The Queen’s Film Society <\/a>in a discussion about thematic allegories presented in the film including drug addiction, the patriarchy, gender dynamics and sexuality.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHumphrey said the film \u201cbreaks a lot of cultural taboos\u201d regarding sexuality. He said it has similarities to the 2005 American film \u201cSin City,\u201d directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey would never be allowed to film a movie like this in Iran,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause the main character is out looking for victims alone at night, she is also in a way a feminist avenger. One of her first victims is this toxically masculine drug dealer who goes around bullying both men and women.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The film is in Farsi with English subtitles and was filmed in Taft, California, which is a part of the Midway-Sunset Oil Field. This oil field is one of the largest oil fields in California, Humphrey said. As some of the scenes are set among oil pumps, there is an allusion to larger themes throughout the film, Humphrey said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe director is able to portray this political allegory by comparing oil drilling with vampirism,\u201d he said. \u201cInstead of taking blood from someone\u2019s neck, you are taking oil from the ground, which later connects to an allegory of drug addiction, because one of the characters is a heroin addict.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Critiques have argued the film explores the experiences of expatriates, Humphrey said. They feel \u201cculturally displaced\u201d in America, he said, not unlike the characters in the film who live in a fictious town called Bad City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is clearly not a realistic depiction of a city,\u201d he said. \u201cIt resides at the end of the road as this kind of limbo-like place. Critics have discussed how the film deals with a person who has ties to Iran, though they have never been there but still feel connected to it and also disconnected to both it and their new residence. As children of immigrants, they are influenced by America and by Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Humphrey said the film also expresses a sense of alienation for immigrants, where characters in the film have to explore their national identity, gender-based identity, and their roles among a patriarchal-controlled society. The film combats the stereotypical horror trope that depicts women as \u201cdamsels in distress,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis movie upends the cliches in horror where men are the only strong characters,\u201d Humphrey said. \u201cAnd there is a male hero in the film, but he is not your traditional masculine man. He is more soft-spoken, and in that way, this is subverting the genre. You have this strong, tough woman lead who is in a way protecting a weak vulnerable man, and in the meantime is taking out these dangerous toxic masculine men.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cinematography is beautiful, Humphrey said. Filming the movie in black and white was an aesthetic choice by the director as a nod to classical Hollywood horror films, he said. The film features indie and pop music from around the world, with strong acting, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA lot of people look down on the horror-drama genre,\u201d Humphrey said. \u201cBut horror films have consistently dealt with important social issues that other film genres don\u2019t often deal with, and they get away with it by wrapping it in allegories. If people think if this film is just about a scary vampire \u2014 it\u2019s not \u2014 this film is about a lot more. There is drug addiction, pollution, economic exploitation, gender dynamics among people and how vampirism works as an allegory for drug addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For tickets, contact Patrick Sullivan, instructional assistant professor, by emailing patricksullivan@tamu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Photo courtesy of Kino Lorber EDU.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Film and Media Studies program in the Texas A&M School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts and The Queen’s Film Society will host a free screening and discussion of \u201cA Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,\u201d Sunday …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"featured_media":17929,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[58,144],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Film And Media Studies Program And Queen's Film Society To Host Free Screening Of 'A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night' - Texas A&M University College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n