Session Six Quirky & Politics Department of Film & Audiovisual Culture, Masaryk University Dr. Richard Nowell Session Six Quirky & Politics Department of Film & Audiovisual Culture, Masaryk University Dr. Richard Nowell ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨1. Quirky as Apolitical Cinema ¨ ¨2. Political Quirky ¨ ¨3. Quirky and Politicized Audiences ¨ ¨To develop a demonstrable understanding of: ¨ ¨ ¨I. Why quirky cinema is often considered apolitical. ¨ ¨II. Why some quirky films do engage with serious ¨socio-political concerns. ¨ ¨III. Why this engagement is sometimes presented obliquely in the films. ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨Critics often complain quirky films’ focus on personal issues like psycho-social development and taste renders them apolitical ¨ ¨This exemplifies a broader clash of values between Anglophone entertainment sector and much of the Anglophone critical sphere ¨ ¨It has arisen because the critical sphere has become increasingly leftist in its cultural politics, whether knowingly or otherwise ¨ ¨Marxist preoccupations with social groups and power dynamics have come to dominate popular (and academic) film criticism ¨ ¨Some leftists are critical of Hollywood as they feel it depicts the personal impact of phenomena over their broader social impact ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨Whether we subscribe to such views on filmed entertainment, claims of Quirky cinema’s apoliticality are rather overstated ¨ ¨After all, many quirky films thematize serious sociopolitical issues, especially those important to their target audiences ¨ ¨Many quirky films made before Anderson rose to prominence were ignored, others were labelled differently if overtly political ¨ ¨This begets a bizarre logic dictating the quirky format is apolitical, then a political quirky film is not really a quirky film ¨ ¨Take a renowned ironic-sincere film about the intersection of the personal and the political, that is rarely if ever labelled quirky ¨THE SINCERE-PERSONAL ¨THE IRONIC-POLITICAL Young Boy Teaches Elvis Presley How To Dance In Iconic 'Forrest Gump' Scene | Country Rebel – Unapologetically Country What Forrest Gump's Young Jenny Actress Has Done Since The Movie ¨Bannister’s chapter is a rare academic discussion of a quirky film that centres on its relationships to politics, on the screen and in front of it ¨ ¨His brief pairing of the reception of Jojo Rabbit and his own insights on the film opens up a different way to examine this type of film ¨ ¨1. How did issues of social critique factor into the popular reception of Jojo Rabbit? ¨ ¨2. What does Bannister feel about the film’s socio-political ¨ engagement? ¨ ¨3. Where do you stand on this issue? ¨ ¨Bannister suggests that Jojo Rabbit’s quirkiness – its indie branding and use of irony – prevented it being received as a successful satire ¨ ¨He suggests this was exacerbated by a vague marketing campaign, and questions over whether its director was satirizing racism or anti-racism ¨ ¨He adds the film’s satirical potential of showing Nazism through a child’s eyes was undermined by its inclusion of over-the-top caricatures ¨ ¨He suggests the buffoonish characterization of the Nazis undermines an appreciation of the seriousness of Nazi atrocities needed for satire ¨ ¨He also suggests a focus on unrequited young love imbues the film with a sincere dimension that overwhelms detached political satire ¨ ¨ ¨1. In terms of socio-political themes, what is ¨ this film really about? ¨ ¨2. How does this film use historical narratives to ¨ speak to contemporary socio-political issues? ¨ ¨3. What does it suggest art/media like itself can contribute to socio-political problems? ¨ ¨I propose that it is less the film per se, than critics like Bannister that struggle to reconcile Jojo Rabbit’s irony with its sincerity ¨ ¨Their troubles evidently derive in part from their mistaken view that the film’s principal satirical target is the Third Reich ¨ ¨Rather, this film allegorizes current rightwing radicalization in the US, under Trump’s sway; hence the US-German references ¨ ¨It imagines a contemporary US where authoritarian ideology warps reality to generate anti-humanistic, pathological tribalism ¨ ¨Casting Waititi as Hitler, implicates the media industries therein, suggesting they must reevaluate their sociopolitical engagement ¨ ¨1. In terms of socio-political themes, what is ¨ this film really about? ¨ ¨2. How does this film use historical narratives to ¨ speak to contemporary socio-political issues? ¨ ¨3. What does it suggest art/media like itself can contribute to socio-political problems? ¨ ¨This film offers a promotion of Quirky Cinema as a means of addressing and coping with traumatic oppression of all types ¨ ¨The film tells its story via memories fragmented and shaped by traumatic retreat into fantasy and media representations ¨ ¨One strand concerns coping strategies developed by those directly effected by extreme discrimination like the Holocaust ¨ ¨Another draws parallels between anti-LGBTQ+ practices and the Holocaust by centralizing a persecuted queer character ¨ ¨The cathartic protection of the painting and the hotel conveys a general promotion of therapeutic media … like the film itself ¨ ¨ Ralph Fiennes on Wes Anderson and the Grand Budapest Hotel | Vanity Fair ¨Quirky has long boasted a politically engaged wing that invites audiences to consider pressing sociopolitical issues of the day ¨ ¨These films invariably examine topics relevant to the changing concerns and values of their young hipster targeted audience ¨ ¨What this means is that sometimes folks forget or simply do not know how important certain topics once were to this audience ¨ ¨Debate raged about whether Scream was parody or straight; it was a quirky satire of real-world debates on media and violence ¨ ¨Folks underestimate the extent to which the personal issues in quirky films profoundly impact swathes of western societies ¨ ¨ ¨The quirky format lends itself ideally to political satire, due to its modes of engagement, artificial aesthetics, and core themes ¨ ¨They harmonize with satire’s distanced allegorical critique of issues, enabling a bearable engagement with tough themes ¨ ¨Quirky’s structurally-bound themes of personal development challenges are easily recalibrated to focus on societal issues ¨ ¨Its aesthetics’ insulation of viewers from personal development themes is transferable to moderating political themes’ impact ¨ ¨Its ironic-sincere mode is thus ideally suited to provoking bona fide outrage and distanced bewilderment at political absurdities Isle of Dogs” Is a Stylish Revolt Against (American) Political Madness | The New Yorker Inside the insane sets of Wes Anderson's 'Isle of Dogs' - CNN Style Inside the insane sets of Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs ¨Newman notes Quirky’s cultivation of hipsters incentivizes films’ engagement with left-liberal positions and interests ¨ ¨Early cases examined countercultural issues like middle-class anomie, corruption, and family as oppressive structure ¨ ¨1990s films satirized rightwing America, including an allegory of suburban conformity in Edward Scissorhands ¨ ¨Recent cases centralized major topical socio-political issues pertinent to liberals values, including those of activist Gen Z ¨ ¨As we have seen, newer films condemned the intersection of politicized discrimination based on race and sexual identity ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨Quirky Cinema has long been accused of prioritizing issues of personal development and taste over broad-scale socio-political engagement ¨ ¨This position derives from, and reinforces, the association of the films with hipster audiences often dismissed as self-absorbed fashionistas ¨ ¨However, it is clear that some quirky films seek to pair their structurally-bound themes of personal development to serious issues of their day ¨ ¨Quirky’s ironic-sincere mode of representation and engagement echoes the ironic-sincere modes of satire, facilitating socio-political engagement ¨ ¨This shift may indicate the future of quirky, with youth audiences seen as increasingly engaged in issues related to identity politics and democracy ¨1. Less a product of a distinctive directorial vision, Quirky is an industry format inviting a combination of ironic detachment and sincere engagement ¨ ¨2. Driven less by directorial tastes, Quirky uses indie branding to position the films as authentic, autonomous, alternatives to an imagined mainstream ¨ ¨3. Less a coincidence of shared tastes between creatives and audiences, quirky represents a calculated effort to target-market films to youthful hipsters ¨ ¨4. While condemned as sexist conduits of male self-betterment, Quirky’s MPDGs are usually depicted in ways that echo this oft-unfounded critique ¨ ¨5. While often associated with ineffectual fathers, Quirky often addresses audiences of parenting age with themes of rehabilitating flawed fatherhood ¨ ¨6. While often condemned for prioritizing personal matters and taste, Quirky sometimes centralizes socio-political topics, including its roles therein ¨ ¨Topic: Choice of Five Prompts (derived from sessions 2-6) ¨ ¨General Qualities: Focused, direct, well-supported, argument-driven ¨ ¨Scholarly Engagement: Relevant essential set readings for top grades ¨ ¨Targeted Learning Outcomes/Areas of Assessment: See Syllabus ¨ ¨Wordcount: circa 1500-2000. ¨ ¨Due Date: Midnight CET Sunday 8 January 2023 ¨ ¨Feedback: One-Page spotlighting strengths, shortcomings, tips ¨ ¨ ¨