Read/study: Bridging the Gaps
Chap 9 Frames of Reference & Chap 14 Developing a Worldview
Film Language: Continue to advance your understanding of ideological cultural issues & how they are creatively amplified in art films via cinematic decisions, (under the broad category of mise en scene).
WATCH: "Osama" (2003)
The ideological emphasis is based on women living in two cultures and religious POVs.
The artistic mise en scene (director's POV) drives this ideological narrative.
QUESTIONS:
Q1. What one scene or montage artistically demonstrates "living in two cultures." Please concisely explain this concept for your scene or montage choice (film time:stamp).
Q2. Regarding developing a worldview, choose a scene that exemplifies an artistic scene regarding an extremist ideological issue and explain how this was dealt with by the director from an artistic cinematic tactic. (Provide the image time:stamp.)
Q3. Find a recent credible media story that demonstrates similar extremist religious ideological issues for women in the USA. Include the story link.
FOLLOW THE RULES: USE FILM LANGUAGE
No repeated scenes, please. (Unless you have a completely different read & reference.) From opening to ending, the artistic cinematic tactics are non-stop. . .seriously.
BE UNIQUE & DIG DEEP
DUE: Mar 9 by midnight (50 pts)
18 comments:
Q1. 00:18:40-00:20:30 A powerful scene demonstrating "living in two cultures" occurs when Osama's mother and grandmother cut off her braids and dressed her in boys' clothes (time stamp not available). This scene visually represents the stark contrast between Osama's true identity as a girl and the male persona she must adopt to survive under Taliban rule. The act of cutting her hair symbolizes the severing of her female identity, while dressing in male clothing represents the new culture she must inhabit. The planting of her braids in a pot, watered with an IV bottle, artistically illustrates the preservation of her true self while she outwardly conforms to the oppressive society.
Q2. 00:46:00- 00:51:00 A scene that exemplifies an artistic approach to extremist ideology is when the mullah conducting "sex education" for boys, including the disguised Osama, demonstrates proper washing techniques. The director uses this scene to highlight the absurdity and hypocrisy of the Taliban's extreme interpretation of Islam. By focusing on the mullah's leering gaze and Osama's terror, Barmak creates a palpable sense of tension and danger. The clinical, detached manner in which the mullah discusses bodily functions contrasts sharply with the underlying sexual tension, emphasizing the warped nature of the Taliban's ideology and its impact on both men and women.
Q3. A recent credible media story demonstrating extremist religious ideological issues for women in the USA is the ACLU's report on Project 2025, published on February 20, 2025. This report highlights plans to severely restrict abortion access, including reviving the 19th-century Comstock Act to ban abortion medications and materials from being sent through the U.S. Postal Service, and pushing for the reversal of the FDA's approval of mifepristone. These proposals, backed by conservative think tanks and former Trump administration officials, represent a significant threat to women's reproductive rights in the United States.
https://www.aclu.org/project-2025-explained
Caroline Lipscomb
Q1. The act of “living in two cultures,” is displayed in a scene where hospital visitors and employees must explain to the Taliban why they are there. To protect themselves from the punishment they’d endure if they told the truth, they each take on fake identities for that conversation. While they are living in a culture ruled by hate and torment, they are living a life of service to one another in love. The juxtaposition they create, even while being in the same realm as a completely different ruling, is extreme (00:10:02).
Q2. There is a scene in which the camera scans over all the boys’ heads- boys that have just been chosen to join Taliban training- thus creating a sea of white head turbans. One boy can recite the Quran and is chosen to do so with his knowledge being highlighted in front of everyone. This scene served as a glimpse into how the Taliban-based worldview is cultivated; they are all made the same in appearance and mentality, and they are hungry for praise as they attempt to do all they can to move up in rank (00:42:14).
Q3. The FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) is still active, forcing girls as young as 12 years of age into marriage with the cult leaders who practice polygamy.
The twisted world of Warren Jeffs: Former FLDS members speak out - ABC News
Cody Menzies
Q1) The "living in two cultures" part really hit me when it show the girl having to bathe with boys at the (00:52:21) and just the next seen she has to put on a dress to attend a wedding. (00:54:21) The internal conflict the young girl must have to deal with two play two roles has to take a major toll on her mind.
Q2) At the (01:09:10) scene you see where the trial is played out by the judge and the verdicts of the victims becomes a harsh reality. This shows how extreme the Taliban are by stoning a woman to death, marrying away a young child among other extreme things.
Q3) In Oklahoma a law maker is trying to make it to where public schools engage in religion courses.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/feb/27/oklahoma-project-2025-education?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Q1: The scene in Osama that demonstrates "living in two cultures" occurs at around 35:00, when Osama, still disguised as a boy, is at a public market. As she walks through the marketplace, the camera captures her blending in with the men, yet there’s a subtle discomfort in her movement, highlighting the tension between her true identity as a girl and the forced male persona she must adopt. This scene symbolizes the struggle of navigating two cultures—her own, which values female identity, and the Taliban-imposed culture, which demands conformity to oppressive gender roles. The visual contrast between her true self and the mask she wears conveys the emotional burden of living between two conflicting realities.
Q2: In the scene in Osama that exemplifies an extremist ideological issue occurs around 48:00, when Osama witnesses a public execution by the Taliban. The director, Siddiq Barmak, uses long, lingering shots and silent moments, focusing on the bystanders' faces especially Osama's conveying fear and helplessness. This cinematic approach avoids sensationalizing the violence, instead highlighting the psychological toll of living under extremist rule. The stillness and lack of music intensify the emotional impact, illustrating how extremist ideologies permeate daily life and shape the worldview of those affected by such repression.
Q3: The article from The Media Line, titled "Terror in the West: What’s Behind the Wave of Extremist Violence in the US and Europe," examines the growing trend of extremist violence in Western countries. It highlights how both radical Islamic ideologies and far-right extremism are fueling attacks and societal unrest. The piece explores the factors behind this rise in violence, including political polarization, radicalization, and the targeting of vulnerable groups like women and minorities. The article sheds light on the challenges these ideologies pose to individual rights and social stability in the U.S. and Europe.
https://themedialine.org/by-region/terror-in-the-west-whats-behind-the-wave-of-extremist-violence-in-the-us-and-europe/
Q1. While Osama does not explicitly depict a character navigating two distinct cultural identities, one scene metaphorically reflects this struggle—the scene where Osama is taught how to pray with the boys (45:00- 50:00) Osama is physically disguised as a boy, forcing her to "live" in a male-dominated world while internally remaining a girl. She must suppress her identity to survive, embodying a struggle between imposed gender roles and her real self. Pretending to belong to a world she does not fit into mirrors the experience of individuals caught between two cultures or identities.
Q2. (around 01:10:00 - 01:15:00) where Osama is exposed as a girl and sentenced. The director uses tight framing and close-ups on Osama’s terrified face to emphasize her vulnerability. Muted lighting and desaturated colors enhance the bleakness of the situation. The low camera angles make the Taliban judges appear more imposing and powerful. The contrast between silence and the harsh voices of the men emphasizes Osama’s powerlessness, illustrating how extremist ideology strips women of agency.
Q3. A recent case involves Christian fundamentalist influences on reproductive rights and gender roles in the U.S. For example, laws restricting abortion access in several states have been linked to religious extremism, impacting women's rights.
https://www.npr.org/2024/05/31/nx-s1-4987267/texas-supreme-court-upholds-strict-abortion-ban?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Q1: At (00:02:26 - 00:06:43) in the beginning you see women marching for their right to hold jobs. During the Taliban rule, they enforced a harsh interpretation of Islamic law and prohibited women from working due to their extremist beliefs. However, upon closer reading, the rules of Islam state that women are allowed to hold jobs but have heavy restrictions placed upon them. One culture dreams of a progressive future, while the other clings to a more conservative and outdated one. To this day, they are still fighting to regain their rights in Afghanistan
Q2: At (00:12:03) after the Taliban raid of the hospital. During the hurried evacuation as everyone is seen rushing out, the still shot stays on a child who has some sort of leg injury and is left behind as he limps down the hall. As stated in Q1 they forbid any woman from holding any sort of job, foreigner or not. The female doctors are there to tend to the community but are taken away and imprisoned for their actions due to the Taliban’s extremist point of view.
Q3: This article details the rising number of “Christian faith” based bills Texas legislation attempted to pass. While this doesn’t directly impact women now, Texas Legislators aren’t shy about bringing their personal beliefs into politics. One example of legislation using faith as a tactic to push an agenda is the abortion ban. With Texas being a historically conservative state, many believe that it’s not “god’s will” and is “a sin” for women to get an abortion.
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/12/texas-ten-commandments-school-prayer/
Q1 (27:22) Osama is now working as a boy and being allowed to go outside, but at home, she puts on her hijab and seeks comfort from her grandmother while lying on her lap. She is living in two cultures of working as a boy and having to learn how to act like one, but still seeking comfort in what is familiar to her like her grandmother and her hijab.
Q2 (35:11) When Osama is helping stir the milk she draws a girl on the window that then shows us the POV of the drawing looking out watching people pass. Girls are not allowed to go outside without a man and this shows how often Osama has stared out watching the world pass her and unable to interact with it like she wants to. Her worldview she has learned is that the girls should not be seen or heard in public and it's safer inside, but it means losing freedoms in her life because of her gender.
Q3 Southern Baptist Convention opposed the use of IVF, used by women unable to conceive. The procedure is seen as “dehumanizing” by the church and not the ‘natural way God intended’. They are shaming the procedure and the families that were created by it. It’s said that the Church “should not dictate your relationship with Christ.” Abortion is also shamed by the church and now they are shaming a procedure that helps infertility.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/southern-baptist-convention-opposition-ivf-faithful-women-options-rcna156994
Caroline Lipscomb
Link for Post 7:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/twisted-world-warren-jeffs-former-flds-members-speak/story?id=107493397
Q1: 8-10 minutes in you see the women are meant to not work they are barely given a salary if given anything at all. But the women are still working in the hospital that is being shut down. They are still there helping the sick and old. Even though they are being threatened and abused not to. They are taught not to work and to not do anything against the Taliban yet they are still there to help.
Q2: Minute 3 - 5 When the taliban first appear the women who are dressed from head to toe are seen protesting. These women when alerted of there presence begin to flee. These women are only looking to be able to provide, but the fear of the Taliban is greater than anything. The director by showing the women running and screaming and being sprayed by water is showing the oppression they face under the Taliban ruling.
Q3: As seen in previous movies we have seen similar issues with women should be seen but not heard and extremist religious groups all expect the same.
https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/holy-hate-far-rights-radicalization-religion/
Author: Jaylen Galvan
Q1. (55:45) This scene of the Taliban crashing the neighbors’ wedding contrasts two different cultures, where in one the women are allowed free will and the other women are seen as objects only to be used by males.
Q2. (58:35-1:00:30) This scene starts with Osama being pressured by the boys to climb the tree. She successfully does it but then has trouble getting down and calls her friend for help. The whole camp of boys then crowds the tree as if they were wishing for her to fall even after she successfully made the climb. I think this scene showcases the extremist ideological issue that men will never be seen as equal to women even if women demonstrate the potential to be independently successful.
Q3. This story details the trend of misogynistic people attacking women on social media with the phrase, “your body my choice,” following Donald Trump’s reelection. Although this doesn’t showcase religious extremism, it showcases the fast-growing potential as many young men in particular are growing in this environment of feeling comfortable and emboldened harassing women.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/11/business/your-body-my-choice-movement-election/index.html
Jayden Thompson
Q1) (53:59) Osama and her mother are able to go and seek work at their neighbors wedding whereas other women are having to fight for the right to even be able to work. This shows the difference in the two cultures that are being shown in the film and the different lives these women experience just based off their origin and the beliefs set there.
Q2) There is a scene with women all dressed in blue with their heads covered protesting, they are fighting for their right to work. This was an artistic way to show how these women band together by wearing the same clothes and using each other for strength and courage to fight for their rights. (2:41)
Q3) This article covers the ugly parts of religion that some women go through such as extreme underage marriages and abuse. https://2021-2025.state.gov/freedom-of-religion-or-belief-and-womens-rights/
1. (40:00 - 43:00), In "Osama 2003" there is a short sequence in which Osama, disguised as a boy, is required to perform showers alongside other boys before prayer. This scene spotlights her struggle to navigate two distinct identities simultaneously: she must outwardly pass as a male to stay safe under Taliban rule yet internally remains a young girl. The contrast—conforming to the boys’ ritual while hiding her true self—artistically conveys what it means to live in two cultures.
2. (9:00 - 13:00) In "Osama 2003", there is a scene in which Taliban fighters take over the women’s hospital, forcibly shutting it down under the pretext of maintaining “religious” and “moral” codes. This extreme restriction of medical care exemplifies the oppressive ideology at the heart of the film. Director Siddiq Barmak deals with this thematically heavy moment artistically by using handheld camera shots that track the panicked staff and patients through cramped corridors. The unsteady cinematography mirrors the chaos and fear, immersing the viewer in the dark worldview the Taliban impose.
3. This article details how stringent abortion bans often backed by religious or moral arguments are producing dangerous scenarios for pregnant women. Doctors, fearful of legal repercussions, may delay or withhold care, threatening the patient’s life or health. While not identical to Taliban-era Afghanistan, it reveals how rigid faith-based policies in the U.S. can also endanger women’s basic autonomy and well-being.
https://www.npr.org/2023/10/25/1208577441/patients-struggle-to-navigate-abortion-with-changing-laws-and-provider-confusion
Q1. (3:20)
In this scene we see a woman who is part of the protest, holding a baby boy. Although a baby, the infant is already living in a different culture. The baby boy already has rights that the women do not. Both live in the same country but will have two different life experiences. As a boy, he will be taught how women should act and how he should interact with them. These lessons will influence his values, thinking, and actions. At the same time, he will also be exposed to the cultures of women first-hand because of his interactions with his mother in his early years of life. He will hear and see the experiences she will go through.
Q2. (39:40)
In this scene boys are taken from their homes. The director included a shot of a Taliban member removing a boy from his house as his parents followed behind watching helplessly. The next shot shows a crowd of boys moving down a street. The director uses these artistic cinematic tactics to emphasize the seriousness of the event. Some from a different culture may feel this event is disturbing, wrong, and extreme; but from a world view standpoint we can seek to understand the value and meaning behind this event to better understand the culture.
Q3.
In this example we see a religious schoolteacher fired because she was pregnant and unmarried. This event may seem extreme to some, and others may not find any issues with it.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/new-jersey-high-court-sides-catholic-school-teacher-fired-premarital-s-rcna100232
Q1. (00:39:40) In this scene we see Osama being taken along with boys to be trained for war. As Osama is forced into military training, she is not facing the physical training, but also the emotional and physiological conditioning required by the Taliban regime. In this scene Osama’s internal conflict is clear. While she is in training, the reality is that she is a girl, living a false life of being a boy.
Q.2 (00:13:52-00:14:35) Osama and her mother are riding a bike when they are stopped by the Taliban soldiers who demand the mother to cover her feet. This scene highlights the extremists ideological issue of gender oppression under the Taliban. It shows the extreme control over the woman’s appearance. The Cinematic tactic used was the director uses a close-up shot of the mothers feet to highlight the violation of the dress code.
Q3. (2019) Florida Representative Mike Hill introduced an anti-abortion bill, claiming that God spoke to him about the issue. Hill, a Republican, emphasized his deeply held religious beliefs as the driving force behind his legislative actions.
https://kfoxtv.com/news/nation-world/florida-rep-mike-hill-says-he-introduced-anti-abortion-bill-because-god-spoke-to-me
Callie Smith
1.) At 1:04:15, the boy is revealed to be a girl and a face covering is immediately put over her face. The boys were allowed to run around without any sort of face covering and she was immediately put into one and arrested.
2.) At 1:02:02, a little boy is hanging from a rope down his back in a well as a form of punishment. He is crying loudly and there are several other boys around that have to see this happening to him as a punishment. The scene shows nothing but the dirt around, which portrays a vague color, with him right in the center, highlighting the issue.
3.) This website discusses some of the issues that Muslim women face in the United States and how these attacks on this group of people have to stop.
https://henryjacksonsociety.org/event/religious-extremism-title-tbc/
1. At 00:45:00 Osama, a girl pretending to be a boy, is trying to act more masculine in her body language, walking, and her verbal language as well, how she talks. This shows the gender norms on Afghanistan and how woman is forbidden to do male dominated roles.
2. At 00:57:00 the boys are taught extremist ideology by an instructor on a small dark room. The director uses camera angles to show the instructors as towering over the boys, making them all powerful, and the kids as small and powerful by using opposing upward and downward angles.
3. One that stands out that I agree with was an executive order signed by President Trump recognizing only two genders. I believe this to be a win for woman in todays society because now it affirms there are only two genders, male/female. This way woman will have more ground to stand on when it comes to trans men trying to compete against them in sports or invading their bathrooms/locker rooms.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/29/donald-trump-executive-orders-signed-list?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Q1. At (00:28), Osama is asked to change from her feminine shoes to masculine ones. Unlike the earlier changes to her hair and clothing, which she accepted silently, this moment triggers hesitation, she questions it. The shoes symbolize the last trace of her femininity and identity as a girl. This scene artistically demonstrates “living in two cultures”: the internal conflict between her true self and the male persona she must adopt for survival under Taliban rule. The act of changing shoes marks a painful step further into the identity she is being forced to assume.
Q2. At (01:04), Osama is seen jump roping in a room full of women imprisoned for defying the Taliban. The atmosphere is quiet and still, with most of the frame dominated by dull blue tones, symbolizing sadness and oppression. In contrast, Osama’s bright yellow jump rope often associated with joy visually stands out, symbolizing her desperate attempt to cling to childhood innocence amidst a harsh, adult reality. The director uses this stark color contrast and isolated movement to artistically highlight the tragic loss of innocence under extremist ideological control.
Q3. A recent example is the proposed SAVE Act, which would disproportionately affect married women whose last names differ from their birth certificates. If passed, it would make proving citizenship more difficult for these women, potentially restricting their right to vote. Critics argue this is part of a broader Christian nationalist effort to disenfranchise women and limit their autonomy, reflecting how religious extremism can influence policy in ways that undermine women’s rights.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/christian-nationalist-plot-disenfranchise-women-110000265.html
From Clark: all comments are graded and posted. The primary numerous GSP errors. Please be sure to follow "The Rules."
Please pay attention to detail & use film language & comm theory, (not just your opinion) to answer the questions as assigned.
You guys did great on the various local media examples. The variety was great and I hope you guys checked out each other's comments. (It's actually a rule for which I did not deduct points for repeated comments, but I will for the rest of the films).
Also, who is the unnamed anonymous person???
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