Thoughts on AHX- Jasmine Omorogbe
I think Edward Norton was awesome in this film. He played both villain and protagonist believably. In Bernard Beck’s article, he states that in dramas, “the villains must engage our emotions. They must arouse fear, hate, anger, and combativeness. Those are the resources the moviemaker needs to propel us through the plot; their resolution at the end is what leaves us satisfied� (Beck 20). From the start of the film, Derek definitely engaged my emotions, beginning with his vicious killing of the black men. His unfounded hatred certainly brought on feelings of anger as I watched; not understanding how he could hate with so much passion and actually believe what comes from his own mouth. The fear aspect came from the skinhead group, or “strange, frightening figures who are homegrown� as Beck refers to them (21). Though this was only a movie, a quick Google search illustrates that they are many groups like this still in existence today. I don’t understand how in a country founded through diversity, there are still people filled with so much hate toward other people, even in 2008. Of course, racism is far from over and has transformed itself into more concealed forms, this blatant, full-on hate, seems to have left the minds of many today, except in groups like this. Derek’s passion for hate, leads the audience into feelings of odium, however once he returns from prison, it’s a whole different story. Beck comments that Derek “is transformed into a wise, loving, redeemed figure� (21). After having built up disgust with Derek for half of the film, it was a little hard to let it go and see him in a different light until he starts talking with Danny.
Had that been the end of the movie, as Beck discusses, the resolution would have left me satisfied (20). After such an emotional roller coaster, I was down with the movie, before the end. Guy was evil, now he’s good and teaching his brother, ok, great, got it. But then, “the triumphant climax leads to catastrophic tragedy� (Beck 21) when the young black man comes in and shoots Danny for no good reason. (On a side note, in our latest two films, I think the black men are shown as ultra-irritable, which does have some merit, but I question the extent. In BNH, Ricky bumps into a guy who later comes back and shoots him while in AHX, the boys get into it, as many boys do, and the black boy comes back and shoots him. Is that a fair portrayal or stereotype? It is just something to think about.) For me, this seems to un-do the progress the film had made. However, others argue that the scene demonstrates we don’t live in a perfect world, and though individuals may change, hate/racism does not. I understand that side as well, but it seems like it adds fuel to the fire and gives reason for racists to say that Derek’s former way of thinking was right and that “you trust these people and they turn around and stab you in the back�. In the end, racism wins and I know for sure that if Derek remains under his transformation umbrella, his tolerance will be put to the test. I know it would be difficult or near impossible for me not to return to that mindset, if not one, but TWO members of my family that I loved dearly were killed unnecessarily by members of a race that I already had learned to hate. Hopefully, Derek was able to stay committed to his new cause and not revert.