Author Topic: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open  (Read 1192 times)

Will

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The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
« on: December 11, 2019, 04:58:54 PM »
Anyone else see this?

If you haven't, see it.

Bondo

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Re: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2019, 07:14:24 PM »
Question, was I supposed to find Aila insufferable and patronizing of Rosie? I think because she is also native* the answer is no.

*Of course there was also dialogue that suggested Rosie thought Aila was playing at native status.

Will

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Re: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2019, 10:36:57 PM »
I think she's in a horrible situation too. She can't not help her but the way she goes about it is not great either. But then again, how would you go about it in the moment? I think the film very subtly implies that she used to be in a similar situation before, but doesn't dig into it very much.

Elle Maija Tailfeathers is the woman who plays Aila. I googled her after - the tribes she says she's part of in the movie are real and her career has been centered around them. I don't think she is playing the native status. I think what the film gets with this aspect is the colorism that occurs between people of similar backgrounds or races. She's light skinned indigenous whereas Rosie is darkskinned indigenous. What's fascinating, however, is that Aila has a far more "foreign" sounding name whereas Rosie is very much a Eurocentric sounding one.

Bondo

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Re: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
« Reply #3 on: December 15, 2019, 05:18:25 AM »
It ties in a bit to my comment re Frozen 2 (though now I’m thinking I scrapped that review). That movie involves the interaction of a white population with a Nordic indigenous community, but as someone of Norwegian heritage in some respect I treat my ancestors who would be the white people in that story as an indigenous population of Norway. One half of Aila’s heritage is more like the indigenous group in Frozen 2 but I think we struggle with conceiving of European indigenous tribes because Europe is where the colonizers came from.

philip918

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Re: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2019, 12:17:20 PM »
Bondo, after all these years I still don't understand your mindset watching films. A film's approach to social issues seems of paramount importance, but you view the stories with shockingly little empathy toward the characters.

Aila isn't half anything (the idea of being "half" a pernicious one itself). Will is exactly right that the film is exploring colorism and how that is one of the many factors that shapes the dynamic between Rosie and Aila.

I'm curious what your idealized reaction from Aila would be? Just walk by and let Rosie deal with the situation herself?

Bondo

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Re: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
« Reply #5 on: December 20, 2019, 12:45:07 PM »
I am half-Norwegian *shrugs*.

Oldkid gets into my concerns in his review in the main thread. I never suggested Aila should walk past Rosie, but at some point if Rosie keeps telling Aila she doesn't want the help, you don't insist you know better than the person who is actually suffering.

Ultimately what you take of lack of empathy toward the characters I'd argue is me having empathy for Rosie and not just Aila.

philip918

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Re: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
« Reply #6 on: December 20, 2019, 01:36:02 PM »
Ultimately what you take of lack of empathy toward the characters I'd argue is me having empathy for Rosie and not just Aila.

I mean, the entire point of the film is asking viewers to examine and relate to both womens' situations. Both are flawed and struggling to find their way through the encounter, and it's abundantly clear Aila isn't letting Rosie respond for herself. But I hardly think that makes her "insufferable."

Rosie obviously should choose for herself and she finally does, and we have to hope things turn out okay for her and her baby, which is far from certain.

Will

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Re: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2019, 09:25:44 PM »
I am half-Norwegian *shrugs*.

Oldkid gets into my concerns in his review in the main thread. I never suggested Aila should walk past Rosie, but at some point if Rosie keeps telling Aila she doesn't want the help, you don't insist you know better than the person who is actually suffering.

Ultimately what you take of lack of empathy toward the characters I'd argue is me having empathy for Rosie and not just Aila.

Aila's admission of having an abortion when she was young at the start of the film (and how she states that) implies that she was in a horrible situation before. She never completely admits that to Rosie but I feel that's the underlying character reason why she pushes it so much.

I also think (and this is difficult to argue because it's visual) is that while Rosie is not vocally consenting to Aila's help, she is, many times (but not every time), consenting to help through body language. This is also evident in that she has multiple chances to just walk away but doesn't.