is contrasted to two fathers: both angry, hurt, emotionally distanced and suffocated by irony ¨ ¨Their unresolved traumas doom them to cause their children emotional suffering, perpetuating a generational cycle of pain ¨ ¨Through their engagement with Mr. Rogers, they too are able to come to terms with their demons, and become better fathers ¨The film addresses the tensions between irony and sincerity characterizing the Quirky model it uses and comments on ¨ ¨It suggest that, when it comes to close interpersonal familial relations, such tensions need resolving through sincerity ¨ ¨Its overarching themes and narrative arc concern the capacity for sincere media to help us overcome generational grievance ¨ ¨Lloyd learns to overcome his cynicism towards Mr. Rogers, recognizing that his persona is not to be processed ironically ¨ ¨This position in turn encourages audiences to overcome their irony to appreciate the film’s own sincere father-child advice ¨ ¨ ¨1. How are fathers – literal and symbolic – depicted in this film? ¨ ¨2. How might this material be geared to fathers in the audience? ¨ ¨3. How does this film suggest quirky cinema ¨ itself can support fathers in the audience? ¨This film broaches similar themes albeit more obliquely; i.e. relations between fatherhood, forgiveness, and quirky media ¨ ¨It suggests quirky storytelling catalyzes such things, providing indirect means to confront painful or banal personal realities ¨ ¨It links family fables to the irony and sincerity of the quirky model; Ed’s fantasies serve similar functions to the film itself ¨ ¨It also frames imminent fatherhood as a time to reflect on ones upbringing, striving for understanding, and ending grievances ¨ ¨Will realizes his father uses quirky stories – like we may do this film – to cope with our insecurities, worries, and traumas ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ 4K Ultra HD Review – Big Fish (2003) ¨If true, Quirky cinema’s negative depictions of father figures counters Hollywood’s generally positive depictions of fathers ¨ ¨Ryan & Kellner traces this back to cultural shifts embodying the hypermasculinity of the Reagan Whitehouse (1981–1988) ¨ ¨Moreover, Hannah Hamad has argued that the 2000s saw a surge in films that showcased the redemption arcs of father figures ¨ ¨Echoing Susan Faludi, Hammad casts this shift as part of a post-9/11 American cultural rehabilitation of traditional paternity ¨ ¨Such accounts sidestep industry logic though, presenting a form of calculated content-tailoring as osmosis of the zeitgeist ¨More convincing accounts also involves considering the films’ targeted audiences and the topics thought to concern them ¨ ¨These films were partly envisaged for the Gen-Xers who drove indie culture, and had reached parenting age as quirky surged ¨ ¨They were seen as emotionally scarred as their boomer parents had put professional ambition before hands-on parenting ¨ ¨Gen-Xers were avid media consumers set to undergo a lifestyle change that had traditionally curtailed moviegoing: parenting ¨ ¨By depicting the challenges and rewards of parenting, the films employed a means of retaining the interest of this key audience ¨Due to its structurally-bound themes of challenging personal development, Quirky Cinema is also a youth-oriented format ¨ ¨A central concern of postwar youth-oriented cinema has been youth’s relationships to the adult-world, esp. to their parents ¨ ¨Such relationships were often presented as antagonistic, using generational conflict to brand the films as youth-oriented ¨ ¨But millennials were the first kids raised with Family Films that targeted families with tales of multigenerational growth ¨ ¨Such themes also became more prevalent in non-quirky films aimed at this generation as it entered into childrearing age The Many Roles of Mothers in Horror Movies | Little Red Horror Jason Biggs' Kids Meet His 'American Pie' Dad Eugene Levy Knocked Up (4/10) Movie CLIP - Parental Guidance (2007) HD - YouTube ¨These conditions, fragile hipster identity, and quirky’s focus on personal growth have encouraged a cinema of family therapy ¨ ¨Consequently, quirky films often signify a point of convergence with the Hollywood Family Film; itself a therapeutic cinema ¨ ¨Divergence lies in their modes of address: family films address kids and parents separately; quirky films address them as one ¨ ¨Thus, the youth and post-youth target audience is addressed as both wounded offspring and budding parents aiming for better ¨ ¨These conditions have incentivized a more balanced picture of fatherhood, spotlighting failings, forgiveness, and aspiration ¨One of the most prevalent discussion points around Quirky Cinema has been the negative depictions of father figures as absent or deeply flawed ¨ ¨This position often lays the blame at old fashioned masculinity wherein emotional detachment prevents processing loss, leading to aggression ¨ ¨But quirky films often depict fathers sympathetically; as struggling, as overcoming parenting challenges, and as misunderstood support systems ¨ ¨Such portrayals represent an effort to appeal to Gen-Xers and millennials who have become parents or who expect to do so in the future ¨ ¨Seen this way, quirky fatherhood is less about enabling self-pitying hipsters than promoting intergenerational understanding and forgivenss ¨This focus on interpersonal and psychosocial challenges has led some to claim Quirky is guilty of sidestepping serious political engagement ¨ ¨Topic: Quirky and Politics ¨ ¨Readings: Bannister, 214–224. ¨ ¨Home Screenings: Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) ¨ Jojo Rabit (2019) ¨ ¨[Preparatory Questions on MS TEAMS and in the Syllabus] ¨ ¨Meeting: Thursday 8 December ¨