Experiential Paper - Getting a premiere ticket to The Neon Demon

Hope Salloum

5/31/16

Time Code: 17:00

Sierra (codename: Winter Fox) and I are now headed towards the targeted area to complete “operation lose dignity.” The days leading up have been long and unforgiving, but there is hope. Hope that we will complete our mission in time. Hope that all this hard work won’t just be for another failure.

Time Code: 17:20

Winter Fox and I make our way off of the train and head towards The Majestic (codename: The Majestic). The ruthless sun is beating down on us. The humid air is unforgiving. Sweat starts to roll off of my forehead, but all I can think about is the mission. We are getting closer now. Here we go. This is it, our last chance to make it. All we can do now is follow orders, and pray.

Time Code: 18:30

No luck at The Majestic so far. I don’t believe the target is here. Winter Fox has suggested moving to an unknown location. She’s on to me. Is this a trap? Does she want all the tickets for herself? The time for questions is way past gone. This is a do or die situation. It doesn’t matter if I trust Winter Fox; she’s all I got.

Time Code: 19:00

The endless pavement shows no sign of hope. Wearing a gown has never been so hard. Winter Fox and I have arrived back at The Majestic. There are others here. They have set up their stations and don’t seem to be leaving anytime soon. One named Thomas (codename: Thumbs Up) seems to have been poisoned with alcohol. Poor sap. Running around the streets of Cannes. Who gave him that tux? There’s no way that’s his tux. He’ll never get a ticket.

Time Code: 19:01

Thumbs Up has received a ticket…

Time Code: 19:02

I have now taken over Thumbs Up’s previous station. He continues to dance up and down the streets of Cannes with a ticket in his hand and a grin on his face. I can’t stand his smugness.

Time Code: 19:03

I have decided to kill thumbs up.

Time Code: 19:04

This has proven difficult. The alcohol has seemed to give Thumbs Up powers of speed and agility. Looks like I’ll have to complete this mission the old fashioned way.

Time Code: 19:45

This mission is proving more difficult than previously thought. Winter Fox doesn’t seem to be having much luck either. Many potential targets approach her, however they just wish to court her. Poor kids. They have no idea. I on the other hand just have men in t-shirts and jeans claiming to have tickets. However in order to obtain these tickets, I have to follow them to unknown locations. That is against protocol so I have to turn down their offers. I continue to smile and say “bonsoir” to bystanders. Time is running out and I am no closer to completing this mission.

Time Code: 20:50

I’ve been standing on the same corner for what seems like hours. My faith is fading fast. I’m preparing myself for failure.

Time Code: 20:52

What’s this? A strange man has approached me. He is in a tuxedo and rushes up to me. “Neon Demon?” He asks in a hurry. “Yes” I tell him. He speaks in French and tells me to come with him. I am very confused and I guess it shows. He asks me what language I speak and if I understand him. Everything is happening so fast. Is this the target? Have I found him? Or better yet, has he found me? The man tells me to hurry with him to retrieve the tickets from a third party. My interest fades. This is obviously a scam. And yet, he is in a tux. I ask him if he has an extra ticket for my partner. He does. This all seems too good to be true. Time is of the essence. It seems I have no choice. I pick up the bottom of my gown and start running with this mysterious man.

Time Code: 20:55

We have now picked Winter Fox. She was questioning at first but quickly realized how rare of an opportunity this was and was not about to give it up. We race towards the Palais with hope that this man is not a kidnapper; but with more hope that he actually has tickets.

Time Code: 21:00

We meet up with the 2nd man in a suit. “Let’s go hurry!” he says. I am very skeptical. “Show us the stuff, ” says my inner drug dealer. He shows us the tickets and I am actually very shocked that he actually has them. I look at Winter Fox with the “this is it” look. We hurry towards the gate, picking up a random begging woman off of the streets. That was weird but whatever. We arrive at the gates and surprisingly the tickets actually worked.

Time Code: 21:10

We have been waiting in line for a short amount of time now. I thank the man in the suit for the tickets. He then proceeds to explain to me that he had been watching me for a while before. He told me his dates were running late so he came back to the corner where I was to come give me the tickets instead. His friend told me I have a sort of “good vibe.”

Time Code 21:11

Winter Fox begins singing “Good Vibrations.”

Time Code: 21:30

Why are we in line so early?

Time Code: 21:50

Here we go. The mission is coming to a close. They are opening the gates. I can see it in the distance, the red carpet. I have worked so hard for this moment. All those nights trying to complete the mission and failing are finally put to rest. I’ve let my agency and myself down again and again, but not tonight. I finally did it.

Mission Complete.

The Red Turtle/ La Tortue Rouge Film Review

The Red Turtle is an interesting film to say the least. I, unlike many other people, did not like this film in the slightest. It is confusing, very vague, and not visually pleasing. The characters in this film lacked any sort of depth. The mother, who is/was also a turtle, is the worst character of all. None of the characters have speaking roles, but if they did, she still probably would not have any. Yet, somehow, she is supposed to be the most important character of all.

            The whole plot is based off of the premise of imagination, symbolism, or something that is unclear. A man was randomly and unexplainably placed in the middle of an ocean storm. He is then washed onto a deserted island. The man tries to escape, but the red turtle prevents him from leaving. After the red turtle stops this man from leaving the island several times, the man kills the turtle. Soon after its death, with no reasoning or explanation, this dead red turtle turns into a woman. The man then proceeds to have a relationship and child with this dead turtle/woman.

            The entire movie has very vague themes, and an unexplainable plot. It was hard to watch, difficult to keep up with, and honestly a waste of my time. The Red Turtle is the film to watch if you love asking the question “what if.” If you watch this film you will find yourself wasting 80 minutes of your life trying to understand the unbelievably frustrating and disappointing film that is The Red Turtle.

Writers: Michael Dudok de Wit, Pascale Ferran

Director: Michael Dudok de Wit

Producer: Pascal Caucheteux, Vincent Maraval, and Grégoire Sorlat

Main Cast: None

Running Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Captain Fantastic Film Review

From self-defense training, to celebrating Nom Chomsky day, Captain Fantastic encourages and invites the audience to become a part of the Cash’s unique lifestyle. This film is simply incredible. It challenges the audiences’ previous notions of society and what “normal” is. Watching Captain Fantastic will leave you wanting more of the unusual and fantastic Cash family.

Ben Cash, the father, is a particularly fantastic character in this film. He is seen as what, in today’s world, is challenging the “normal society.” He, along with many other iconic movie characters, can be seen both as a villain and a hero. While watching this film, I found myself questioning many times whether this man was a child abuser, or a genius. Ben Cash changed my perception of right and wrong. If he was a villain, then he had me rooting against the “good” guy, his father-in-law. This films’ ability to take a typical structure of a film and break it is nothing short of great.

Captain Fantastic has a very interesting representation of women. The first women we see are Ben’s three daughters. They are, in the first scene, almost indistinguishable from the men of the group. All of Ben’s children are treated equally. We see this theme throughout the film. The daughters have the exact same training and educational standards as their brothers. A little later in the film we learn that the mother has killed herself. This briefly shows women as weak and selfish. However, the daughters continue to prevail and amaze. The youngest daughter, Zaja, proves to be one of Ben’s most intelligent children. One of Ben’s daughters, not sons, performs “Mission Rescue Prisoner.” In fact, the only two characters that ever question their father are two of his sons. The women in this film are strong, smart, and loyal. This film does a great job of not undermining women in a man’s world.

Captain Fantastic very seamlessly and very smoothly tells the tale of how traditional ways of handling life, love, and family are dying out. We see this with the Ben’s father-in-law, the Bodevan, and Ben. The father believes teaching his children how to navigate by the stars and hunt for ones food is not only useful things to learn, but they are necessary as well. Todays society, ours as well as the diegetic, have proven these skills useless. There was once a time that one could not live without this knowledge, now they are seen as abnormal.     

Ben’s father-in-law refuses to respect his daughter’s will and testament. This is another representation of how things are changing and the world around us is simply accepting these changes. The eldest son, Bodevan, declares his love for a stranger. To him, this love is clear and fast. In a “normal” society, a love must be set through a series of tests and time to know if it will last.

Even though Ben believes he is not wrong in the way he is raising his children, the film does have him change his ways at the end. He does not completely give up his lifestyle, but he does integrate regular society into it. This was an extremely fitting ending. During the entire film, everyone around him is trying to get Ben to change his ways and “save” his family. Throughout the film, it does not seem to bother him. Only when he looses the one thing he is trying to keep together, his family, does he consider what he is doing. When he shaves his beard off, he is accepting that change needs to happen. Even when he regains his children, he sticks to the plan for change.

Captain Fantastic has many wonderful and entertaining lessons. The film is extremely well done and thought out. Matt Ross very easily and very quickly transforms you into the Cash’s world with a simple bite out a deer’s heart. By the end of the film, you can very easily relate to any one of the Cash family members and the struggles they all overcome. Captain Fantastic is sure to leave you entertained, amazed, and very satisfied.

Writer: Matt Ross

Director: Matt Ross

Producer: Monica Levinson, Jamie Patricof, Shivani Rawat, and Lynette Howell

Main Cast: Viggo Mortensen, George MacKay, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso, Nicholas Hamilton, Shree Crooks, Charlie Shotwell

Running Time: 1 hour 58 minutes

"Clash" Movie Review

“Clash”

Hope Salloum

5/23/16

Clash was a film like no other. The message, the acting, and the plot were all simply brilliant. Clash tells a story that not many people experience first hand. The clash between The Muslim Brotherhood and those opposed is a very real issue that is exceptionally demonstrated in this film.

One aspect of this film that makes it such a watchable film is the way that the director works with such a tiny space. Most, if not all, the scenes take place inside the back of a prisoner bus. The space to work with was incredibly small, however that was never an obstacle for this film. The small space, if anything, contributed to telling the story in such an impacting way. The creative uses of each corner and wall of this bus is what truly made this film remarkable. The space, when needed, felt like an entire world in which all of these characters had to live in. In many ways, it was its own world. Not many films know how to properly use one set for each of its plot goals, and that is what makes this one as fantastic as it is. Filming in one space not only exaggerated the differences between the two groups, but also showed the similarities throughout all of humanity in general.

Several times throughout the film, the opposing sides would have to work with each other in one way or another. Clash is one of the rare films that fully and accurately portrays a culture exactly how it is, and how it is perceived by other cultures. All of the character’s contributed purposefully to the plot and themes of this film. Each character was a part of the bigger picture going on in the real world. One particular moment in the film that stood out to me was when the woman in the Muslim Brotherhood needed to use the restroom. Everyone in the bus, regardless of which side they were on, respected this woman in the sense than any Egyptian would. The authenticity and accuracy of how they treated women was shocking and simultaneously very pleasing. This theme played on with the other woman in the van and the children. Accurately portraying how a culture treats their own people adds to watch-ability and entertainment of this film. As an Arab watching this film, I did not expect the entire film to be so real and relatable. The fact that is was drew me in more to the plot and reasoning behind the making of this film. It raised my curiosity and interest incredibly.

This film had the unique factor of many characters being introduced at once. The film seamlessly introduces each character or group of characters into the van. This helps the audience get introduced to everyone individually. Each character was distinguishable by their position, even though you see many different characters constantly during the film. This is why Clash is so well done. Constantly, there are fights and people yelling and running around, but it is still easy to understand each person’s position.

An interesting element in the film is when the characters starting being civilized with one another. This made it slightly harder to remember who was on what side. But just as any great film does, soon this theme was brought up again and tied into the ending. In the end, when the van pulled into the crowd, no one in the bus could tell which group the crowd was a part of. Back and forth everyone was in a hurry to figure it out, but it became too chaotic all at once. This leads to the van being attacked by the mob. The message demonstrated is so powerful and scarily true. In chaos, you can’t tell your brother from your enemy. The last shot pans over to an unfinished tic-tac-toe game between the two children in the van. This also leaves a message as well. The game was not finished, and neither is the fight between the two opposing sides.

The film Clash had incredibly deep themes, spectacular acting, and shockingly accurate cultural aspects. This film is extremely entertaining and will keep an audience constantly at the edge of their seats. Clash is one of those films that shouldn’t be missed.

Writer: Khaled Diab, Mohamed Diab

Director: Mohamed Diab

Producer: Mohamed Hefzy, Eric Lagesse, and Moez Masoud

Main Cast: Hani Adel, Nelly Karim, Tarek Abdel Aziz, Ahmed Malek, Ahmed Dash, El Sebaii Mohamed

Running time: 97 minutes