film essay about this movie
follow the instructions
Select a feature-length film about a culture other than your own. Study the communication that occurs
between the characters in the film and analyze the use of 1) verbal communication, 2) nonverbal
communication, 3) perception, interpersonal communication and conflict, and 4) the communication of
culture in all its aspects. Write a short (3-4 page double-spaced, proofread, and your own work) paper on
the communication that occurs in the film from the vantage point of your own cultural point of view.
Remember to include specific examples and references from your textbook, as well as a reference page.
1. Verbal Communication: As your text states in chapter 2, Language helps shape and influence
both individual perceptions and culture. Describe how the characters use language in the film.
a. How do the characters use language to express their individual identities? How do they
use language to create and maintain groups? Did you notice any examples of linguistic
relativity, how language influences thought or perceptions? Was language used to classify
people? Did you notice any stereotypes?
b. You may also want to address if there were any “language barriers.” Did all the characters
speak the same language? If they did not, what problems resulted? How were they
solved?
0. Can an individual be a member of a culture without speaking its language?
2. Nonverbal Communication: In the film, what clues are presented that help us to understand
appropriate nonverbal communication in the culture? Please reference chapter 3 of your text and
support your analysis with specific examples.
a. How did the characters use proxemics, kinesics, chronemics, or paralanguage?
b. How did the characters present themselves? Did nonverbal actions help you understand
the characters or their motivations clearly?
c. Were there misunderstandings among characters created by differences in nonverbal
behaviors?
3. Perception, Conflict, Interpersonal Communication (chapters 7-8) and Culture (chapter 9): Please
compare the interpersonal communication portrayed in this film to what you might find in a similar
setting in your culture.
a. How does your culture influence your perception and expectations of the characters in the
film? Did you notice any biases? For example, was there an instance when you
perceived a situation or character in the movie incorrectly? How did you figure out that
your perception was incorrect?
b. Did you observe any culturally based misinterpretations that led to conflicts? How were
these resolved (or not resolved)?
c. How are our cultural perceptions a positive (useful) or negative (dangerous or misleading)
aspect of communication?
4. Culture Communication (chapter 9): We can learn a lot about cultures and the challenges of
intercultural relationships in movies. What did you learn about your own or another culture in this
film?
a. Did the film you selected portray important cultural narratives or rituals? If so, what
values and norms were reinforced?
b. What cultural worldviews did you see portrayed in the film? For example, individualism
collectivism, or egalitarian – hierarchical? (See p. 164 for other possibilities.)
0. Did characters display ethnocentrism? If so, how were these resolved, if at all?
