This was an interesting read and very well written. I did think the scene in The Brutalist when Adrian Brody asks his niece if he is less Jewish because he doesn't move to Israel was an important and poignant scene (though short-lived). I think it's worth noting too that one of the leads, Guy Pearce, showed up to the red carpet debut wearing a free Palestine pin.
Really great piece! The scenes with the Rwandan genocide survivor were so frustrating to me in A Real Pain because realistically, he probably would feel connected to Black people across the diaspora in our struggle against colonialism, and yet it’s almost like Eisenberg dismisses that possibility in favor of a narrative that makes holocaust exceptional in its horror.
I appreciate much of what you write here, especially with regard to The Brutalist - where much of the Zionism felt bizarre and shoehorned-in. At best, you can justify some of the beliefs as depicted, as being realistic for people of that time to believe. But the voiceover of the radio announcement regarding the establishment of the state of Israel was very strange.
Your criticisms of A Real Pain and Dune 2 seem much less founded. A Real Pain doesn't mention Israel once, you're equating Jewishness with Israel - which is exactly what Zionists want, but isn't what Eisenberg does with his film. His film is about one specific genocide, and that is legitimate even if it doesn't mention other genocides perpetrated - that's not the movie he chose to make, and that choice might be different to what you would have done but that doesn't make it Zionist. You could argue that Dune 2 is a pro-Arab film because so much of the depicted indigenous resistance is Arab-coded - isn't that a good thing? It co-opts some markers of Arab culture, with positive intent - these are the protagonists of the film, not the antagonists. And they don't get wiped out - they win. So that was possibly a miscomprehension on your part.
There are many legitimate criticisms of this year's Oscars crop, you don't have to invent extras.
Ngl i was happy to see no other land win as it had an actual Palestinian in it and a palestinian perspective on the night of the oscars. It felt like progress compared to last year's oscars and to me it was undeniable. However, the normalization underlined in this article is real. The shift in perspective and focus is real. I think I'm going to appreciate the progress made while still saying western media must do better.
Excellent piece, I learnt a ton!!!
Such a brilliant piece @Merryana Salem, as always!
You articulated this really well, it’s interesting to see how States work to align themselves culturally as well as politically!
Appreciate the kind words May!
This was an interesting read and very well written. I did think the scene in The Brutalist when Adrian Brody asks his niece if he is less Jewish because he doesn't move to Israel was an important and poignant scene (though short-lived). I think it's worth noting too that one of the leads, Guy Pearce, showed up to the red carpet debut wearing a free Palestine pin.
Really really great piece!
Thanks Sam!
so excellent, thank you for writing this!
This was an absolutely excellent read!!!!
Really great piece! The scenes with the Rwandan genocide survivor were so frustrating to me in A Real Pain because realistically, he probably would feel connected to Black people across the diaspora in our struggle against colonialism, and yet it’s almost like Eisenberg dismisses that possibility in favor of a narrative that makes holocaust exceptional in its horror.
I appreciate much of what you write here, especially with regard to The Brutalist - where much of the Zionism felt bizarre and shoehorned-in. At best, you can justify some of the beliefs as depicted, as being realistic for people of that time to believe. But the voiceover of the radio announcement regarding the establishment of the state of Israel was very strange.
Your criticisms of A Real Pain and Dune 2 seem much less founded. A Real Pain doesn't mention Israel once, you're equating Jewishness with Israel - which is exactly what Zionists want, but isn't what Eisenberg does with his film. His film is about one specific genocide, and that is legitimate even if it doesn't mention other genocides perpetrated - that's not the movie he chose to make, and that choice might be different to what you would have done but that doesn't make it Zionist. You could argue that Dune 2 is a pro-Arab film because so much of the depicted indigenous resistance is Arab-coded - isn't that a good thing? It co-opts some markers of Arab culture, with positive intent - these are the protagonists of the film, not the antagonists. And they don't get wiped out - they win. So that was possibly a miscomprehension on your part.
There are many legitimate criticisms of this year's Oscars crop, you don't have to invent extras.
Ngl i was happy to see no other land win as it had an actual Palestinian in it and a palestinian perspective on the night of the oscars. It felt like progress compared to last year's oscars and to me it was undeniable. However, the normalization underlined in this article is real. The shift in perspective and focus is real. I think I'm going to appreciate the progress made while still saying western media must do better.