Populaire

The movie I chose is the french film Populaire.  The rep test pointed out many things that are lacking in this film such as prominent people of color and people with disabilities.  Because the film is based in the sixties there are no characters that are of the LGBT community.  The only other people of color is a minor character that is in the typewriting competition with the protagonist.  The protagonist Rose falls for her employer who is also coaching her in typewriting for competitions, and the only other time other women appear, they talk about the male lead, Rose’s love interest.  Specifically when Louis’ family comes over for dinner, all they talk about is their relationship and how it affects them.

The rating system does seem fair because diversity needs to be seen in film and other types of media.  It is important to see these people within the film world not as stereotypes but as people with dimension and not just shallow characters.  It also helps people of color see that they are being represented within film and media to feel part of the hegemony and social culture.  As much as America, France seems to be dominated by America’s hegemony, in other words white centric.  The formula is seen as white, blonde, and blue eyed that is used in the movie with it’s protagonist Rose.  As a matter of fact, the director and the characters are white, however, I do understand that this movie is based in the sixties and the prominence for people of color is minimal even within film.  The director for the movie Populaire is a new comer however, he is not a person of color, he is also a white male that seems to dominate the mold for a prominent movie director in film.