Welcome to Cinematic Politics

You might not think everything is political, but everything is political and we are here to make it obvious. 

We are here to ruin your previous notion of mindlessly enjoying your favorite movies to dissecting and criticizing every hidden message and symbol within them. As academically acclaimed political science students from New Jersey City University, we have acquired the tools and understanding of politics in all aspects of media, especially cinema. On this blog, each author will unfurl the cinematic politics hidden within a film of their choosing, revealing to you what you did not notice before.  

Freaks: Politically incorrect

In a traveling circus that performs a variety of acts, the main attraction is the visual display of the physically and mentally deformed who perform mundane acts for their viewers who look upon them with awe. Those that were once shunned from society become a spectacle of amazement with the performances of little people, limbless people, pinheads, conjoined twins, a bearded lady, and a half man/half woman.

A circus trapeze artist, Cleopatra, takes an interest in Hans, a midget who works in the circus sideshow. Her desire is not to develop a relationship with him, but to take his incoming inheritance. Hans enters a relationship with Cleopatra all while being engaged to a fellow little person who tries to convince him of Cleopatra’s true intention, which he fails to grasp. And at the same time, Cleopatra is in a relationship with another circus performer who encourages her to go after Hans’ money.

On their wedding day, Cleopatra drinks beyond her limit and relieves her entire plan while dishing out insults to her fellow peers. In reaction, they all decide to make her one of them, another freak.

The movie is one the lack completely in politically correctness, especially in the perspective of today’s media. The need to be politically correct has gone far past the social justice warriors of the classroom and moved up to our consumption of mass media. This movie could not be recreated today with the same tone without stepping on the toes of many sensitive people. Freaks, the movie, exemplifies the harsh tone and bitter reality of life. And it does not shy away from derogatory terms and mockery of others. This movie reflects the social change of our society’s limitation on expression since it was 1932 till now. 

Though it seems like political correctness is highly sought after, it doesn’t seem to be a trait need to become the president of the United States. In the 2016, Donald Trump mocked a disabled reporter while being recorded at one of his rallies. Many thought that that would be enough to end his political career, they were wrong. While hosting an event for Olympians and Paralympians in the White House Trump said, “What happened with the Paralympics was so incredible and so inspiring to me and I watched — it’s a little tough to watch too much ― but I watched as much as I could.” Has our society been so contaminated with too much politically correct media that they seek refuge in the appall truth of an individual’s inner thoughts? 

Similar to the movie, extreme conservative media outlets do not constrain themselves to political correctness, but rather shine in the light of being abrasive and brutality honest. In the media, shows like Alex Jones and Breitbart deflect the social norms of regulating expressive speech and use uncensored language. Could that vulgarity be a part of the reason for their success and the success of out current president?

Citizen Kane Movie

                              Citizen Kane is a quasi-biographical film which revolves around examining the life of Charles Foster Kane. Considered one of the greatest films in the history of cinema, it tells a story of life of a newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane whose life history is transferred to the screen through the eyes of his contemporaries. Though the film was made in the year 1940, its cinematic style and presentation still catches the admiration of viewers up till today.
                               The film when examined within the context of politics and governance today carries a lot of lessons. First and foremost, the film seems to ridicule those who upon failing to achieve their political ambitions has the whole world shattered before them even though there may still be a plethora of avenues to catapult oneself to success and prosperity. In fact this is easily  observed in the way and manner in which Kane's marriage got destroyed emanating from his failure in his political career which he saw was the ultimate.
                                 The film also teaches a very important lesson in human behavior in politics just as in other facets of life. The truth is unless for few individuals, many befriend and keep company with you because of  a future prosperity and success they envisaged in you or benefit they may derive from you. This is seen in the movie where after an unsuccessful bid for a political office Kane's relationship with those around him deteriorated, political and is still.
                                Finally, Kane died a sad and tragic death alone in his mansion. Indeed, the nature of Kane's death should act as a warning to all politicians and all individuals in general. When given a political power, man should be a wise leader trying to create a good reputation by being concerned about the affairs of his followers, instead of being abusive and nonchalant to the plight of the people, for a power may come to an end one day, but a good name may never do. This  is amply supported by the good name the likes of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Frankiln D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy have left for themselves in the annals of American political history long after their demise.

Black Panther

The new sensational movie of 2018 Black Panther was released on February 16th, 2018 in theaters and has been a hit. This movie was written by Ryan Coogler, and Joe Robert Cole while being directed by Ryan Coogler. This Marvel Studio movie doesn’t only keep you hanging off your chair the whole time it also touches on many international, political, and racial issues that are soaring through media outlets today. 

The simple plot of the story has to do with a “small, underdeveloped” country called Wakanda located in Africa. This country does not accept refugees and even though it attends United Nations hearings it is not a Member State in the United Nations. The opening scene we are introduced to King T’Chaka who remains the King of Wakanda until he is tragihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxWvtMOGAhwcally killed in a bombing at a UN Delegation. After his death, his son, King T’Challa appears to naturally take the throne as we see in common Kingship run governments. Quickly the viewer is made aware that these Kings are far more powerful than they appear. The country has a secret weapon that they have been hiding from the rest of the world. This weapon is called Vibranium and is one of their natural resources. They choose to not share this wealth or benefit with anyone else in the world. In addition, they do accept any refugees and remain isolated at the international level. 

With their powerful resource of vibranium and their organized tribes that are each represented by a leader (similar to a Parliamentary system). One of the arguments made throughout the movie is that Wakanda was so successful and rich because they did not get involved with other countries and did not become a leader at the international level. 

This can be seen as controversial and can trigger the viewer to think that if they didn’t try and save every single country then we would be in a better position as a nation. This logic is similar to “Trumpism” and the idea of “Making America First Again”. Very similar to how the country is split here into the current United States with Democrats and Republicans we see a similar split during the movie. Some characters believe that Wakanda should aide the other countries and provide Vibranium to those that need it. On the other hands, others like King T’Challa believe that this should be kept for their country only and that they shouldn’t arm others outside of Wakanda. In contrary one of his biggest rivals throughout the movie, Erik Killmonger believes that this wealth should be distributed to all of their allies so they can overthrow the current “powerful countries”. 

One blogger on the Atlantic puts this “third world country” Wakanda into three perspectives and three possible outcomes. The first is through the eyes of the current King and prince in which Wakanda remains neutral and does not aide any countries. In the eyes of the world Wakanda is a third world country but behind the magical forest, it keeps soaring and growing. The second is what others in Wakanda might want to see like Nakia, where she sees that Wakanda can help African nations by curing diseases, offering foreign aid, accepting refugees and becoming a lead nation but only to serve to help others. Finally, the third alternative comes from the eyes of Klaue in which he sees Wakanda giving their powers to the “forgotten African American” class so they can overthrow the current “white supremacist” government and wage war in order for Wakanda to become a world leader and superior to other governments and countries. These three alternatives that are presented here are all raised moral and political questions which is more than any Marvel movie has ever brought to light. 

This raises the issue and continues discussion of racial discrimination and equalization. In this movie, the citizens of Wakanda are African Americans and are living extremely lavish lifestyles with great technological advances. However on the outside and elsewhere in the world especially in the United States, we see police brutality against African Americans, unequal pay. Erik Killmonger who was raised in the United States saw first hand how hard it was for African Americans and is determined on aiding them with vibranium. 

Could this be the solution for the world or would this then create a prisoner's dilemma similar to the prisoner's dilemma we have now with nuclear powers? 


Good news is that we can await the second movie and see some of the possibilities of what could be America’s solution to peace based on this Marvel Movie.

The Truman Show

We are watching the destruction of our government, thus we are watch the destruction of our lives. We are worse than Truman, we have no way to escape and unless there is a massive uproar we will remain witness to our own demolition.

Truman Burbank is an insurance salesman living on Seahaven Island who is watched by millions 24 hours a day, 7 days week. Truman lives within a fabricated television set with nearly every aspect of his environment being controlled. Truman is unaware that he is filming and has no understanding of his surroundings. He believes in the authenticity of his own false reality.

His reality begins to literally fall apart when one of the stage’s lighting crash down on his lawn. Truman carries on with his daily tasks, unfazed that his set is falling apart. However, this does strike confusion in Truman’s mind, he begins noticing things he hadn’t before. Such as his wife’s advertising placement products thought the show, strange appearance of people that try to tell him that he is on television, and the interception that occur when he tries to leave. When Truman begins to voice his confusion, the producer of the show deflects Truman’s emotion by engineering coincidences that cause Truman to question his sanity. 

Truman’s reality has been fabricated since his conception as an unwanted fetus. He becomes the first child to be adopted by a corporation and in that sense Truman is property. Since his birth, every aspect of his life has been recorded and enhanced to be consumed as entertainment. Truman has followers from around the world that enjoy watching his every move.

In his last efforts, Truman escapes from the border of his town and makes it to the lake, looking for the different reality, a true reality. As he gets further into his voyage he reaches a wall and finds staircases that lead to an exit. His last words, before he walks in the door are, "In case I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night." This is a phrase that he is famous for.

The Truman Show is a cinematic reflection into how society numbly consumes media. In every living moment and sleeping daze, there is always a camera on Truman’s every move. The observation of his life has consumed the masses as he has become a household name with merchandise and establishments created in his honor. Within the film, the camera cut to his speculators, reacting in awe any mundane act he does such as greeting the neighbors or driving to work, there are always eyes on Truman. The Truman Show itself is an artificial contraption of a false reality. To Truman his home is his world, he has never left nor does he have the ability to leave Seahaven Island. His attempt to go beyond the curtains is tainted with reinforced fear and maze-like contraption created to keep him actively complacent within this façade. Truman had the understanding of the essence of the outside world. He knows of a world as his viewers do, there is a concept of globalization but it his hindered when he tries to leave.

The show’s producers have created a limited artificial creation that has infected Truman’s mind. And though this would seem like an evident result of brainwashing and corruption of Truman’s liberty, there is little outcry from his observers. The world consumes the infringement of Truman’s sanctuary and liberty with amusement. This form of media is consumed as entertainment as much of our society consumed tragedies and scandal with amusement.

Society enjoys the visible destruction of the world surrounding them. And nothing reflects this greater than how we consume our own destruction through the consumption of our own false realities. Especially relevant today, politics has seemed to be entertaining rather than informative. Our government directly and indirectly has an effect on our lives. And with the current administration actions, many people are more amused than they are outraged.

The Purge: Election Year Dissected

After watching the Purge: Election Year numerous times, I expected to be shocked. I wasn't. My analysis reflects what I, and most people already felt for the government. People have a general distrust. Is our society a democracy or an oligarchy? The movie came off like political satire. However, there are so many subliminal messages...





 Once a year, for 12 hours, a government-sanctioned crime spree called the Purge where every crime is legal including murder. The impasse between the central character, Senator Charlie Roan and the NFFA (New Founding Fathers of America has two warring ideals, with strong evidence and arguments why each is essential. Roan's stance is that the Purge disproportionately affects the poor and vulnerable and those are the ones targeted and killed. She has a personal stake because she was the lone survivor as her family brutally murdered as a result of the Purge. The Government's stance is the Purge is necessary for economic balance and reducing crime. They feel that the population has become too dependent on them for benefits and are not willing to foot the bill anymore. It's a classic case of elitist, capitalist agendas (greed). The ever-widening gap between the haves and have-nots. The need to preserve and conserve. In their words, "Purge & Purify." Their ideology is a complete and utter lie. The honest shock value of the movie is the political ruling class that elevates their own self-interest under the false pretense of doing a greater good for society. They even act like they are pious when, in actuality, money is their God. Sounds like the Bush family...



 Throughout the movie, I was constantly reminded of the venomous rhetoric spewed by the Republican Party. Is it art imitating art or life imitating art?



What's unique is that I'm on the fence about which side to take. I do agree that the country is on edge with the unstable economy, normalized degeneracy, and quasi-politics. People are suffering in silence in an otherwise tranquilized society where laws are counter-intuitive and the ebb & flow of life takes a toll. If murder was legal, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't here as well as 50% percent of people I know. What the government had planned was in order to combat lawlessness and create a more optimistic society the laws of Darwinism must be implemented. NFFA has sold the purge as an escape valve and encourages it as a form of civic duty. What's ironic that even though the crime is sanctioned, the people still engage in revenge, wanton violence, and anarchy. It is indicative of the powder keg that is brewing in people's hearts.  Some people purge just to get a kick out of killing.  The scene highlighting the "murder tourist" is a glaring example of that. In the school of thought, political realists and neo-realists describe anarchy as important to addressing the ills of society, subsequently coming up with a solution. In my opinion, one should never leave questions unanswered and let problems persist.



Senator Roan comes off as some Jesus Christ character, who advocates for the poor and undesirables. According to Oscar Ameringer, politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other...sums up the movie in a nutshell. Her challenging the establishment has made her a threat to their money and their way of life. And she now has to be protected. Previously the Purge excluded government officials, but the playing field has leveled due to NFFA circumventing the laws. The scene where the head of the NFFA, Caleb Warrens arrogance, and belligerence shines brightly on screen. He is the main antagonist and the creator of the Purge. He orchestrates to have Senator Roan killed and her opponent, Minister Edwige Owens ushered into the Presidency. That scene reminds me of some conspiracy where a small group-think is controlling the masses like puppet masters. 

AN APPARENT ACHILLES HEEL OF POLITICS

Cursorily watching and analyzing the movie,' The Purge', through the lens of politics, it arguably appears that the movie was purposely made to expose the follies and setbacks that dog our politics and political leaders today. This is as a result of the despicable attitude of selfishness, malfeasance, nepotism, and numbness to the deplorable conditions of the poor and downtrodden in the society that epitomizes the actions of our political leaders today and in the past. 


The movie is a 2013 American horror film written and directed by James DeMonaco which revolves around the theme of a family held hostage during "The Purge", which is 12-hour time in which all illegal acts are decriminalized.


To a great extent, the movie seems to paints a largely an unattractive picture of our politicians, aim as a lampoon, lambasting all senseless, nefarious humans who seem to prioritize material wealth over human life.


In fact, one of the scenes of the movie worth mentioning relates to the commendable care and concern that the young son of Mr. Sandin doled out to the black man who was searching for refuge being on the verge of death as he was pursued by killers. It appears the action of the young boy in saving the man's life is employed as a tool to mock at those political leaders as well as party flag bearers who will mismanage national funds and not take care of citizens who are most deserving of help, especially so when they are seen as supporters of another party. Again, Sandin's son's enthusiasm to aid save the life of someone he does not know and whose skin color is obviously different from his readily qualifies the young boy as a consummate "good Samaritan" whose love to preserve human life transcends beyond the boundaries of race, familiarity, and social class. In the annals of American politics, an incident that conforms with the boy's marvelously tremendous attitude and actions takes us back to the late 1800s, specifically during the presidency of one of the greatest presidents of the US, Abraham Lincoln. Without an iota of doubt, the memories of how the then president expensed efforts to abolish slavery is still fresh in our minds and cannot be flung into oblivion. Just as the young boy, Abraham Lincoln's enthusiasm to abolish the slavery was not to satisfy his whims and caprices, but based on morality, concern, and care for human life.


The selfishness embodied by the financial superpowers or bigwigs in society yet present another important theme in the movie. It is noted how the most influential in the society care less about the well-being of the downtrodden by not uprooting the menacing purge but instead turn a blind eye to the annual mayhem. It is readily understood that, to the merchants of the security system, Sandin's family, any attempt to militate against the purge will spell doom for the business. Additionally, it is through the yearly revival of the purge that there will be a boost in the sale of the security system. In fact, this particular unfortunate part seems to be a satire mocking European countries who act as the brainchild behind the feud and fights between African ethnic groups or nation just to improve the sale of their ammunition. A case in point relates to the efforts made by France to sell guns to Thomas Sankara in the 1980s the then President of Burkina Faso convincing him that he needed a protection, an idea to which the president objected to. In a shrewd fashion, the movie act as a clarion call against selfishness, malfeasance, nepotism and instead preaches the unconditional need to help, sacrifice to offer a helping hand to the needy in our societies.