Assignment Task:
I have chosen film, cinema, in my work in order to theorize difficult questions regarding democracy and difference. There are, however, many points of caution in choosing to use film. Films often can reinforce and affirm stereotyped and demeaning images of others; that is, film is as effective a tool for installing as it is for challenging and overcoming oppression. However, as I write in Chapter One, the fictionalized realism of film can allow for a sharing of the different experiences that individuals live through and can serve as a helpful tool to uncover the raw materials that make up our various social or cultural identities. In other words, and more specifically, film and film criticism facilitate the search for a location from which to envision a democratic politics in ways that are respectful of difference and that quite possibly can contribute to the transformation of one's sensibilities by providing an opportunity to theorize and imagine a new or emerging politics from a position of eyewitness.
Identify two-feature length films that you believe have the potential to transform one's political sensibilities pertaining to deep differences. In addition to naming your recommendations, be sure to give a full citation and a short abstract for each of the two films you recommend.
In other words, you have to recommend two U.S. films (non-documentaries produced in the United States of America) within the past five years. Proper citations must follow this format: Film title. Dir. Distributor, Year of Release. Medium.