World on Edge

During the first act of Molly Sweeney the characters all had hopes, they all were wondering, “what if?” What if Molly’s operation works? What if it doesn’t? All the characters were curious as to what would happen during Molly’s operation and after. Molly’s sight would change all of their lives in a way that they could only imagine. The second act takes on a whole other set of what if questions, specifically for Molly when she should be asking herself at the end; what if I was wrong to do the operation?

 In Doubt the question remains the same, however the question is explored at different times by different characters. Sister James constantly asked the question, flip-flopping between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius; What if she’s right? What if he’s right? Sister James could hardly make up her mind, and when she did she only chose Father Flynn’s side because she had a naïvety about  her that was shown through her innocent judgments and innocent facial expressions. Sister Aloysius calls her inexperienced by claiming that she typically has her “more experienced teachers teach 8^th grade,” when Sister Aloysius goes to inspect Sister James’ room. Sister Aloysius even has her own what if statement, only hers doesn’t surface until the end of the movie when she states that she has doubt. Her what if statement would be; what if I was wrong about Father Flynn?

Both Molly and Sister Aloysius had what if statements at the wrong time, after the fact. Both of the leading women were so aggressive in their pursuits, but struggled to comprehend what they had actually done once it was over. Both of their worlds crumbled under them by the end of their stories. However, Molly seems to have built a whole new world for her by the end of her story.

In Molly’s last monologue she talks of her life months after the operation and how she lives in the same hospital her mom stayed in. She speaks of visits made by her mother, father and even Dr. Rice. Her reality is clearly blurred with fantasy seeing as how both her mother and father are deceased. Molly realizes this as well with her last paragraph:

“I think I see nothing at all now. But I am not absolutely sure of that. Anyhow my borderline country is where I live now. I’m at home there. Well…at ease there. It certainly doesn’t worry me any more that what I think I see may be fantasy or indeed what I take to be imagined may very well be real – what’s Frank’s term? – external reality. Real – imagined – fact – fiction – fantasy – reality – there it seems to be. And it seems to be alright. And why should I question any of it any more?” (57)

Molly questions the very world she lives in now. It’s an inbetween world that she has had to make up, not belonging to the sighted world or the blinded. The world she knew of the blinded is lost to her, an exile of what she has always known. The sighted world rejected her, if not she surely rejected it. Although she has come to terms with it to some extent by the end of the play, it took a while to get there. She struggled with the fainting spells, anxiety attacks, blindsightedness, and dealing with Frank’s darn engrams. Molly had to end up in the same hospital that her mother went to for her nerves. The things she knows she doesn’t truly know. She has a life between fact and fiction, just as she says above.

Sister Aloysius knows what that feels like as well. Sister Aloysius doesn’t struggle as Molly does throughout the movie. The audience sees Sister’s road to confusion and doubt. To get there, Aloysius is strong-willed and aggressive as Molly was when Molly lived in a world she knew. Aloysius takes what she believes is certainty and relates it to fact. When Father Flynn and Aloysius have their final encounter Aloysius screams at him after he claims she has no proof, “But I have my certainty.” This certainty melts away once some time has passed.

When Sister James comes home from visiting her family she finds Aloysius on a bench outside. They speak of the incident and Aloysius finally voices her concern that she has doubts. Doubts about what she has done and doubts on whether she was right or not regarding Father Flynn.

This is the shot where Aloysius confesses to James about her doubts. Throughout the movie she was resilient and forceful. She did not let up on anyone she always struck full force. With this attitude she always held a stick-straight back and a posture that says “don’t get on my bad side.” She conducted herself to show who was the boss, but looking at this shot no one would guess that. Right before she breaks down she suggests, quite ambiguously, to Sister James that she (Aloysius) pays or will pay consequences; possibly that she will go to hell and to make James understand she then grabs her cross. At this moment is where she diminishes; crumpled (literally) from the weight of her doubts. Her face one the audience has never seen before, vulnerability by crying in front of someone else openly. Her hunched forward posture though, gives way to another image; the one of the Virgin Mary. There in the back, behind and above Aloysius is the Virgin Mary. She looks down upon Aloysius a symbol of purity with her arms open. The Virgin Mary looks as if she is holding Aloysius up with her hands open around Aloysius’ head. She looks encouraging.

Aloysius’ world is breaking, but the best hope for her is to find an in-between as Molly found, somewhere in the middle where she can become at ease. Aloysius feels lost, she is looking for guidance and support by one of the youngest sisters of the parish, who she has looked down upon the whole movie for the beliefs James has held. The world Aloysius creates must be one filled with doubts, because her certainty is the thing that leads her to breaking. Just like Molly, Sister Aloysius’ world is rocky between what she believed to be true and what she thinks could be false, a rocky edge of fact and fiction that can be brought back to what if.

Knock-offs and Façades

It's hard to talk about social class. Most people choose not to bring it up. Others designate words such as rich or poor. The "rich," or the higher social class, are stereotyped to display their social class by the Cadillacs they drive or the Burberry they wear. In movies, however, most people who are considered rich when they display an air of importance. The nose pointed upward in arrogance and superiority while looking down on the dirty, gritty poor. In reality, most people who belong to a higher social class don't actually support this façade. They stick to clean-cut clothing and show their social class by wearing well-made clothes, even if it doesn't shout designer. The lower class can still wear well-made clothing, but to a certain extent. Some lower and middle class people buy things knock-off or legitimate designer clothes or accessories to try to look like the uppercrust.

 Living on the North Shore I know plenty of families who are well-off, and I don't know any of them to be flashy of their money. They might spend more on something than I would, but they can afford to do that. However, I don't like to consider myself someone who lives in a bubble and I also feel like I can say I know plenty of people who could be considered lower class. Most "lower" class families I know say they can't afford anything but then buy a Juicy Couture purse. These aren't families who can afford this purse without taking a hit. These families take the hit, because with a flash of money like this they attempt to hide their lower class status and be considered amongst the upper class.

The Waffle; Conform to Conformity

In the book Uniforms: Why We Are What We Wear, Paul Fussell says “…everyone must wear a uniform, but everyone must deny wearing one.” His comment addresses people’s need to express individuality therefore denying the uniform or uniformity, however they so often yearn to be like everyone else. There are many that wear their uniform with pride. The members of Kairos are known to wear the waffle to symbolize an unforgettable weekend. People come together for the most part as strangers but leave feeling forever connected by the weekend they spent together.

   

            Kairos is a spiritual retreat where participants contemplate God’s role in their lives. Although it is a Christian retreat they don’t discriminate or deny people participation. The meaning of the retreat has evolved into more of a statement. People who go on the retreat are on “the inside.” They keep it secret as to not ruin the surprise for future attendees. The evolution of what the trip means has ultimately changed how people, at least at New Trier, react to the Kairos symbol. To people who have not attended Kairos, the waffle may be seen as an inspiration to go. Other people may view the waffle as a symbol of something that will remain a secret forever. People who have attended Kairos won’t deny that they ultimately changed because of the retreat. People who wear the Kairos waffle don’t deny wearing it. Instead they wear it as a reminder to themselves of how important their trip was.

 

             However, in another part of Fussell’s quote about uniforms he says, “if you refuse to dress like others, you will be ridiculed, and no one wants to appear in public dressed like a fool or an odd-ball.” This is what the Kairos waffle is really about. Kairos members have created their own “norm” by making the odd-balls the people who are not wearing the waffle. The Kairos kids don’t ridicule others, but the secrecy of the retreat makes everyone who hasn’t had the Kairos experience are the outsider or “odd-ball.”

Everything Creates the World we Inhabit

What are the ways that the influences in our lives create a world that we inhabit?

Everything that is seen or heard, whether we consciously take it in or not, will eventually shape a small part of who we are. Radio can influence what we do and do not listen to, we choose our channels based on our beliefs or music taste. The radio can shape how we think about certain topics, if listening to a talk show, give us new perspectives to a community, state, national, or international crisis or event. Radio talk shows that revolve around politics can influence the listener to lean towards one political party even if strong feelings were already held with the opposite party. The popular talk show in the chicagoland area "Eric and Kathy on the Mix" can change conversation just due to the amount of people who listen to it in the mornings on their way to school or work. People make references to radio all of the time.
People also make references to movies all the time. Movies can influence who someone talks to, if sharing a liking or disliking of a similar movie. It also can influence how people act. After watching a moving documentary people could stop going somewhere or start using something that the documentary revolves around. Same with commercials on television or the previews before a movie at the theatres; someone may buy a product or go see a certain movie due to the advertisement they say.
Parents are one of the sole creators of the world we inhibit. Childhood has been proven by psychologists such as Lorenz, Freud and Erikson to be a pertinent time of our lives. How parents treat a child during the first few years of life can be the reasons why a person acts they way they do in later life. Parents are also the first teachers in life. They teach you morals; do this, but not that. Parents can influence our later decisions as well. When applying to colleges parents can influence where their child should apply even if they say nothing at all. Their child may be inclined to go to their parents alma mater even if the parents never pressure them into applying just due to the fact that parents are great influences in our lives; if a student applying to colleges thinks that their parent is great maybe they think the college they went to helped them turn out to be the person they are now. Also the opposite can be applied to this situation as well; a person applying to colleges may immediately take off the college their parents went to because they don't want to become their parents.

Shortcomings

In this scene, Keyes is talking to a man known to have seen "Mr. Dietrichson" at the trian station. The actual Mr. Dietrichson did not show up at the train station. Filling Mr. Dietrichson's shoes was Walter Neff.
Walter Neff is incredibly nervous in this scene. He is a sitting duck, waiting to see if the man from the train recognizes him or not. Walter is clearly nervous, just by looking at the stance he is taking. He is standing with a protective arm across his chest, while the other arm is to his mouth, as if he is biting his nails in anticipation. His brow is furrowed and he is staring at the man who could decide his fate. Walter is also leaning against a large cabinet structure. The structure is massive, in heighth and width. Walter is a tall man and if he were to lean against something it needs to be able to hold him up, which this successfully does.
The fan in the room is still during this scene. It can indicate that the air in the room is still as well, it doesn't give any relief to Walter, who probably is sweating through his suit. The fan not moving adds to the fact that everything is waiting in this scene. The man from the train station is waiting to get out of there to enjoy his short vacation, Keyes is waiting for the man to give any hint to whether or not he saw the real Mr. Dietrichson and Walter is waiting to see if the man recognizes him.
Keyes is more of the foreground of this shot while Walter is the background. This is often done throughout the film, to create the effect that Keyes is taller than he actually is. Keyes is supposed to be the big authority figure, when in fact he is so much smaller than Walter. Also, Keyes plays a more prominent role during this scene as investigator, while Walter can't do to much and is just watching the discussion unfold.
The man from the train station was craftily placed between the two men to show that he is the separating factor. He stands (or sits) alone as the deciding factor to Walter's fate, and to Keyes' discovery of Walter's crime.

Two Sides Divided

Although the pre-crime cop, Fletcher, is standing dead center in this shot from Minority Report, he is not the main subject. Fletcher stands there not really to act as a person in this shot, but as a wall that divides Chief John Anderton (Cruise) and Danny Witwer (Farrell). When looking at this shot, the viewer's eyes are drawn to both Anderton and Witwer, skillfully placed on opposite sides of the screen. They are on either side of the screen so the viewer decides which person to look at, already making them choose a side. Anderton being on the side for pre-crime, and Witwer being against pre-crime.
The darkness in the middle created by Fletcher creates a literal seperation of sides; a wall. The darkness is contrasted with the light that is casted on Anderton and Witwer's faces. They stand equidistant from Fletcher and have the same light on their faces and bodies. They even stand eye-to-eye, even though the height of the actors varies by three inches (Farrell being the taller of the two).
A close shot created the perfect effect, making visible the distance between the two highly ranked officers of the law, as well as keeping the facial features still visible.
The two sides of the screen are very equal in appearance, the only varying factors are the clothes, and what is immediately behind the head of Anderton and Witwer. Anderton is in a polo, which tends to be more relatable attire than the suit that Witwer wears. Suits are more often thought to be worn by "men who mean business" and have a colder appeal. What is directly behind the heads of Anderton and Witwer was probably not intentional, however it still adds to the shot. Behind the men is the screen that Anderton uses to conduct the break down of each crime scene. The lighting used in the room creates a warped effect on the screen. Inbetween the two men there really isn't any effect, but behind Anderton's head it gets very messy and warped, which is how his mind works as well. He believes in pre-crime and follows the rules (for the beginning of the film), yet he still has a void that needs to be filled, which he fills with illegal drugs. Not so morally sound for a chief. As for what is behind Witwer's head, it goes along with how his mind works as well. There are a few lines right near the top of his head. Very exact, very precise, just like his motives. His goal is to find the hitch in pre-crime, to find a fault.