The Blind side
John Lee Hancock is behind the scenes in the film The Blind Side. Alcon Entertainment produced the sports drama film, and its central character is Michael Oher, a star player in football. The Blind Side is an interesting piece of art top watch with its hilarious and captivating story flow. The film is based on a true story to portray the events that shape and change the starring of the film.
The story is told by use of flash to allow the viewer to link the current action in the film and the reason for them to be acted in the manner. The starring of the film Michael Oher is brought out as a traumatized, homeless, poor person coming from a troubled black family. As the film progresses, he is portrayed as athletic with sharp protective instincts.
One can pass the film as mere normal occurrence of a rich family adopting a poor black kid. The film is more than just a rich-poor family helping affair and reflects deep into the society’s way of life and behavior. It brings out the pertinent day to day issues that affect the whole society, and aims at impacting a change in the community morals. Among the issues that the film focuses its attention on is that of the character of a person. More often than not, the society tends to judge a person more by his/her outward looks than by his/her personal traits. When Michael joins the Briarcrest Christian School, the teachers base their opinion on his physical appearance terming him as an unreachable, big black guy. Tuohy's community also judges Michael from his appearance as an untrustworthy person that is completely wrong after knowing the person. The entire film is filled with scenes depicting wrong judgment of people by the society.
Another of the issue portrayed in the film that is an ethical aspect of the society is kindness. Tuohy’s family best portrays this idea taking Michael as part of their family and helping him transform to a better person and better football star coveted by many universities to be their player. They took the poor Michael under their family and provided for him as if one of their children. The family also showed that family is not strictly defined by blood line but care, love, and compassion.
Although the story of rags to riches is typical within the society Michael gives it a new look through developing the theme of overcoming obstacles. Michael had very many obstacles in his growth from childhood to becoming a well-sought after player. His parents, his poverty state, his poor grades, and his withdrawn character would have barred him from success were it not for the in-built motivation and determination that he has. He appreciated the help offered and took it upon himself to make the best out of it. This serves as an ethical lesson to the community, challenging them to work hard and overcome any obstacles on their way to success.
The film also explores on the issue of racism that is an ethical dilemma in most of the communities. The Tuohy family is a white, wealthy family that adopts a black homeless kid; these goes to show that our ethnicity or racial differences should never be a factor in helping or co-existing with one another. The film cuts across class and race in the society that are among the factors those have for long created differences in the society. The beginning of the film may make one dismiss it, but a little more time and one is hooked to the story. It is a masterpiece sports drama that every person should watch for inspiration and motivation.
The Help
The Help is drama film written and directed by Tate Taylor. The film hit the showroom in 2011 and features a young white lady and how she relates with her two black girls. It was produced by DreamWorks pictures, and it became a commercial success with many sales all over the world. The main characters of the film are; Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis, black maids serving white families, Emma Stone who through her writing exposes the atrocities committed by the white families to maids and Bryce Dallas an evil white woman. The film touches on ethnicity issues and many other issues that affect the society.
The story is a combination of fiction and historical facts that occurred in the early days. The help brings out major issues that affected the nation in the earlier days and still are changing the current society. One of the major issues brought out in the film is that of racism, the film is mainly based on this theme. The blacks are portrayed as dirty and carrying diseases that result in them having different toilets from those of the whites. In every way, they are portrayed as being inferior to the white people. Though currently the racism issue has declined with many people advocating equality across all races, it is an ethical issue affecting many people in the society. At the end of the film, the blacks and whites are shown to co-exist together showing the wide gap between the two has been bridged. It is shown by the Skeeter family and Celia living harmoniously and indiscriminately with the maids.
The film also brings out the issue of parenthood; white mothers are portrayed as bad mothers to their children. The black maids are more caring of the children of the white employers than the real parents are to their children. It is showed that a strong link developed between the white children and the black maids than with their mothers. Therefore, the film serves to show how white mothers have changed with time to be good caring mothers they are today. In her later days, Skeeter’s mother is brought out as a good and caring white woman to both her daughter and the black maids.
The film also explains the plight of the black maids where Spencer’s daughter had to drop even out of school to work as a maid. They are also falsely accused of committing crimes to get them jailed or to have an excuse to fire them from their work. Although these were past issues that affected the nation, there still are a few traces of them left scarring the society. The changes in such behaviors and ill-treatment of the blacks show the positive changes in the ethical issues of the society today where everybody is treated equally.
The film also touches on ethical and ethnicity issues by bring out the themes regarding education, violence, gender, and justice. Many whites were able to access education than the blacks; nevertheless, going to school was viewed more as a place to get husbands rather than a learning institution. The issue of gender which continues to affect the society is brought out where the women are afforded very few work chances. Their role was to bear children, raise them and carry out domestic duties with the men working. Violence is exhibited with the beating of the black maids to deter them from accessing justice and equality. The film is emotional filled and with superb acting by the main characters. Although it has the ‘white guilt’, many views have it as their favorite movie.
Works cited
The Blind Side. Dir. John L. Hancock. Perf. Michael Oher. Warner Bros pictures, 2009. Film.
The Help. Dir. Tate Taylor. Perf. Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer. n.d. Walt Disney Studios, 2011. Film.
