Gran
Torino Film Analysis
Donna
Crawford
COM-40164
December
1, 2012
In the movie Gran Torino, there are a number of
identifiable cultural conflicts. One of the most obvious is during the scene
where Walt was invited to his neighbor’s house for a dinner. While walking
through the house with Sue, he asked her why all of “her” people looked to the
floor when he made eye contact with them. He then placed his hand
affectionately on top of a young girl’s head as she walked by and all of the
family members became silent and showed signs of dismay. Sue explained to Walt
about some differences in her family’s traditions and culture, which resulted
in the reactions from her family members. She explained that in her culture it
is the belief that the soul resides on the head so it is inappropriate to touch
anyone’s head, be it young or old. She also explained that in her culture,
direct eye contact is considered rude. Walt’s expectations, values, and
processes were perceived as incompatible with those of his neighbor’s (Martin
& Nakayama, 2011). Walt’s verbally direct approach for dealing with
disagreements and his absence of emotion reflects the discussion style of intercultural
conflict (Martin & Nakayama, 2011).
There were a number of social conflicts identified in the
movie Gran Torino. Martin and Nakayama (2011) define social conflict as “…unequal
or unjust social relationships between social groups…(pg. 238).” The
gang-related social conflicts included the Chinese gang conflicting with the
Mexican gang. This conflict t resulted when the Mexican gang was tormenting
Thao and Thao’s cousin’s gang, which was Chinese, came to his defense. They
came to Thao’s defense because they were Chinese and wanted dominance and power
over the Mexican gang. Another demonstration of social conflict was when the
three African American teenagers began to harass Sue and her White boyfriend.
Her boyfriend tried to act like, or fit in with the Black teenager’s behavioral
style. This was offensive to the young men and caused the conflict to escalate.
An example of pop culture demonstrated in the film was
the rap music being played in the scenes with the confrontation between the
Chinese and Mexican gangs. Rap music is often identified with gang activity.
The lyrics often express violence and domination of a group. Rap music was also
present in the basement of Thao’s house when the younger generation was
socializing. This was not a violent scene but it represented the young culture’s
way of socializing. Another example of pop culture was Walt’s symbols of
patriotism. He had the American flag waving from his porch. The barber shop and
the bar also displayed patriotic symbols such as American flags and other
American pictures and symbols. These types of pop culture influence the way individuals
behave in different settings and they define the expected culture of the
location.
The conclusion of the film was a desperate act of Walt
saving his neighbors, but it was also an act of anger and revenge. The arrest
of the gang members may have resolved the violence temporarily, but other gangs
will replace them unless the community unites as a force that will not tolerate
gangs in their community. This can be a difficult process because the community
is populated by individuals that mostly have collectivist values that
significantly affect the communication styles of conflict management (Rothwell,
2012).
Collectivists are high-context cultures that favor
avoiding or accommodating styles of conflict management (Rothwell, 2012). This
style of communication would be inappropriate for this situation because of its
complexity. I believe it would be appropriate to use the priest as an
intermediary to organize the community and to promote cooperative communication
within the group in order to develop a cooperative atmosphere of perceived similarity,
trust, flexibility, and open communication (Martin & Nakayama, 2011). The
key here is to establish an atmosphere among the community that allows them to
interact with each other in a cooperative manner which builds on their values
and beliefs. This collaboration can provide their community with the perception
of a strong allegiance that will detour a gang’s desire to reside in their
neighborhood.
My feeling about the movie is that it depicted
characters, behaviors, and beliefs that many of us are familiar with. Most of
us know somebody who is similar to the main character, Walt. He is the older,
White man who is very patriotic and who holds prejudices towards cultures other
than his own. He has s distant and hardened relationship with his sons and
grandchildren, but develops a certain closeness with his neighbor’s children. I
appreciated how the movie showed the dislike between Walt and the neighbor’s
grandmother, but also showed an agreement between them when Thao helped the
woman across the street. The simple nod to each other represented respect in
Thao’s behavior. The nod showed similar values and beliefs between two people
who were very different and who disliked each other. I also liked how the
neighborhood showed honor and respect towards Walt when he protected Thao from
the gang. He received gifts of appreciation and nobility from the community
while his own family was trying to convince him to move to a retirement
community because they felt he was not capable of caring for himself.
The rape and assault of Sue was difficult to watch and I
blamed Walt for this event. He retaliated and beat up a gang member for
tormenting Thao, which escalated the anger of the gang. This happens in reality
today because hatred leads to revenge and more violence. Walt’s extreme actions
of revenge and the community’s extreme act of avoidance had no chance in
creating harmony.
The character that best represents me in terms of my
views and perspectives is Sue. She recognized cultural differences and rather
than avoid or ignore them, she acknowledged them openly. She did not get
offended by Walt’s racial slurs and she respected his differences. When Walt
asked about certain reactions from her family, she explained the traditions and
cultures openly. I feel it is respectful to acknowledge and inquire about another
person’s differences. This shows your interest in them. To avoid and ignore
differences leads to misunderstandings and interpersonal conflict. Openly
discussing cultural differences leads to an understanding and respect of
different communication styles and conflict resolutions.
References
Martin, J. Nakayama, T. (2011). Experiencing intercultural communication: An introduction. (4th
ed).
New
York, NY.: McGraw-Hill.
Rothwell, D.J. (2012). In
mixed company: Communicating in small groups and teams. (8th ed).
Boston,
MA.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
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