Beneath Clouds Analysis

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The nature and importance of an individual’s response to life and experiences can vary across different times and cultures. Thematic concerns of identity and disadvantage are explored in both Sherman Alexie’s novel, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” (2007) and Ivan Sen’s feature film, “Beneath Clouds” (2002). Alexie’s exploration of the quest for self-discovery of a young American-Indian, who is subject to negative stereotypes and marginalised from mainstream society due to his background, is communicated through the utilisation of a diary format with interspersed graphics. Sen’s deployment of intense visual imagery captured through cinematic devices, encapsulates these similar concerns in his road movie, within the context …show more content…
The reconciliation period in Australia in the 1990s gave rise to issues surrounding Indigenous identity, evident in “Beneath Clouds” through Lena and Vaughn’s quest for self-discovery. The film is reflective of the reality of Indigenous inhabitants having lost connections with the land and living on the fringes of white society. This is shown through Sen's deployment of wide shots of the countryside, as Lena crosses paths with a young indigenous mother, symbolic of her disconnection with Indigenous culture and her desire to escape. The symbolic nature of the mountain where Indigenous Australians were massacred, representative of tragedy and erasure of culture impacts Vaughn’s low self-esteem, emphasised through the use of expletives: “he wouldn’t give two sh*ts about me”, thus characterising Vaughn as an angry black youth. His hardened attitude is clearly shown, captured though extreme close-ups of his face, when being told to ‘stay off this land’, making clear his Aboriginal pride as part of his identity in his quest for self-discovery. Thus it is apparent that both Alexie and Sen despite their differing contexts, successfully utilise unique literary and cinematic forms in order to portray the notion of …show more content…
The 6 panel storyboard detailing Junior travelling to school over the course over a week most clearly indicates the disadvantage he must cope with. The staccato and abrupt use of language within the graphic places emphasis on Junior's acceptance of the situation, as seen in the caption "Next Week: Start over (but in a different order!)". Both texts use the recurring motif of the road, seen in the storyboard, showing Junior’s determination to break out of the cycle of poverty. Alcoholism and the violence associated with it is still part of the reality of marginalised Indigenous peoples in the US, with 1 in 10 Native American deaths being alcohol related. Alexie captures this notion, by using black humour to euphemise the situation, through Junior’s immediate "OF COURSE THEY WERE DRUNK! THEY'RE INDIANS!", when he learns of his sister’s death. Further, capitalisation of the text emphasises the negative consequences alcoholism
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