The Sci-Fi Genre and Sociohistorical Context
Allegory - a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one
Zeitgeist - the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas a beliefs of the time
An example of an allegory would be Godzilla (Japan 1950, Ishiro Honda), which is an allegory for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The monster represents America, and the fact that he is a mutated species represents the nuclear/toxic waste and the way that it was unnatural and inhuman. It also was a little less raw to them, and appealed to more people. When America had overtaken Japan, they made them become more left wing and more westernised.
What makes 'Humans' Sci-Fi??
- use of word 'synth' to describe them
- the old man who fixes his synth makes it obvious he is a robot, along with the glitches
- robotic speech and some head movements
- computer generated music, glitch sounds
- stock footage for titles involving robots and also glitchy overlay
- very blue, shiny and metallic
- awkward and upright posture of the synths
- themes of artificial intelligence
- synths stand out
Allegorical Aspects of 'Humans' -
- sexualisation
- sexual exploitation
- modern slavery
- capitalism and the 'nuclear family'
- prostitution and the rights of sex
- racism
CAPITALISM AND THE NUCLEAR FAMILY - within 'Humans', we can see that the father of the family seems stressed and overwhelmed by the housework. He then buys a female synth, making it once again a more 'nuclear family' while the mother is away. He is not a very stereotypical man of the household. When the mother also sees Anita with the child, she gets protective of her and this challenges the audience to think about what makes people human and the family relationships of people. Another family reference is George the synth, and we can see that he is like a son to his two owners. It creates a hermeneutic code in which the audience is curious as to why they couldn't have their own child and how they wanted to accept George as a human child. This is why his owner is so overprotective over him.
The synths make life convenient, and this makes people want to buy them and it is a very profitable business. There is also the aspect that the synths are being used to make a profit, for example in the tomato farm and the synths that are used in order to be carers for the elderly. In a time where people rely on products to make life convenient, there is almost the ultimate product - it can do everything for you, just like a human would.
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION- The use of robots for sex is an interesting one because robots looking so human could mean that people have different boundaries or expectations to sex. If you're having intercourse or abusing something that looks like a human and represents one (but isn't), then you become desensitised to it and find it hard to draw the line between reality and simulation. It's also unnatural - sex is for reproduction, mainly, however people are taking out that part of it and changing the meaning. This cultivates the ideology that sex is purely for pleasure, and also that sex has little boundaries or foundations in real love.
MODERN SLAVERY - Buying a synth and owning it, and getting it to do what you want, lies heavily in what the slave trade is like. Anita is taken, and then bought from a shop. The people then choose what they want depending on the purpose they are buying it for. Exploitation within the films is clear because the synths don't get any benefits or salary for what they're doing, and although the people treat them as something that's not real, they actually do feel. Matilda also tries to torture her and mistreat her, much like people would with slaves.
Laura Meets Anita
Laura is visibly angry at the presence of Anita, and the long pause on Laura's expression displays this. She looks jealous, angry and uncomfortable. She doesn't smile at all when she sees her, and the slow zoom on both Anita and Laura's expression makes more of a rivalry for the audience to see, as well as a contrast. As well as this, and opposition is created, and one things that makes them different is the choice of clothing - Laura is drab and brown, as well as with a slouching posture, and Anita is wearing blue and standing upright. Anita's hair is also very straight and sleek, and then Laura's hair is messy. Laura also looks much older than Anita. The use of an east Asian actress for Anita and this is interesting because robots are stereotypically made by China, and Chinese technology is seemingly more superior and they are a centre for making many products for the rest of the world.
TODOROV and EQUILIBRIUM - the use of Laura and Anita coming into her territory creates a disruption, and takes away from the equilibrium of the nuclear family.
HOMEWORK - BINARY OPPOSITION ON BLOG
Zeitgeist - the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas a beliefs of the time
An example of an allegory would be Godzilla (Japan 1950, Ishiro Honda), which is an allegory for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The monster represents America, and the fact that he is a mutated species represents the nuclear/toxic waste and the way that it was unnatural and inhuman. It also was a little less raw to them, and appealed to more people. When America had overtaken Japan, they made them become more left wing and more westernised.
What makes 'Humans' Sci-Fi??
- use of word 'synth' to describe them
- the old man who fixes his synth makes it obvious he is a robot, along with the glitches
- robotic speech and some head movements
- computer generated music, glitch sounds
- stock footage for titles involving robots and also glitchy overlay
- very blue, shiny and metallic
- awkward and upright posture of the synths
- themes of artificial intelligence
- synths stand out
Allegorical Aspects of 'Humans' -
- sexualisation
- sexual exploitation
- modern slavery
- capitalism and the 'nuclear family'
- prostitution and the rights of sex
- racism
CAPITALISM AND THE NUCLEAR FAMILY - within 'Humans', we can see that the father of the family seems stressed and overwhelmed by the housework. He then buys a female synth, making it once again a more 'nuclear family' while the mother is away. He is not a very stereotypical man of the household. When the mother also sees Anita with the child, she gets protective of her and this challenges the audience to think about what makes people human and the family relationships of people. Another family reference is George the synth, and we can see that he is like a son to his two owners. It creates a hermeneutic code in which the audience is curious as to why they couldn't have their own child and how they wanted to accept George as a human child. This is why his owner is so overprotective over him.
The synths make life convenient, and this makes people want to buy them and it is a very profitable business. There is also the aspect that the synths are being used to make a profit, for example in the tomato farm and the synths that are used in order to be carers for the elderly. In a time where people rely on products to make life convenient, there is almost the ultimate product - it can do everything for you, just like a human would.
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION- The use of robots for sex is an interesting one because robots looking so human could mean that people have different boundaries or expectations to sex. If you're having intercourse or abusing something that looks like a human and represents one (but isn't), then you become desensitised to it and find it hard to draw the line between reality and simulation. It's also unnatural - sex is for reproduction, mainly, however people are taking out that part of it and changing the meaning. This cultivates the ideology that sex is purely for pleasure, and also that sex has little boundaries or foundations in real love.
MODERN SLAVERY - Buying a synth and owning it, and getting it to do what you want, lies heavily in what the slave trade is like. Anita is taken, and then bought from a shop. The people then choose what they want depending on the purpose they are buying it for. Exploitation within the films is clear because the synths don't get any benefits or salary for what they're doing, and although the people treat them as something that's not real, they actually do feel. Matilda also tries to torture her and mistreat her, much like people would with slaves.
Laura Meets Anita
Laura is visibly angry at the presence of Anita, and the long pause on Laura's expression displays this. She looks jealous, angry and uncomfortable. She doesn't smile at all when she sees her, and the slow zoom on both Anita and Laura's expression makes more of a rivalry for the audience to see, as well as a contrast. As well as this, and opposition is created, and one things that makes them different is the choice of clothing - Laura is drab and brown, as well as with a slouching posture, and Anita is wearing blue and standing upright. Anita's hair is also very straight and sleek, and then Laura's hair is messy. Laura also looks much older than Anita. The use of an east Asian actress for Anita and this is interesting because robots are stereotypically made by China, and Chinese technology is seemingly more superior and they are a centre for making many products for the rest of the world.
TODOROV and EQUILIBRIUM - the use of Laura and Anita coming into her territory creates a disruption, and takes away from the equilibrium of the nuclear family.
HOMEWORK - BINARY OPPOSITION ON BLOG
Comments
Post a Comment