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Anthropology Assignment: Films Analysis

Up Heartbreak Hill (2012) PBS kanopy film database library access

This film offers a detail explanation of the way of life of three teenagers that live on a

Navajo reservation while trying to apply for college. The rate of graduation in this school is

approximately 50%, and those who complete their college education is about 1 in 10 students.

Thomas is a school track star who is facing the challenges of drugs and abandonment. Gabriella

depends on her boyfriend to provide support for her in accomplishing her dream of being a

photographer. Also, the school salutatorian, Tamara, desires to attend the school that is not under

reservation while her parents want her to remain there. Through this film, several themes are

brought into view. These include inequality in education, obstacles faced in pursuing education,

and cultural heritage.

The first theme is on education inequality. Before the start of the movie, two individuals

from the community conversed concerning the programs that would ensure that the youths of

inner-city are helped in preparing to attend colleges. One of the women explained that youth

should be raised in typical youth culture. That is similar to a situation whereby some schools

address young people as future college students to make sure that they remain focused on their

studies and end up completing their college education. Besides, it is evident from the film that a

considerable a smaller number of students on the reservation consider themselves as “future

college students. The reason being that the reservation schools do not have adequate funds that
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can be utilized on education and also the fact that they lack appropriate role models that could be

a source of motivation. When such students involve themselves in a college affair, they are not

sure of how they should find potential colleges.

Another theme evident in the film concerns the challenges faced by the students in

pursuing their education. All three of the students encounter numerous obstacles that play a

crucial role in hindering their desire for graduation and college. However, Thomas experiences

the most severe barriers compared to the other three. That is because he experiences challenges

even in his home. For instance, his father is involved in substance abuse, and hence he doesn`t

make any reasonable decisions concerning the education life of his son. Besides, his mother lives

off the reservation, and therefore he doesn`t get adequate time to spend his mother. In most

instances, the actions of Thomas are affected by the behavior problems that he faces. The

personal circumstances of Thomas are used to illustrate the difficulties faced by students in

reservation in pursuing education.

The third theme involved the cultural heritage of the people. That is because some

schools had been over the years, striving to ensure that the Navajo language is stamped out. That

is the reason why Tamara was struggling to speak a greeting in Navajo at the end of the movie.

Such a move by some schools is quite saddening because children in reservations appear to be a

little lost. The reason being that most of them do not have a reliable connection with their

heritage, and regaining such is almost an impossible task.

In conclusion, the film had beautiful shots, and the story was depicted in such a way that

one could find himself involved in it visually. I had hopes that the three youth could graduate and

attend college. Besides, the film contains some light moments. That is because it leaves the
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audience with a feeling of hope concerning the youth of the Navajo reservation, regardless of the

numerous obstacles.

Happy People: A Year on the Taiga (2010) Werner Herzog PBS kanopy film database

library access

The film explains the life of a village of approximately 300 people in the Taiga, which is

an extraordinarily isolated region in the heart of Siberia. The accessibility of this area is limited

because it can only be reached by helicopter and boat. The extreme cold and darkness that are

experienced most times of the year significantly limits the life of the residents. However, their

work, primarily as trappers, is a source of their happiness. The film accompanies them for a year

as they get into deep pine forests and iced-over rivers and lakes. Through the intensive

interviews conducted, it is evident that these people are not crazy, but instead, they content with

their way of life without being influenced by modern life such as computers and cell phones. The

environment is beautiful, and the people are full of kindness. However, the film shows that these

individuals face marginalization from the Russians. Some of the themes evident in this film are

gender roles, the relationship between humanity and nature, as well as cultural heritage.

Gender role is evident from the description of the functions of men and women in their

daily lives. The men are happy with their way of life regardless of the limitless freedom that they

have combined with brutally hard work as well as isolation. Such a situation would likely drive

most people crazy, but for these individuals, it is not the case. Less emphasis is put on those

people who don`t have adequate skills, whereby they assist in harvesting driftwood from the

river. Besides, the women in Bakhtia receive considerably less attention. That is because the

women are given minor roles of taking care of their children and homes while men are engaged

in backbreaking but more photogenic work that ensures that everybody is fed.
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Another theme is the relationship between humanity and nature. The film starts by

explaining that the people of Bakhtia earn their living through trapping and fishing. The

accessibility of the place is quite challenging, and hence it is essential to have the capability of

succeeding in the wild. Also, the various seasons of nature influence the type of activities that the

men engage in. For instance, during the spring, men start harvesting trees for fuel and other

things that they may require. During the winter, they create their territories and engage in

activities such as fishing.

The third theme is cultural heritage. That is because most of the work that trappers

engage in may be considered by many as primitive. They use traditional tools such as chainsaws

ad snowmobiles that do not require complicated repairs. Also, the men appear to be on their

element as they engage in their activities by making use of limited skills such as outdoorsmen

and making use of their wisdom to guide them. They also make use of their dogs for

companionship. Such dogs are not only companions but also serve as hunting partners. People in

this village consider dogs as working partners rather than pets and thus are deeply saddened

when one of them is hurt or dies. Besides, people find happiness in their way of life and are not

bothered by modern trappings such as computers and mobile phones.

In conclusion, the film was fascinating because I always enjoy watching documentaries

about the way of life of other individuals. The exciting aspect of this film is that it helps to

illustrate the four seasons through the eyes of the Siberian trapper. Besides, a clear picture of the

environment is drawn in the mind of the audience through challenging train, extreme weather,

unpredictable wildlife, remote locale, simple life. With all those factors put into consideration,

the trappers that feature in this film seem happy and satisfied. Besides, I like dogs, and hence the
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movie fascinated me because it portrayed animals not only as companions but also as hunting

partners.

We Come as Friends (2015) Herbert Sauper Amazon prime

This film is used to portray a vague representation of Sudan as a country that is faced

with self-interested neocolonialist outsiders. It primarily uses the approach of an apolitical and

anecdotal in representing Sudan as well as its inhabitants. Interviewed individuals are not

identified by their names because the purpose of Sauper`s footage is being accepted on an

implicit, symbolic level. Such a strategy may infuriate some audience because it requires the

audience to have a general understanding of the scenes. That minimizes the chance of viewers of

having the privilege of experiencing a thoughtful and precise way of viewing traditional

problems that are faced by Sudanese natives since Sauper`s doesn`t have the interest of making

that kind of film. In contrast, he provokes the audience by juxtaposing quasi-archetypal stories

that comprise detailed footage that is, as depicted in the movie, only as meaningful as an

individual desire them to be.

One of the themes brought forward in this film involves the concept of racial stereotype.

That is because the speaker starts by asking a rhetoric question, “Did you know that the moon

belongs to the white man?” That pseudo-naïve question is quite sensible, especially at the start of

the Sauper`s film because it is a punchline to a story concerning the greedy nature of white

countries who, during the Space Race, experienced vanity in striving to claim outer space for

their respective countries. Sauper consistently shows sympathy to this type of mythical

revisionist history through over-extension of his logic, even though it doesn`t cogently develop.

The theme of assimilation is also evident in the film. The film explains that wealthy

foreigners in Sudan assimilate almost everything. The songs that are sung by individuals are
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about and in the voice of French, British, American, and Chinese celebrities, politicians, and

philanthropists. The perception of religion is in the form of binary, with the prevalent religions

being Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and atheism. Children receive punishment in case they fail

to wear Western uniforms. Also, they are taught that they should praise the importance of

cooperation and development. Besides, outsiders are usually referred to as aliens. That is

evidenced by the fact that Sauper enquired from indifferent Chinese engineers to tell him the part

of the planet where they originated. One engineer responds by shooting back a blank stare that

offers detailed information, even though it doesn`t confirm the adopted perspective of Sauper.

The third theme is about the division that Africa experiences. At the beginning of the

film, Sauper informs the audience concerning Queen Victoria and explains how she managed to

divide Africa into countries without even having to visit them. Also, rather than providing a

clarification of the proliferation of drunk, including the monochromatic perspectives he

encounters in Sudan, Sauper prefers collecting them in one film. That makes most of the viewers

to consider it just a jumble story of fragments that are not adequately examined even though they

appear pleasing when combined into a single film of adequate length.

In summary, the film offers a reasonable explanation of the various challenges that face

the people of Sudan. One notable one is contributed by the concept of assimilation, whereby

even children are forced to praise the western culture, including their customs. However, the

footage that Sauper provides is limited to what he wants the audience to see. That is because he

doesn`t focus on any specific interview subject or type of story in a detailed approach that would

help to reveal that what is being represented is a correct representation of a systemically abusive

system of humanitarian aid.

Bitter Lake (2015) Adam Curtis youtube

This film is an in-depth and winding analysis of Wahabism, the US-Saudi relationship,

and the recent history of Afghanistan; and how its fate is inevitably connected to the nations that

are trying to influence it. The film covers several themes concerning political, social,

philosophical, and historical movements. The film is not only entertaining because of the way of

writing of Curtis but also because he cites the account of Artyom Borovik concerning the Soviet-

Afghan War. Because he is a distinctive storyteller, he splices the film into his own BBC

footage, whereby he compliments the words of Borovik when describing the strange effects that

the Soviet people have experienced because of the long war in Afghanistan.

One of the primary themes in this film is western development. This concept is portrayed

from the beginning of the film. That is because it describes the period whereby the post-wat

American anti-Communist expansionism had high confidence as well as how the ruling elite of

Afghan embraced western development. Curtis further provides a similar story about the post-

war American mission to Saudi Arabia. The purpose was also quite optimistic. He includes the

story to teach the audience concerning the truth behind the two missions. That is because

America and Britain strived to accomplish their purposes in the Middle East and Afghanistan by

providing stories concerning excellent and evil, and hence Curtis tries to show reasons why such

a strategy doesn`t work.

The theme of political conflict is also evident in this film. That is evidenced by the fact

that Curtis discusses concerning the untouchable ones, who are the Afghan and Wahhabist Saudi

tribes who oppose the westernization of Muslim lands. Curtis also reveals that the war that is

currently being waged against the Wahhabist tribe is not necessarily due to the difference

between good and evil but instead because of the power that has been intensifying between the
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House of Saud and the tribes. That has been experienced since the 1920s and now includes Iran,

Israel, and western interests. Curtis ends the concept of this film by explaining that the same

absolutist beliefs drive the ruling class of Saudi. However, Curtis doesn`t reveal the fact that the

Wahhabist is one of the minority tribes in Arabia.

The third theme is on modern politics and cultural change. Curtis argues that there should

be an appreciation of the limits to contemporary politics and cultural change. He argues that the

changes in such extreme and pre-modern societies are just an illusion. That is because, even

though they may be presented in a clear and unquestionable approach, they are not credible from

a historical perspective. Saudi and Afghan are precise examples of the end of the range of

Muslim societies' interactions with modern society. Besides, the confrontation in Egypt is one of

the reactions versus revolution with class playing a crucial role as it does in Malaysia, Indonesia,

and India. Such a problem becomes even more profound when Curtis includes several attempts

by movements and their ideologies in shaping Afghanistan. That implies that the fate of the

Afghan Marxist regime should be approached in a similar manner of other attempts at change,

whether that was by modernization or force democratization by the west.

In summary, watching this film provides the strangeness, irony, and comedy that

illustrate a genuine formal attempt of being in the world and making sense of it. That is because

the further the sequence extends, the higher the failure of controlling body language, showing

each party becomes suspicious of the other. Curtis concludes by affirming that the British in

Helmand did not have sufficient understanding of the conflict there was politically local and had

little to do with the Taliban. In letting oddness, absurdity, and strangeness stand for the imperial

experience modern history ceases for Curtis to have meaning.