"Untouchable" Analysis
Thursday, March 03, 2016
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The film portrays Driss, the young black man, as living in a run down area of town in a small apartment with his siblings - later found to be his cousins - and his mother - later revealed to be his aunt. There are implicit references to drugs, although no illegal drugs are ever shown on screen, in particularly in regards to his younger cousin which helps to portray a negative stereotype of black young people and their involvement in drug related crime. This negative stereotype is further explored with images of Driss associating with groups of hooded men, connoting his involvement with gang culture. This touches on representing the issues of gangs and drugs.
Philippe is portrayed as a widower who is desperate to find love in his correspondence with a woman who he is yet to have met and his insecurities concerning his disability prevent him from confidently approaching the woman. His ordeal concerning losing his loved one and then searching for a new love introduces the themes of both love and loss into the film, which is also explored in regards to Driss and Phillippe's friendship and the absence of Driss' biological family.
Philippe's impressive home, attire and staff of assistance directly juxtaposes the cramped conditions of Driss' home life, particularly within two separate scenes that denote the bathrooms of each home: Driss' bathroom is used by all of the family members, often at the same time, which means that he has little privacy within it's cramped conditions, whereas Driss has his own spacious bathroom within Philippe's house. This is a clear representation of the difference in class between the two men. The difference is class is also explicitly represented through the fact that Philippe is willing to pay thousands of pounds for an abstract painting that Driss feels unworthy when Driss and his family have to work tirelessly to afford a decent quality of life for themselves, which is shown through Driss' aunt working late hours as a cleaner but also through Driss' attempt to steal one of Philippe's ornaments to provide his family with something of value. This also presents the theme of struggle.
Disability is represented most obviously with Untouchable by being presented at all - relating to identification, as discussed in the Uses and Gratifications theory. However, Philippe is not presented as a man overly bitter regarding his disability, as those with disabled often are, nor is he represented as a person with a lack of love for life. He is shown as funny and compassionate and, most importantly, human, regardless of his disability. I think that this is an important positive stereotype to promote the concept that disabilities do not change a person.
Overall, Untouchable focuses on various key aspects of representation, specifically race and disability, and has a narrative driven forward through the use of juxtaposing scenes, themes and characters and stereotypes.
1 comments
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