St.+Vincent

Noah Browne

For the film I chose to look at is called "St. Vincent” . I think that looking at this film through a Marxist film lens would create some interesting points of discussion for this film because of how the characters are set up . Vincent is this old drunk man who is rude, uncaring, and just dirty . However every action that he does in the film subtly embodies Marxist film theory . For example unknowingly to the audience he is bettering other people rather than him self . Essentially what the film is about is a little boy who has no father, finding a father figure . Looking at St. Vincent through a Marxist film lens makes the movie more interesting because, at the end of the film, the little boy analyzes each of Vincent’s actions, through a Marxist lens, making him out to be a better person.

Another film theory that would create interesting points of discussion is Feminist film theory. Looking at this film through the eyes of feminist film theory, this film takes an interesting turn. There are two main female characters. The mom of the little boy: she is a single mother whose husband filed for divorce and wants full custody of the son. She works extremely hard but in turn is not there for her son when he needs her. The other main female character is a pregnant Russian prostitute who works with Vincent. She does what she has to do to better her future baby and later on in the film, to better Vincent. In the beginning of the film, she seems objectified by men because she is a prostitute, but she is a strong character, who empowers the spirit of women, and helps out the boy along the way.

Cognitive film theory is another theory that would create interesting points of discussion for this film. Looking at this film through the eyes of cognitive theory, the director makes specific choices in story telling, both for the audience and for the main character. Throughout the film Vincent is seen going to a nursing home pretending to a doctor and talking to this woman. Both the boy and the audience do not know that this is his wife who has althiemers. The director’s way of telling this part of the story shows how both the boy and the audience learn about who Vincent is throughout the story. Another decision that the director made in this film is to introduce every action that Vincent does initially as lazy and uncaring towards society. The director also faces Vincent and the audience with a moral dilemma, such as when Vincent is faced with stealing from the boy’s bank account to pay for his wifes nursing home. He loves the boy and his wife, so he has to choose which one is more important to him.

Relating to mimetic and cathartic responses that one might have to these films, both can be taken into interesting issues. For mimetic response, there are strong uses of drugs and implications illegal activity. Some people after watching this film would feel that this makes them cool or what not and mimic those illegal activities. For a cathartic response the audience may look at this film and see the terrible things that Vincent does and think no I will never do that.