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.
Another example: I went to see Nick Offerman perform live a few years ago. He made some comments about Trump and one the hardline conservatives in my social group walked out. He didn't understand that Ron Swanson is a satirical character and Nick Offerman doesn't always agree with what Ron Swanson says. I'm sure other people with different ideologies make this mistake too, but I don't see it much in my community. That's part of the reason why I'm asking if there's any research into this.
lol love to see alpha conservatives prove once again how totally untriggered and non-pathetic they are by walking away from some lib Trump joke.
I should have taken a screenshot of his FB post after he left. It was glorious.
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To this person: Yes, Ron would be pro-Trump because Ron is cool, likes bacon, and hates the government, just like him!
I'm generalizing Ron's character. I've only seen a few episodes of the show, and of course the memes.