Miral Study Notes - Film Education · of three women upon the title character Miral (played by...

Directed by: JulianSchnabel

Certificate: 15

Running time: 112mins

Release date: 3December2010

Synopsis:Setagainst thebackdropof the Israeli-Palestinianconflict,Miralcharts theadolescenceofaPalestiniangirlwhoistornbetweenthepeaceful,non-politicalethosoftheschoolsheattendsin Jerusalem and the radical, confrontationalmethods of Palestinianmilitants. The influenceofthreewomenuponthetitlecharacterMiral(playedbySlumdog Millionaire’sFreidaPinto)isalsoexplored:Hind,thefounderofMiral’sschool;Nadia,Miral’stroubledMotherandFatima,awomanimprisonedforterroristactivity.AstheFirstIntifadaeruptsaroundher,Miralmustchoosebetweenpoliticalradicalismandapeacefullife...

These Study Notes are designed for use in GCSE and A Level Film and Media Studies lessons and equivalent. Teachers of History approaching the Arab-Israel conflict should also find this a useful introduction. Teachers working with Miral should ensure they are familiar with the history to the conflict in the Middle East. A useful starting place is:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,,720353,00.html

©Pathé

MiralStudy Notes

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Before viewing: Schnabel’s previous workDirectorJulianSchnabel’sthreepreviousfeaturefilms(Basquiat,1996;Before Night Falls,2000andThe Diving Bell and the Butterfly,2007)allsharekeyfeatures:

z theyarebasedontruestoriesz they feature a male protagonist who is somehow imprisoned or restrictedphysically,metaphoricallyorliterallyz theprotagonistsareartistsorwriters(asSchnabelhimselfwasbeforebecomingadirector)z thethemeofescapefeaturesinallz eachissetinadistinctregion–NewYork,CubaandParis

WhenyouviewMiral,considerwhetheritsharesanyoftheseconventionsandbereadyto pick out any similaritieswith or differences to Schnabel’s previouswork (see FilmEducation’sstudyguideforThe Diving Bell and the Butterfly–searchbytitleatwww.filmeducation.org-–formoreinformationonthisdirector.)

After viewing: storytelling devices

Schnabelusesanumberofdistinctivestorytellingdevicestoenrichandcontextualisethenarrativeincludingmultipleperspectivesandnewsreelorstockfootage.

z Title cards, text and original footage of historic events, violence andwar areusedsporadicallyinthefilm.Whydoyoufeelthedirectorchosetoincludethis?z Couldthesamefootagehavebeenrecreated,perhaps?z Inyouropinion,does thisdeviceenhance thenarrativeorpull yououtof thestory?z ThefirsthalfofthefilmgivesequalscreentimetothecharactersHind,NadiaandFatima,butallthreeareeithersidelinedordisappearcompletelyfromthefilmonceMiralisintroduced.z DidyoufindthatthefocusontheotherthreewomenenhancedyourunderstandingofMiral’scharacter,ordiditleavelittletimetoexplorehermorethoroughly?z A different colour is prevalent in the mise-en-scène when each woman isonscreen.Hind=goldorwarmtones;Nadia=blue;Fatima=whiteanddark;Miral=red.Whatmightthesepalettesbeintendedtosayabouteachcharacter,metaphorically?z TowhatextentdoHind,NadiaandFatima representdifferentsidesofMiral’spersonality?

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©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

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©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

Israel and PalestineTheincrediblysensitivetopicoftheIsraeli-Palestinianconflictiscentraltothefilm.Miral wasdeemedbymanycriticstobeboldandcourageousyetover-simplifiedinitsdepictionoftheconflict.

z ThestoryistoldfromthePalestinianpointofview.ResearchSchnabel’spersonalandfamilyhistory;whymighthebesensitivetothissubject?z HowareIsraelisandPalestiniansrepresented?z How doesMiral change and what does she learn and experience when sheleavesJerusalemtostaywithherexiledAunty?z Doesthefilmcondemnorsupporteithersideoftheconflict?Useexamplestosupportyouranswer.

CriticismMiral’smiddle-easternprotagonists frequently use theEnglish language; the filmalsofeaturesAnglo-Americansupportingcharactersandreferencestokeyhistoricalevents.Becauseofthis,TotalFilm’ssummationofthefilmwasthatit‘…feels a bit like the intifada for dummies...a drawn-out history lesson’.

z Isthisafaircriticism?z IsthefilmtryingtoreachawiderUK/USaudiencebyusingsomeofthemethodsabove?Hasthisledtoanycompromisesintermsofstorytellingorhistoricalaccuracy?z WhatexamplesfromthefilmmayhaveledTotalFilmtotheseconclusions?Considerdialogue,characterisation,paceandediting.

ActivitySchnabel’strademarkofcapturingbeautifulsceneryandplayingwithsunlightandsoftfocusenableshisprotagoniststoescapetheirdiresituations,ifonlyforafewpreciousmoments.Selectatruestoryorpersonfromhistoryorthenewspapers;filmatrailerorasequencethatportraysbeautyandescapedespiteatragicoroppressivesituation.

Written by Gareth C Evans