I'm trying to find an essay, research, or any deeper analysis about why some people, most often conservatives, don't understand film. One of my FB friends posted this meme and it got me thinking about this phenomena.

Some people watch a film* and take the characters and the story completely at face value. They don't see any deeper message from the director. They don't understand that Goodfellas for example, is not a film about a couple of cool guys. Scorsese is not endorsing their behavior or their values.

Any help diving deeper into this topic is appreciated.

*By the way, you could say the same for literature, but since most people don't read past high school. I wanted to focus my question on film.

ETA: Thanks everyone for engaging with me. I've been a lurker and commenter since the early Reddit days, this was my first post.

  • PM_ME_YOUR_FOUCAULTS [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    3 years ago

    A lot of people, and not exclusively chuds, understand narrative fiction as a process by which you identify yourself with the protagonist and experience the narrative through them. This leads to the perennial complaint that such and such a character is unlikeable or problematic, which ruins the fiction, because the whole point is to identify yourself with them.

      • quartz242 [she/her]
        ·
        3 years ago

        I simultaneously wish and dont wish I could say this everytime a friend or family member mentions hamilton

    • StLangoustine [any]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Isn't that how everybody watches movies unless they've set out from the start to document and analyse instead of enjoy it?

        • StLangoustine [any]
          ·
          3 years ago

          I mean, obviously there are movies that you don't watch like that, like documentaries or movies that don't have protagonists, but in the most movies identifying with the protagonist to some extent is part of how the film gets it's emotional impact.

          I don't think I really got into the movie were I didn't end up relating to the protagonist at least a little bit.

          Probably the reason I don't like Russian gang movies and shows. Growing up in the 90s Russia close enough to all that shit, I just hate those people way too much.

          • RedCoat [he/him]
            ·
            3 years ago

            Not a movie but try Always Sunny in Philadelphia, it is great and they are some of the worst people.

        • TheUrbanaSquirrel [she/her]
          ·
          3 years ago

          That's how I feel about Seinfeld. It still makes me laugh even though the characters are all selfish assholes.

      • Ryan_Holman [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        I would say that there is media where the viewer, reader or listener is essentially viewing the plot and characters as a spectator to it, not somebody who is meant to identify with them.

        For example, in Downfall, you are not supposed to identify with the Nazis, you are just witnessing what is happening to them.

        • StLangoustine [any]
          ·
          3 years ago

          Yeah. Come to think about it there are a lot of comedies like that. Like in Death of Stalin you're probably not going to identify with Khrushchev too much or care about what happens to him.

          Still, having protagonist(s) you're supposed to relate to and care about at least a little bit has been the mainstream way of telling a story and making the story engaging for a long long time.