The Disease of Hollywood

“The only way to approach thinking about this is to look at where various kinds of cinema come from, what are the motivating forces and the prevailing conditions. The fact is that there is a great tradition, which exists in Europe and plenty of other places, not least Japan, of making films about real life, uncluttered and unfettered and uninterfered with by the kind of disease that you can—broadly speaking—diagnose as Hollywood.”—Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh’s quote of the ‘disease’ of Hollywood refers to the lack of social realism in American cinema. Frankly speaking, films in America are of lesser quality than those is Europe. It is better said that successful films in America are of lesser quality than those in Europe. Films that strive for a realistic quality are consistently less successful in America, though they may be critically acclaimed. For example, recent films like 'Revolutionary Road' have proven to be quite realistic, the box office returns on films such as this are quite small and under-advertised. When they are advertised, they are seen as utterly depressing and not worth seeing. Americans don’t want to go to the movies and see a film that depresses them because they are unable to live with the sorrow of daily life. Because of this, filmmakers react by making pointless films that have not one iota of truth or reality in them.
While it may seem logical to make films that the studios believe no one wants to see, it is, as Leigh calls it, a disease. The reason behind this is that, when film studios stop making films that they believe no one will want to watch, then they perpetuate the feeling of depression associated with these films. This creates a vicious circle where audiences avoid realistic films when they are made because they believe that they are not supposed to like these kind of films. This feeling is embedded into our brains from birth. When studios then produce films that do not reflect daily life, which is the common choice, we are told that these are the films we want to watch, and then we believe that these are the films we want to watch.
In America, we see films as an escape. It has been this way since the Great Depression. We have consistently sought entertainment from cinema, rather than seeing it as the art form it is, something that is not ignored in Europe. Because of this, we seek out cinema not to reflect our daily lives, but to distract us from the mundane cycle of life. Instead of this being a good thing and making us better, stronger, happier for it, we are instead emotionally stunted. In Europe, the social realism of cinema creates a better rounded (albeit more painful) view of life. In America, we distract ourselves with pointlessness.
Take, for example, films such as 'Dude, Where’s My Car?' A cult comedy today, this film follows two men who literally lose their car. While this could be an interesting plot if filmed by Mike Leigh or Ken Loach, in an American’s hand it is a shameless attempt to film two attractive men run around and get into ridiculous shenanigans that make no sense. Americans flocked to this film and watch it to this day. The trailer for Dude, Where’s My Car can be found here:


Take that film in comparison to the aforementioned 'Revolutionary Road,' which was of much better quality. However, this film was hardly a box office success. The movie made little money. It was a realistic look at the suburbs based on a novel, and was not successful at all, through critics or audiences. It was called “too depressing.” The trailer is below:


When we look at the two films’ trailers, we can see that one is childish and meaningless, while the other is more reflective of the human condition, and the issues facing people at a certain time. This is just another victim of the disease of Hollywood, one that has spread to audiences everywhere.

Humanity and the Dardenne Brothers

The Dardenne Brothers’ Rosetta and short film Dans l’Obscurite are both reminiscent of typical Dardenne style. As mentioned by Professor Masse, the camera movement is the most obvious similarity between the two films. The most striking thing that I noticed while watching Dans l’Obscurite was the presence of Emilie Dequenne in both Rosetta and Dans l’Obscurite. Her presence immediately helped me to feel connected to Dans l’Obscurite because I literally found the character of Rosetta in the short film. This choice by the Dardennes made the film remind me of Rosetta because, in a way, I felt that the crying woman was Rosetta. Though her character is much fiercer than the crying woman in the short film, I felt that the two were kindred spirits, that the crying woman was Rosetta in her most vulnerable, humane state.
What I noticed the most about the short film in relation to Rosetta was the sense of quiet desperation that I felt while watching the boy try to steal from the crying woman. In a parallel sense, there is a desperation in Dequenne’s character too. She is crying and disturbed by what she is seeing in the film, but I think that there is a disturbing feeling about what is happening with the young boy. I believe that she knows he is there from the beginning, and that she reaches out to him in an act of kindness, as though the idea of holding his hand and kissing it will change him forever. This gentle act reminds me of the age old story of a woman suckling a starving baby because the mother cannot produce milk; an act of generosity because it is the purest human emotion that is felt. At the end of the day, this moment is not only wholly humane and kind, but it is the only thing that matters, the act of humanity and affection.
While I don’t believe that this exact action is replicated in Rosetta, the mood and theme of the action is represented wholly throughout the movie. The characters are starved of the random acts of human kindness, but ultimately, there is a connection. Each character has a vibe of hopelessness that the characters in the short film have as well. There is a sense of community that I feel in both of these films. The sense of community, however, is not represented by a tangible support for the other citizens. Instead, I find the ‘group aspect’ in a way that I can only describe as ‘mutual depression,’ meaning that these characters are so disdainful of their environments that they rebel against society and hate each other in a way that actually binds them, because this anger is so strong that it connects everyone together. Each is so hurt that they cling to each other, not out of want, but out of necessity. There is a way in which these characters interact which convinces me that they are intertwined in each others’ lives without even consenting to such a connection.

A Movie for Women: 'Volver'

Volver is a strong, traditional Spanish film. The motifs of the film are inherently Spanish, as evidenced by the bright, bold colors, especially the shade of red that appears throughout the movie. And yet, in spite of this, the film has reached an incredibly wide audience in many different, non-Spanish speaking countries, including America. Even director Pedro Almodovar spoke in an interview about the universal appeal of the film. “It moves the audience more than the other fifteen [films],” he said.
One thing that attracts foreign audiences is the presence of strong female characters. There is a line at the very beginning of the movie, “The women here live longer than the men,” which denotes the strength of women in this film. Audiences have been striving for such strong women in film for a long while, and seeing Raimunda, a woman who believes in her inner strength more than anything, being so in control of the horror surrounding her is not only attractive to foreign audiences, but incredibly worthy of viewing. As Raimunda disposes of Paco’s body, we are overwhelmed with pride as an audience because she is protecting her child at all costs. Such circumstances are not solely Spanish, but universal.
The major factor of appeal for this film is the theme of mother-daughter relations. Almodovar said, “The emotions with your mother are the same everywhere.” The brilliant dynamic that Almodovar uses to depict mother-daughter relationships are universal. Raimunda and Sole’s relationship with their mother’s ‘spirit’ is demonstrative of how, regardless of how one may fight, a woman’s mother stays with her forever. Agustina’s dream of being reunited with her mother speaks poignantly to me in particular, as there is no tie stronger than that of a mother and daughter.
Almodovar’s film breaks any cultural convention, bringing foreign audiences of all kinds together with the universal themes and characters that are so bold and strong. These women, and their circumstances, strike the audience, regardless of what language they speak, at their hearts, and that is universal.