Lights! Camera! America! A place run on the backs of human struggle and triumph, sometimes on the same block. It is so easy to celebrate this country and just as easy to ostracize it. It is deeply imperfect. All of these feelings have been captured in the landscape that makes America, well, America. I would like to visit some films that capture the unique essences of being American through the backdrop of the USA. Where conflict arises in the mean streets of its concrete jungles, while meditative reflections happen amongst the vast canyons.
The American film has become synonymous with grand, large, and sweeping. Emotions are tested in universal ways that even many people across the world feel connection with. The idea of “a more perfect Union” seeps through the filmography of some of the greatest artists to ever sit behind a camera. These films only hit the surface of how America is portrayed in cinemas and beyond. I chose them because I feel they reflect who we sometimes can be as a People. Is that good? Bad? Ugly? The open-ended nature of these questions asks us to dig deeper about what it means to be both American and human.
Brokeback Mountain (2005) – Director: Ang Lee
On the surface, Brokeback Mountain is the story of two men in love against the backdrop of Wyoming. Going deeper, the “gay cowboy movie” became a joke that insinuated you were gay if you even liked the film. It exposed a weakness in American culture against gay people that can still be felt to this day. The above scene captures these layers so perfectly. A gorgeous backdrop behind what has been true of gay American men, especially those in that part of the country, for decades. Heck, I would not be surprised if people still had feelings about this movie even while reading this. The film is celebrating 20 years, and I hope it continues to get more of the respect it so rightly deserves.
Do The Right Thing – Director: Spike Lee
Another controversial film! This time, one where some thought it would incite literal riots. I saw a 4k restoration of this screening in the Upper West Side a few years ago and could not believe the conversations they were having in this film are the same ones I hear down the street on a daily basis. I even got to watch the climax a few seats down from Spike himself. What it must feel like to watch something you are probably so proud of, yet sad to know shades of it continues to happen across the country. The film is spent on a hot day in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. As the temperatures rise, so does the tension. It is so palpable throughout the story you can almost feel the heat against your seat. It exemplifies the constant tension amongst people from different backgrounds living on the same block together. As the years go by and you can still identify similar things happening in the streets of NYC, the film takes on a whole new level of meaning. Good stuff.
The Florida Project – Director: Sean Baker
Sean Baker’s specialty is hyper-focusing on a random segment of America and showing its humanity for us all. This film takes place just outside the theme parks of Orlando, where what you think would be one of the happiest places on Earth does not quite reach its own potential. What lies within are real, warm-blooded humans that get forgotten just because they are poor. They just happen to live at a motel that is a very specific, violet-like hue. The eccentricity of Orlando plus the motel contrasted with these poor Americans living inside provide a rich canvas for a “slice of life” story to unfold.
Nomadland – Director: Chloé Zhao
Similar to The Florida Project, the film that gave Frances McDormand another Academy Award provides a small glimpse at an even smaller American life. A life devoid of modern technology, set against the absolutely gorgeous background of the American West. In fact, the film takes on the previous idea of the American West (conquering territory, making your own mark, etc.) and flips it by being extremely quiet and meditative. The American West is what propels her forward, giving everything it has to help her along life in her van. You can almost feel the scenery through the screen, propelling Fern’s emotions even further forward, providing a rich portrait of what some consider the American Dream.
Forrest Gump – Director: Robert Zemeckis
Forrest Gump is one of the most iconic American films ever made. Taking the simple life of a man and weaving it throughout the course of modern American history. The running scene captures everything that makes the film so re-watchable. A very American myth about an average American man running across average American towns, gaining notoriety along the way. It is the American Dream that many strive for! Work hard, get recognized for that work, and enjoy life along the way. All this told through a very American mainstream lens that everyone can relate to. Say what you will about commercial US films, but when they work, they work. Forrest Gump is a great example of that.
America is wrapped with stories both big and small. These and so many other American films bring their own threads to the fabric of its filmmaking. I worry that our country is becoming full of people who only want to see stories told through the lenses of their own experiences. As you can see from the list above, it is because of the differences that make each so special. They all share common ground in that they are set in the United States, but most cannot be further away from each other.
Sometimes I feel that way when I see someone so clearly living a life I would never have been exposed to had I not moved to Brooklyn. Movies can help provide that glimpse. It is important to search for films that provide a rich canvas for American stories to be told. It is even more important to encourage those around us to keep making these same movies. The tapestry should never be finished! There is always room for one more in the United States of America.
Really Tall Guy 
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