Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Sentimentalism in Children of Invention
In Tze Chun's film Children of Invention, much of the impact on the audience is done using emotional appeals, making the film a sentimentalist film. While there are the fact available--the financial situation of the family and their difficulty in finding ways to make money--much of the film focuses on the reactions of the children to these circumstances. When they have to leave their old house, the film shows the two siblings talking to each other, and it shows Tina asking her mom why they're leaving and when they'll be able to come back. Throughout the film, the reactions of Tina and Raymond to new developments in their situation are often the focus of scenes. When their mother disappears, most of the screen time is spent showing Raymond caring for his sister and the two of them trying to make money to buy their house back. In the end, the reunion of the family in their apartment is an emotional scene. Using these appeals to the audience, Tze Chun causes the audience to be concerned with the issue of pyramid schemes and how they pray upon immigrant families who do not know of their illegality or even their nature at times.
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I agree with your idea of sentimentalism in Children of Invention by Tze Chun. Since there is so much hardship that takes place during the film, such as the father leaving and the mothers inability to make money to support the family, this obviously translates sadness and emotion to the audience.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do not believe this is only sentimentalism. There is definitely a presence of pathos because all the events concerning the kids push the audience to feel bad for them, and to feel bad for immigrant families. Hence the fact that pathos is present in this film because it is a direct appeal to the audience's emotion.
Additionally, as you mentioned the sentimentalism as well as the pathos helps the viewers endure the emotions that the producer intended and also understand the dangers of pyramid schemes.
A sentimental novel, according to the Britannica online dictionary, is “any novel that exploits the reader’s capacity for tenderness, compassion, or sympathy… by presenting a beclouded or unrealistic view of its subject.” While Children of Invention definitely persuades its audience to sympathize with the characters, it does not do so in a way that seems unrealistic. Even the scenes that are filled to the brim with emotion are “real.” No part in the story is so far-fetched that it couldn’t happen. Scenes such as the children’s trip to Boston after Elaine had been arrested and their plot to “make a million dollars” are not all that far from reality. According to Chun, immigrants are survivors. They will do what they have to, like travelling to Boston to get money when they are broke and have nothing even to eat. Children also have dreams of money, and being able to get what they want. Raymond and Tina’s plan to make and sell enough inventions to buy their old house back is not so out of touch and crazy. They are simply kids wanting to go home and be happy. According to that definition, Children of Adventure, though drawing out and forcing its audience to embrace their sentiments, is not a sentimentalist film.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I find it difficult to grasp the concept of sentimentalism in documentary where there is no narrator. It is through the narrations that readers construct the ideals and style of the author and narrator, but it can be difficult without these. Such is the situation in Children of Invention by Tze Chun. However, even though there is no direct narration (statements from the director), narration can be found elsewhere through cinematographic hints.
ReplyDeleteAs Kimberly showed, Chun emphasizes specific parts of the scenes to narrate what is important. For example, "...most of the screen time is spent showing Raymond caring for his sister" demonstrates this idea. Instead of focusing on the mother in Jail, it is apparent that Tina and Raymond are the focus. Chun highlights their dreams as well, which he does not do with the mother. By doing this, the narrator is inadvertently commenting on what is important to him.
As the audience constructs the narrator and author through these techniques, it continues with the emphasis on the emotions present in the documentary. Raymond's scorn for his mother's lack of ingenuity and the care he shows for his sister indirectly prove certain ideals Chun holds. These might be that mothers need to come by work honestly because they have little ones looking up to them or that it is good for an older sibling to take care of a younger one. Though it can be hard to determine the ideals of the narrator/ author when there isn't narration in a documentary, narration can be found through new mediums of expression.