When Worlds Collide...

Here are some excerpts from the final paper I had to write for one of my classes. We could write on basically anything we could think of as it related to the Festival and our own personal experiences. It's long, but sums up one aspect of my own experience here.

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Arguably the most important film festival in the world, the Festival de Cannes draws crowds from around the globe. People are present to buy and sell films, to watch a selection of international cinema, or just to catch a glimpse of a celebrity. The sheer number of people in attendance is overwhelming. When one considers the countries represented by those people, it becomes clear the Festival is truly a singular event.

This year, I had the opportunity to attend the Festival for the first time. What an experience! Having only a Cinephile badge (the lowest available), I was not sure what movies I would be able to see or how successful I would be in my endeavor to broaden my cinematic horizons. Looking back, I recognize that I was fortunate to see seventeen movies total, three of which were gala premieres (red carpet and everything!).

The first movie I saw was The Da Vinci Code. It was not in competition, but did hold the distinction of officially opening the Festival. Upon gaining my invitation, I did not realize that I would be observing the opening ceremony as well as the film itself.

I took my seat and settled in for the show. Before I knew it, the Festival judges and jury president were introduced. I recognized jury members Samuel L. Jackson, Zhang Ziyi, Monica Bellucci, and Helena Bonham Carter. The jury president was a man I had read about in preparation for the Festival, but whose work I still have never seen. Wong Kar Wai was brought on stage and delivered a brief statement to the audience. After his speech, Sidney Poitier “respectfully declare[d] the 59th Cannes Film Festival officially open.” Poitier was the only one that evening to receive a standing ovation from the crowd, and I stood right along with them! To close the ceremony, a Latin soprano sang an Italian aria. I think I finally realized, in that moment, just exactly where I was. It was awesome, in the truest sense of the word.

What also sank in during the song, especially, was a keen awareness of the myriad cultures and backgrounds experiencing the exact same moment. It struck me that in music, language often doesn’t matter. I had a feeling the same would be true in movies. I was proved right. That sense of multiculturalism stuck with me throughout the Festival. Several movies probed what happens when worlds collide. Fast Food Nation and Babel, in particular, dealt with this topic.

(...about Fast Food Nation)
With the American attitude toward immigrants being what it is, Fast Food Nation could not be more relevant. Arguments rage about borders, opportunities, and rights. Americans feel protective of their land and culture. Mexicans and other immigrants are simply trying to provide a better life for their families. It’s hard to know where to draw the line.

In the final scene of Fast Food Nation, another Mexican family is crossing the border. Their driver (who also drove Raol and Sylvia) hands the two little boys Itty Bitty meals from Mickey’s and says simply, “Welcome to the United States.” Coupled with the rest of the movie, this line communicates more in what is not said than what is. Sure, welcome to the United States. Where we’ll kick your butt at work, you won’t understand the language, you may be brutally injured on the job, and corporate won’t care. We hate animals and allow a certain amount of their feces into the food, but we’ll give you a free toy in every Itty Bitty meal. So, welcome to the United States. And good luck to you while you’re here.

(...about Babel)
Many movies bring other cultures and traditions into the white culture. Those in the academia who study the concept of the Other would say this is just propaganda. It encourages white people, and particularly white Americans, to see themselves as the norm, while all others are outsiders looking in. I appreciated Babel’s attempt to reverse this concept, and it worked particularly well when seen from the children’s perspective.

My own experience in France has been one of the Other. I have been outside my own culture, away from things familiar, surrounded by foreigners. No, wait. I’m the foreigner.

Having been raised in America, a certain amount of egocentrism is generally present in the back of my mind. I like to think of myself as globally minded, yet I found would look around and think, “They don’t speak English,” and “They eat odd food.” Yet here I am in their country. What right do I possibly have to expect them to conform to my preferences? As the technical Other in this situation, shouldn’t I be the one to conform? Or, if not to conform, at least to respect that I am the outsider. I am the one coming in to their space. I am the one colliding.

In addition to forcing culture clashes, Babel also explores the concept of inter-connectivity and degrees of separation. Though all of the characters are scattered to the far ends of the globe, they are connected to one another. Sometimes by just the smallest thread, but connected nonetheless.

I had the chance to meet so many people during the course of the Festival. For the purposes of this paper (and because it would have made a really cool story), I wish I could say I met someone who knows someone who knows someone I know. Unfortunately, that did not happen to me. That I know of. And that’s really the point, isn’t it? Perhaps that old idea that only six people separate us from any other person on the planet isn’t that far out after all.

(...Conclusions)
Through all of these cultural encounters, the clash has been everpresent. Looking back on the experience, however, I wonder: Why must differences be a source of dissonance among people? Is it impossible to live in a world where differences are simply respected and even celebrated?

Standing in line for a film, I struck up a conversation with the people around me (as I often do), and someone pointed out that we had in our group a few Americans, a French woman, an English man, several Italians, and a Swede. “We’ve formed our own little U.N. right here,” said the Englishman. “Let’s work on world peace.”

What was very humorous was also somewhat profound. Here we all were, divided by lines on a map, yet united by a common love of cinema. In another situation, our countrymen may end up pointing guns at each other and yelling across enemy lines. But we were not only peaceful, we were eager to discover difference. We did not judge. We did not insult. We were not comparing in order to find out who was better than whom, but simply to share a stolen moment in the midst of a swirling machine bigger than all of us.

I believe there is something that unites all humanity. Yet, for some reason, we feel compelled to form some sort of hierarchy so that some are better and some are worse. Guessing at the motivation behind that hierarchical structure is a subject for another paper. The simple fact is, the hierarchy exists. Cultures are placed on the spectrum and their citizens are subject to the rules of the game.

When two or more worlds collide, whether it be portrayed on the screen or lived in real life, it can be stressful. Confusing. Unsettling. But I believe there’s hope for it to also be educational. Interesting. Dare I say, fun. What must be present is an awareness of the harmony innate within the human race. What must be encouraged is a healthy respect for difference. What must occur is a collision that leaves everyone changed for the better