Question:
There are two movies :
Pariah, Persepolis General Guidelines:
there is a list of key aspects of coming-of-age films.
Discuss at least one of these aspects of film, making specific reference to either Pariah or Persepolis. Make sure that it is clear in your response which film you are discussing. There are questions about each category to help you develop your discussion, but feel free to add other relevant points when necessary.
Be specific, and refer to examples and details from the films to support your ideas.Remember, this is a collaborative exercise. That means you are not responsible for answering every question. You are responsible for contributing at least one well-developed response to the discussion, and to reading and engaging with your peers' responses. Feel free to add details or ask questions. This is a valuable opportunity to learn with and from one another. Just choose one question and you should answer for two movies.
1) Opening Scenes:
How do the opening scenes of the film "set up" the story? What issues/conflicts do they introduce?(You will likely find it easier to answer to answer these questions after you have watched the whole film.)
Pariah:
Persepolis:
2) Voice and Point of View:
Whose "voice" is dominant in this story? Is the perspective first-person (told by and from the point of view of the central character) or third person (told about the central character by someone else and from an "outside" perspective)?What is the narrator's point of view? Are they telling the story as an adult looking back on their childhood and youth, or as children and youth who are "inside" the experiences the film shows?
Pariah:
Persepolis:
3) Turning Points/Major Themes:
What are the major events in the central character's coming-of-age process? How do these events affect the protagonist?Are there recurring themes or events in the story? If so, what are they, and what is their significance in the narrative?
Pariah:
Persepolis:
4) Who am I?:
How does the story explore the question "Who am I?" What aspects of identity does the protagonist struggle with? Why?
Pariah:
Persepolis:
5) Relationships with Parents/Influential Adults:
What kinds of relationships do the central characters have with their parents, or the important adults in their lives? How do these relationships influence/affect the central characters?
Pariah:
Persepolis:
6) Family:
What is the protagonist's role in the family (more broadly)? What does the family expect of/from the central character? Does the central character fulfill the family's expectations?Does the protagonist separate from the family? If so, why? How does this experience of separation affect her?
Pariah:
Persepolis:
7) Gender Roles:
What gender role(s) is the protagonist expected to take on in the social world in which she lives? How does she respond to/deal with these expectations?How significant are expectations about gender roles in the central character's coming-of-age process?
Pariah:
Persepolis:
8) Friendships/Relationships with Peers:
How do friendships/peer relationships affect the protagonist? How significant are these relationships to the central character's coming-of-age experience?
Pariah:
Persepolis:
9) Rebellion:
What does the central character rebel against? How does she rebel? Does rebellion play a significant role in the character's development?
Pariah:
Persepolis:
10) The Concept of Home:
What/where is "home" to the central character? How does the protagonist define "home"? What role does being "at home" play in the narrative?
Pariah:
Persepolis:
11) Sexuality/Romance:
What roles do sexual exploration and/or romance play in the central character's coming-of-age experience? How significant are they in the character's development?
Pariah:
Persepolis:
In this film they display a realistic approach to romance and love affairs, for example Marjanes's first relationship ends with the man being homosexual, the second relationship ends with the man cheating on her and the third in the film ends in divorce. The films approach to romance does not end with the usual "happy ending".
12) Community Beliefs and Values:
Where is the central character from? How does where the character is from influence/shape her coming-of-age experience? What community values and beliefs does the protagonist embrace? Which community values and beliefs does she reject? Why?
Pariah:
Persepolis:
13) Formal Education and the Arts:
What role does school play in the central character's coming-of-age experience? Do the arts (writing, visual arts, dance, theatre) play a significant role in the central character's understanding of self? Explain.
Pariah:
Persepolis:
14) Political and Social Realities:
When and how does the central character develop an understanding of the political and social realities that shape her life? What specific experiences contribute to her understanding? How do these experiences affect her?
Pariah:
Persepolis:
15) The Outside World:
What key events in the world outside the central character's immediate community shape her experiences? How are those events shown? How do they affect the protagonist?
Pariah:
Persepolis: