Gran Torino Film Analysis

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or film, in the film you can't (you can only hear them if there is an off-comment), so there is often more room for interpretation in the film > a film has special stylistic devices, e.g. camera operations, lighting > a film has other stylistic devices (concerning the language), e.g. alliterations > In a film, it is easier to create an atmosphere (with colours, music, light...) Part I contents in a nutshell: In the first part of the film, a widower has problems with his family and his Asian neighbours because of his rude attitude. in detail: On a sunny day, a funeral takes place in a church. A man is standing next to a coffin with the photo of a woman in front of it - it is apparently the wife of the man who is going to be buried. A man stands up from his pew, goes over to him and gives him his condolences. A group of teenagers - presumably the widower's grandchildren - belatedly enters the church, comes to the coffin and make the sign of the cross. Among them is a girl whose clothes are not appropriate for a funeral; the shirt is short and showing her bellybutton piercing; a boy is also inappropriately dressed in a football jersey. The man is watching them with a sad and disgusted face. When the children have sat down in one the front rows, they are laughing respectlessly. His sons are also at the funeral with their wives, criticizing the widower and wondering what will happen to the widower now that his wife has died. After the service at church, there is a funeral feast at the house of the widower. The priest who held the funeral service is also there, trying to get the widower to go to confession, but the widower says that he is not interested and only went to church because of his wife. In the house of the Asian neighbours of the widower, there is also a celebration, but not in honour of a dead woman, but in order of a baby that has been born. A boy from this house goes to the widower and asks him for a bumper cable, but the widower rudely sends him away. The boy is also not very well-respected in his own house, because his grandmother criticizes him for letting his sister boss him around and for washing the dishes, which she regards as women's work and makes her consider him as less manly. Quotes-- - Look at the way the old man glared at Ashley. Can't even tone it down for Mom's funeral. - What do you expect? Dad's still living in the 50s. He expects his granddaughter to dress a little more modestly. -Well, your kid's wearing a Lion's jersey. I'm sure Dad appreciates that. - The point is that there's nothing anyone can do that won't disappoint the old man. It's inevitable. You know, that's why we stopped doing Thanksgivings. You know, that deal with the boat motor, the broken birdbath. It's always something. - What are we gonna do with him? Don't you think he's gonna get in trouble all by himself in the old neighbourhood? - Well, why don't you have him move in with you? (Pause, chuckles) - Ha, ha, ha. - I am just so brokenhearted. I want my daughter to find another husband. If she married again, there would be a man in the house. -What about Thao? The man of the house is right there. - Look at him washing dishes. He does whatever his sister orders him to do. How could he ever become the man of the house? - Be patient, once he's older, he will be the man of the house. - No way. Part II contents in a nutshell: Thao's cousin's gang forces him to steal Walt's car in order to become a member of their gang, but he fails because Walt drives him away with a rifle. The next day, Walt gets into a fight with the whole gang who try to take Thao away when he drives them away with his rifle, too, he becomes a hero to his Hmong neighbours. in detail: Thao is walking down the street when he is bothered by some guys in a car (a Mexican gang), whom he tries to ignore. His cousin, the leader of a gang, is also in a car with the other gang members and drives the Mexican gang away. He wants Thao to join them in the car, but Thao does not want to. He forces Thao to become a member of the gang. As a sort of entrance test, he has to steal Walt's Gran Torino. Thao tries to do so, but does not succeed since Walt shows up with a gun, but Thao manages to escape. The next day, Mitch calls. He says that he has no real reason to call, but later it turns out that he wants to get some Lions tickets with Walt's help. The priest shows up and tries to get Walt to go to confession again, but Walt again declines. Earlier, they already met in a bar, where Walt and his friends made discriminating jokes, and Father Janovich and Walt had another conversation on life and death. The gang comes to Thao's house and harasses him and tries to force Thao to come with them. A bawl ensues, which Walt's ends by appearing with his rifle and telling Thao and his attackers to get off his lawn. The gang leaves the scene. The next day, Walt gets a lot of presents from his Hmong neighbours, including Thao's sister Sue, who thanks him for scaring away the gang. Thao apologizes for trying to steal the car. Later, Walt is at a barber shop where he apparently goes quite often. He seems to be quite friendly with the barber, yet they insult each other constantly with partly racist jokes (Walt is called a ,,Po- lack" by the barber). recurring themes: a) Walt's health b) Father Janovich c) culture clash d) Walt's family - When Walt interrupts Thao stealing his car, he slips in the garage and coughs up blood - He is seen drinking in a bar - He spends a lot of his time smoking on his porch - He has a very hoarse voice, probably as a consequence of smoking - He shows up very often and urges Walt to go to confession - they have a discussion on life and death, in which Walt opens up a little to Father Janovich about the Korean War Father Janovich tells Walt that other men found peace after talking to someone about their war trauma, but Walt thinks that he can live with his memories and does not need to talk about it. - When Father Janovich tells him that he understands that Walt suffers from the horrible things he was ordered to do, Walt tells him that the worse things are the things you are not ordered to do - implying that he might think that he does not deserve redemption. - Walt lived in Korea for three years, where terrible things happened, e.g. the Korean War - there are various fights between different ethnic groups, also between a Mexican gang and a Hmong gang - He talks about his experience with "people like you" in the war, alt- hough he fought against Koreans and not against Hmongs, so all Asian people are the same to him - his neighbours are still nice to him, give him presents and try to talk to him in a friendly way, even though he is very rude to them and tells them that he does not want their attention - in this part, there is no positive development in respect to his problems with his Asian neighbours on the contrary, it gets even worse, since Thao has tried to steal Walt's car Walt has another lukewarm conversation with Mitch on the telephone, after Mitch has called him - at first pretending that he does not have a particular reason to call, but then it turns out that he wants to get some Lions ticket through Walt. It is also implied that Mitch's wife took some of Walt's wife's jewelry. However, Walt does not mention the burglary to Mitch and claims that nothing extraordinary has happened. e) the Gran Torino Part III contents The Gran Torino is expensive and in a very good condition. It is valuable to a lot of people: first of all for Walt, who gives his best to keep it in a good shape, and also for the Hmong gang. The Gran Torino is the prize Thao is supposed to steal as an entrance test into the gang, but Walt aggressively defends his car with a gun. in a nutshell: Gradually getting to know the Vang Lor family better and realizing that they are much friendlier and considerate than his own family, Walt starts feeling more and more comfortable with them. in detail: - Thao's sister is tortured by some guys in the street. Driving by, Walt sees this and threatens the guys with a gun and takes Thao's sister home. During the drive, they bond a little, and a sort of friendship springs up - It is Walt's birthday and his son and daughter-in-law visit him and give him presents especially aimed at the elderly (a gopher, a telephone with extra big numbers). They also suggest to him that he should move into a retirement home and give him brochures for some of these. Angrily, Walt kicks them out - Sue invites Walt to some festivity (a barbecue) at her house. At first, Walt does not want to go, but since he has run out of beer and Sue tells him that there is beer at her place, he goes over with her - at the barbecue, Walt learns more about Hmong traditions and gets to know the family better - the family shaman talks to Walt and analyses Walt's character. He tells him that there is something that he regrets and that he is not at peace with himself - Walt discovers that he has a lot more in common with his neighbours than with his family - he has another coughing fit and Sue is the first person to realize that he has some health problems - at the beginning, people are reserved to him, but after some time, he sits in the kitchen surrounded by Hmong ladies who serve him food, apparently enjoying himself - Sue takes him into the basement, where a lot of young people are gathered. Walt gets to know a girl called Youa who seems to be interested in Thao. When she has left the basement, Walt berates Thao for not making a pass at Youa and not responding to her interest - the next day, Hmong people once again come to his house and give him food, which he now ac- cepts, inviting the people to bring the food into his house. - In the final scene of this passage, Sue, Mrs Vang Lor and Thao appear on Walt's porch, and the women tell Walt that Thao will work for him in order to make amends for trying to steal the car, which has dishonoured the family. At first, Walt refuses this offer, but finally reluctantly agrees recurring themes: a) Walt's health b) Father Janovich - after talking to the shaman, Walt has another coughing fit and coughs up blood, so his health is definitely getting worse presumably he has lung cancer. He also drinks a lot of beer and eats only a little - he should take better care of himself, both in respect to his physical health as to his mental health - his biggest issue is his loneliness does not appear in this passage c) culture clash d) Walt's family e) the Gran Torino - nevertheless, there is another religious person playing a role in this pas- sage: Kor Khue, the family shaman. He tries to give Walt advice to lead him back to the proper path. The way how he talks to Walt reminds him of Father Janovich urging him to go to confession. Like Father Janovich, Kor Khue sug- gests that something bad happened in Walt's past that spoils his present for him - Walt saw Thao helping an old lady, which impressed him in spite of himself - there is a conflict between a black gang and Sue and her date, which Walt is caught up in - there are a lot of gangs in the neighbourhood - at the barbecue, Walt first makes some faux pas, but then he learns more about the Hmong culture - Walt likes the food at the barbecue and when Sue teaches him about the customs, he respects them - he becomes more and more open to the culture, agreeing to talk to the shaman - his relationship to his neighbours improves and he accepts their gifts now - Mitch and Karen visit Walt for his birthday and give him gifts for the very elderly- a "gopher" and a telephone with extra large numbers, implying that he will not be able to care for himself for long, because he is too old - this also shows that they do not really listen to him, because they talk about him but not with him - about his future - it also shows that they did not choose their gifts on the basis of what Walt would like (or really need) - it also shows that they do not visit him often/ do not know him very well, because if they did, they would know that he is able to care for himself - when they leave his house, they talk about the fact that they should have known that it would be better not to come, implying that they already had negative thoughts about coming before they even came - Mitch and Karen were not accompanied by their children - they stayed at home on heir grandfather's birthday, showing little they care for him - they just want Walt out of the house - Thao has to work for Walt in order to make amends for trying to steal the Gran Torino. Apparently, the Gran Torino serves as a plot device to bring Walt and Thao closer How Walt became friendly with the Vang Lor family - Walt saved Sue from a couple of boys who bullied her - Walt got to know Sue better on the car ride home after the bullying event, and realized that she was not as bad as he had thought - later, Sue invites him to the family's barbecue - at the barbecue, he got to know the other family members better and learned a lot about Hmong customs - after the talk with the shaman, Walt realized that he had more in common with "these people" than with the rest of the family- he is impressed by the way how the young people care for the older people, how respectfully they treat them, that the whole family is a unit living in the same house - seeing the contrast between his own family and the Vang Lor family, he realizes what he lacks in his life and wishes to have - food and drink also played an important part in bringing him together with the Hmong: He initially just went over because he had run out of beer, then he started to enjoy the Hmong food several Hmong ladies were serving him and even flirted a little with them - in the ending, when some Hmong neighbours came with more gifts of food, he did not reject them, but invited him inside his house Youa So, what do you do? Walt Youa Walt Part IV Oh, I fix things, stuff like that. Like what? Well, I just fixed that dryer there, fixed my wife's friend's sink, and I took old Aunt Mary to the doctor's to get her prescription fixed up. And then I even fixed a door that hadn't even broken yet. contents in a nutshell: Over the course of this installment, Walt and Thao's relationship grows, with Walt becoming more and more protective of Thao and trying to defend him against the gang. in detail: - Thao starts working for Walt. At first, Walt does not have any jobs for him, but then he has the idea to make him repair the house opposite to his. All week long, Thao does difficult jobs for Walt. - Walt goes to the doctor's after coughing up blood again - after not having been at the doctor's for three years. His old doctor has retired and has been replaced by a young Asian woman - After the visit at the doctor's, he calls his son. Mitch starts making polite conversation, but soon says that he does not really have time for talking to Walt on the telephone - When Walt called Mitch he was looking at his test results from the doctor, which were apparently not at all good, so he was probably wanting to talk to Mitch about them, but he could not bring himself to do so. - Walt did some repair jobs for Thao, who helped him take his freezer out of his basement. Originally, Walt wanted to sell the freezer for 60 dollars, but he sold it to Thao for only 25. Then they went to the barber's so that Thao could learn how real men talked. - Walt offered to take Thao to a friend of his who works in construction, so that Thao could get a job at his construction site. When Thao got the job, Walt went to a hardware store with him and bought him some tools. - However, later Thao was again attacked by his cousin's gang - they harassed him and burned his cheek with a cigarette. - When Walt learns about this, he finds out where the gang lives and goes there. - He threatens a gang member with a gun after beating him up and tells him that the gang should leave Thao alone - In the final scene of this part, Walt had a barbecue with Thao, Sue, Youa and Mrs Vang Lor, feeling happy and relaxed Walt lends Thao his Gran Torino for a date with Youa recurring themes: a) Walt's health b) Father Janovich - After coughing up blood yet again, Walt went to the doctor's (for the first time in three years) in order to check out his medical condition. It is not directly said what his medical condition is, but apparently, his results were quite bad - no occurences - c) culture clash d) Walt's family e) the Gran Torino Thao Walt Thao Walt Thao Walt Thao Walt Thao here. Sue - Walt gets closer to his Hmong neighbour Thao and wants to end the gang problem Walt Sue Walt Sue - however, he was not pleased when he discovered that his doctor had re- tired and had been replaced by an Asian woman (and also when the doctor's assistant mispronounced his name, calling him "Koski") - in the ending, Walt invited his Hmong neighbours to a barbecue in his gar- den, which means that he has become much more open-minded towards them - After his visit at the doctor's, Walt calls Mitch on the telephone, but Mitch quickly ends the conversation, claiming that he is too busy (before, the fam- ily had a short argument about who should answer the call, signifying that no one is very keen on talking to Walt) - nevertheless, Mitch asks Walt to call him again at the weekend, so there are some positive feelings connected with this call => After seeing the close feelings of the Hmong family, Walt makes a step towards his own family, but in the end, does not talk to Mitch about the things that trouble him - In the course of the scene, Thao washes the Gran Torino - at the construction site, the super jokes about getting the Gran Torino as a favour in exchange for taking Thao on => These scenes stress the fact that the Gran Torino is very valuable and coveted by many - We learn that Walt worked in car manufacturing - with Ford - and built in the steering wheel of the Gran Torino himself Walt Here's the deal. I take the top because that's the heaviest. I pull on that, and you stand right back here and you push and help me push it up each step. Just like that. Then let me take the top. - Thao confesses that stealing the Gran Torino was part of his initiation - Walt lends Thao his Gran Torino for a date with Youa, proving that their relationship has evolved from extreme hostility to a friendship or even a fa- ther-son relationship Go ahead. I don't care if you insult me or say racist things. Because you know what? I'll take it. Yeah, of course you'll take it, because you have no teeth, you have no balls, kid. No, no, I've got the top. Really, I'll take the top. It looks pretty heavy. Look, I'm not crippled. I've got the top. If you don't let me take the top, I ain't helping. I'll go back home. Now listen to me, zipperhead - No, you listen, old man. I'm here because you needed help. So it's either top or I'm out of It's nice of you to kind of look after him like this. He doesn't have any real role models in his life. Well, I'm not any role-model. But you're a good man, Wally. I wish our father would've been more like you. Don't go calling me Wally. No, I'm serious. He was really hard on us, really traditional, and really old school. Walt Yeah, well, I'm old-school. Sue Yeah, but you're an American. Walt What's that supposed to mean? Sue (shrugs) You like him, don't you? Walt Are you kidding? He tried to steal my car. Sue Uh-huh. And you spend time with him, teach him how to fix things, saved him from that fucked cousin of ours. Walt Sue Walt Hey. Watch your language, lady. And you're a good man. I'm not a good man. Get me another beer, dragon lady, this one's empty. How Walt became friendly with Thao: - Thao earned Walt's respect by 1. helping the old woman who dropped her shopping and whom no one else wanted to help, 2. working very hard on the tasks Walt set him - Thao helped Walt and Walt helped Thao, so Walt got the feeling that he was needed and wanted Thao wanted to carry the heavier part of the freezer, implying that he cared about Walt's health - with Thao, Walt sort of has a "second chance" at fatherhood, he can be a better father for him than he was for his sons: he cares for Thao, lends him tools, "mans him up" so that Thao can stand up better for himself (and gain the self-confidence to ask Youa out on a date), gets him a job so that Thao can earn some money in order to go to school and get a good education, gets protective of Thao when he is hurt by the gang - lending him his Gran Torino is the ultimate "seal of approval", with that Walt proves that he trusts Thao now Part V contents in a nutshell: After another violent and brutal attack from the gang, Walt sacrifices his life in order to save Sue and Thao by making the gang kill him, leading to their arrest. in detail: - The gang members of Thao's cousin's gang attacked Thao's house by driving by and shooting through the window. Walt went over there and asked for Sue. She had gone to their aunt - but wasn't there when Thao called. They got worried and waited for her. When she arrived, they saw that she had been beaten up- and raped. Thao got really worked up and wanted to kill the gang members that had attacked him. He went to Walt's house and asked him to help, because Walt had guns, but Walt told him to come back later, because he needed the time to think up a good plan. - Father Janovich visited him, and they had a chat. Father Janovich is worried about Walt's next steps. - Walt got a haircut and a tailored suit. Later, he went to Father Janovich and finally made his con- fession, telling Father Janovich about some minor sins and his bad relationship to his sons. - Father Janovich goes to the house of the gang with two policemen, but when nothing happens, they go away again. - When Thao returned, Walt led him into the basement and gave him his Silver Star as a present. He told Thao that he killed about thirteen men and that it felt horrible and he still thinks about it and does not want the same thing to happen to Thao. He locked him in the basement in order to protect him and called Sue in order to tell her where Thao was, so that she could get him out of the base- ment. Walt goes to the gang members' house at night and waits for them to come out. He provokes the gang into shooting him by taking his lighter out of his pocket, pretending that it is a gun. A lot of Asian people from the neighbourhood watched this event and later act as witnesses. The gang is arrested for shooting Walt, who was unarmed - the police now has enough evidence to put them into jail, there they are going to be for a long time. Thao and Sue arrive and see Walt's body being taken away by the ambulance. - Sue and Thao visit Walt's funeral in traditional dress (in the same church where there was the funeral for his wife) and learn that Walt has left his Gran Torino to Thao in his will (and not to his granddaughter; he also left his house to the church) In the last scene, Thao is driving along in the Gran Torino with Walt's dog Daisy by his side. recurring themes: a) Walt's health c) culture clash d) Walt's family e) the Gran Torino b) Father Janovich - in the ending Walt is dead - his poor health probably made it easier for him to let himself being shot, because he knew that he would not live much longer anyway - Walt fought against the gang - he gave Thao his Gran Torino - he gave the grandmother his dog, Daisy (after joking about Hmong people eating dogs) - Thao and Sue appear at the funeral in traditional dress, which could be interpreted as an action to prove that to them, Walt has become like a fam- ily member => he has given up any bad feelings towards his Asian neighbours - the grandchildren were better dressed this time, Mitch was crying - nevertheless, Walt did not leave his most prized possessions (the house, the Gran Torino) to his family, but to the church and Thao => he "showed his family the middle finger"/ had the last laugh, they did not care for him when he was alive, and now he shows them. - Walt has left his Gran Torino to Thao, which shows how strong their rela- tionship has grown - The Gran Torino is a sort of memorial for Walt - he appeared after the shooting and was very worried about Walt - Walt and Father Janovich got a little closer, they were drinking beer to- gether and Walt told Father Janovich to call him "Walt", after insisting ear- lier that Father Janovich call him "Mr Kowalski" - he tried to prevent the shooting - Father Janovich learned more about life and death from Walt (which he tells the congregation at Walt's funeral - Walt finally confessed to him and talked about his problems - however, he did not talk about the war trauma Father Janovich had referred to earlier => the reason for going to confession at church is the fact that he wants to do Father Janovich a favour - and also his dead wife. Apart from that, he, as a Catholic, needs a final absolution from his sins before he dies, and he in- tends to have himself shot. - later, Walt makes his "real" confession to Thao and talks about his war trauma, which he did not talk about to Father Janovich: In the Korea War, he shot a young boy who was just on the point of giving up, which had both- ered him all these years particularly since he got his Siver Star for this ac- tion, an action that he knew was wrong. Janovich Walt Janovich Walt Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. Janovich Walt Janovich Walt Janovich Walt => The fact that he makes his real confession to Thao shows how important Thao has become to him - he used to dislike him very much, but now he is his closest friend. Also, Walt sees a similarity between the boy he shot and Thao, and wants to prevent Thao from suffering his own fate.. Thao Walt Look, you've come a long way. I'm proud to say that you're my friend... What are your sins, my son? Well, in 1968, I kissed Betty Jablonski at the factory Christmas party. Dorothy was in the other room with the other wives. It just happened. Yes, go on. Well, I made a 900-dollar profit selling a boat and a motor. I didn't pay the taxes. It's the same as stealing. Yes, fine. Lastly, I was never very close with my two sons. I don't know them. I didn't know how. That's it? That's it? It's bothered me most of my life. Say 10 "Hail Marys" and five "Our Fathers." God loves you and forgives you, and I absolve you from all your sins. In the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Padre. Walt You wanna know what it's like to kill a man? Well, it's goddam awful, that's what it is. The only thing worse is getting a medal for killing some poor kid that wanted to just give up, that's all. Yeah, some scared little gook just like you. I shot him right in the face with that rifle you were holding in there a while ago. Not a day goes by that I don't think about it and you don't want that on your soul. Now. I got blood on my hands. I'm soiled. That's why I'm going it alone tonight. Walt! You take me with you right now. Let me out! Look, you've come a long way. I'm proud to say that you're my friend. But you got your whole life ahead of you. But me, I finish things. That's what I do. And I'm going it alone. Walt Kowalski once said to me that I didn't know anything about life or death because I was an over- educated 27-year-old virgin who held the hands of superstitious old women and promised them eternity. Walt definitely had no problem calling it like he saw it. But he was right. I knew really noth- ing about life or death until I got to know Walt. And, boy did I learn. => this means that not everything in life is what it appears to be on first glance, some things are differ- ent or even a little more complicated => everything has its back story; some people need more time to process what they have done, and then it is not enough to "say ten Hail Marys" and X "Our Fathers" => Walt showed him that it is possible to change => sometimes even an unhappy ending is a happy ending => He learned that different people have different ways of how to deal with their problems, going to confession (at church) is not the only one 1. Define the term "story of initiation", explain- ing the process and the effect of an initiation. A story of initiation - contains a deeply moving incident, which has a shocking effect and confronts the protagonist which a before unknown issue which is con- nected with the adult world, such as.. ... the discovery of evil ... the negative consequences of old age ... disillusionment with the trustworthiness of an adult . death ... sexuality . the sacred - this puts the protagonist through an existential crisis, manifesting itself by strong feelings both of disconcertment, perplexity or bewilderment and isolation - normally, the protagonist has to deal with this problem alone and has to overcome the crisis alone, but sometimes the process of initiation is supported by an adult - this helps the protagonist make progress in his self-discovery and helps him get a better self- knowledge and self-understanding - there might also be a character change (= the protagonist becomes more like an adult) 2. Explain where the term "initiation" originally comes from and why it is used in connection with this type of story. - the term is derived from the puberty ceremo- nies of primitive societies, where there were rit- uals and celebrations about the child becoming more mature and an adult - these rituals often included isolation, physical torture and the admission to tribal beliefs 3. Analyse in what way the film "Gran Torino" could be defined as a story of initiation. In the film, Thao has to struggle with becoming an adult. - Thao has to fight with his "evil" cousin, who harasses him and beats up and rapes his sister - he is confronted with Walt's declining health, due to his old age - In the ending, he is confronted with Walt's death - with Walt's help, he gets closer to Youa There are two crises in Thao's life: > his underdeveloped manhood and his prob- lems of fitting in > Spider's attack on his family and particularly Sue He does not have a real role model, but Walt be- comes a role model and helps him become more like a man. => He experiences justice, because the gang gets arrested => being locked up in Walt's basement, he learns that violence is no solution for a problem - He become more self-confident and more like an adult In order to get admitted into the "primitive soci- ety of the gang", Thao has to steal the Gran To- rino- this is the ordeal he has to suffer as his en- trance ritual. Had he succeeded, he would have been instructed into the (criminal) principles and rules of the gang and had gained the full status of a gang member Message of film? => Violence isn't always the answer! => Don't judge people according to your first impression /Don't judge a book by its cover! => Accept the help of others- you can learn from each other! => Change is possible! => Racism is bad! Does the American Dream feature in the American film Gran Torino? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. cultural pluralism the belief in progress - In the ending, however, Thao gets the Gran To- rino - not by stealing it but as a gift, because he has earned it. challenge of respective frontiers democracy, liberty, equality - Walt is able to overcome his own prejudices against Asian people the general attainability of success and op- When Walt and Thao talk about Thao's future, portunity Thao says that he has no money for school and little hope of getting a job. However, Thao goes from "rags to riches", because in the beginning, he does not have that much, but in the ending, he has a job, a car, a girlfriend and a dog! - Also, Thao got a reward for working hard for Walt manifest destiny Walt is a white American with Polish roots - Thao and his family are Hmong - there is a Mexican gang in the film, and also a black gang - Walt's barber is Italian - between a lot of these groups, there is a big cul- ture clash in connection with prejudices, but Walt is introduced into Hmong customs and is welcomed by the Hmong family - the Hmong family behave not much different from a typical American family, but do keep their ceremonies and traditions - Walt's and Thao's relationship progressed, and as a result, they progressed as characters - Walt was finally able to talk about his War trauma Walt's prejudices build a frontier between him and his neighbours Thao crosses the frontier between childhood and young adulthood -Thao and Sue's "liberty" is crossed by the gang, but Walt "liberates" them- In the ending, Walt sees his neighbours as his equals - the "freedom" of the second amendment is shown in a critical light Walt fought in the Korean War, but he got a trauma from it Problems - Walt's troubled relationship to his fam- ily - Walt's problems with the (Asian) neigh- bours - Thao's underdeveloped manhood - the death of Walt's wife/ Thao's dad - Walt's health - the priest urging Walt to go to confes- sion Topics family problems clash of different generations racism - gender issues growing up; adulthood loss - life and death War trauma and guilt Questions - Will Walt's relationship to his family im- prove? - What has happened that caused Walt's problems with Asians? - Will he have an experience that might change his opinion? - Will Thao grow up and find himself? - Is his family going to change his opinion on him/traditional gender roles? - Will Thao gain some confidence? - Why did his wife die? - Will he be able to cope with her death? - What happened to Thao's dad? - How will her death effect the plot? Will his condition worsen, will he die? - What happened in the war? - Will his relationship to the priest im- prove? - Will he go to confession after all? Why does Walt dislike the church so much? - Will he open up to someone about his war trauma? - Will Walt be able to accept help from the priest or any professional? - Will the priest stop bothering him at some point? - How will Walt cope with his trauma? Predicted answers - Yes (or no). => Yes! => Yes! => No! => Yes! => No! => No! => No! => Yes! => Yes! => ? a) Walt's family b) culture clash c) Walt's health d) Father Janovich - the confession - life and death e) Gran Torino Walt Kowalski his character his development his problems Part I - is white - is old - seems to be lonely and isolated -sticks up for himself a little too much, because then he is always a little on the verge of rudeness (e.g. in his conversation with the priest) - seems to be a very serious person, but this is perhaps just a consequence of his wife's death -appearance: wears a black suit, the proper dress for a funeral, looks well put together - body language: has a proud and erect posture, does not bodily give in to his grief, has mainly a stoic or even angry expression, he is not crying, but keeps up his proud façade (probably he thinks that as a man, he cannot show any emotions) - he has a dog - probably the only living thing he cares about - does not seem to be in good health, is a smoker - lives in a middle-class home he takes good care of - probably served in the army - is from Michigan and drives a Gran Torino - he is a patriot/ a proud American, has a grudge against Asian people his wife has just died children and grandchil- - his relationship with dren (especially his eldest granddaughter) is problematic; his sons talk about forcing him to move away Part II - he fought in the Korea War for three years and still has to cope with the traumatic consequences, but does not want to confront them - he is willing to use violence to protect his property - is telling racist and antisemitic jokes all the time Part IV - has a better relationship to his neigh- bours, acts in a more friendly way- the first time he threatened the gang members, he was defending himself, but now he threat- ened a gang member in order to help Thao - the Gran Torino means so much to him because he worked in the Ford factory and even put in pieces of the car himself - he has a tendency to try to battle conflict. with violence => also develops in direction much more positive However: some negative traits remain, e.g. the way how he threatens the gang mem- bers with his gun - death of his wife bad heal has worsened, because he got troublesome diagnosis - bad relationship with family: no move- ment Part V => Over the course of the film, Walt changes from a bitter, isolated man to a man who has really found his peace => He even sacrificed his life in order to get Spider's gang arrested, so that Thao and Sue could be free of him, and is a real hero now. => He changed his ways and methods, while solving all his problems with a gun in hand earlier, he now solved the problem in the ending completely un- armed => He learned to give people a second chance death of his wife bad health: in the ending Walt is dead - his poor health probably made it easier for him to let himself being negative or posi- tive? function - he has problems with his neighbours; seems lonely and isolated - his health is bad and he might not live long - the priest urges him to go to confession, which gets on his nerves he is always disappointed in the people around him - he is very stubborn and does not accept help when it is offered - he a racist and arrogant towards other people - he is rude and grumpy and does not care whether he hurts people with his words - has a superiority complex (thinks he is better than the Asians) - his only positive characteristic is his love for his dog behaved, once again, totally selfish threatened people with a gun (a con- sequence of his part in the Korea War) - still has racial prejudices => a negative character - still talks rudely to his neighbours, does not thank them for their gifts - nevertheless, did not make such a big fuss when Thao tried to steal his car, did not call the police - fearlessly confronts the gang of the criminals, who could have been armed as well - says himself "I am not a hero" - does not tell his son about the inci- dent with Thao, is rather lonely - war trauma - bad relationship with Hmong neighbors: greatly improves, he feels much more comfortable with them, even more com- fortable than with his own family; lets go of a lot of his racist stereotypes, trusts Thao and lends him his car - Father Janovich's urging him to go to con- fession => despite various small positive as- pects, overall still a negative charac- ter shot, because he knew that he would not live much longer anyway - bad relationship with family: his problem with his family did not really change; Thao and Sue realized that a change took place, even if his family did not - war trauma: He has confessed and overcome it, because he made up for killing the Korean boy by saving Thao, and is a real hero now - bad relationship with Hmong neigh- bors: => He changed from a very racist per- son to a man whose closest friends. were Asian and from a man who could not care less about other people to a man who can be really protective of other people => Walt is now a positive character because he has died to protect Thao and his family => Walt teaches the viewer that it is always possible for a person to change, even if he/she has to deal with some serious problems or even if he/she is already very old - Father Janovich's urging him to go to confession: He makes a confession to Father Janovich and to Thao Thao Vang Lor his character his development his problems negative or posi- tive? => He shows us that if a person is a bad person, there is usually a reason behind it, so you must not judge a person on your first impression but try to get to know him/her better Part I character: is Hmong - is young (a teenager) - lives with his family in Michigan - leaves the house when they have their ritual go- ing on, is probably not very connected to their re- ligion/culture) - does not really stick up to himself, is rather timid, at least to his family - has a sister - one day he will be the head of the family - is a diligent worker, wash the dishes - the father does not live with the rest of the fam- ily he also seems to be quite isolated in his family, his grandmother talks badly about him behind his back - his underdeveloped manhood (he is expected to be the man of the house, but his sister bosses him around) Part II does not stand up for himself -is afraid of the consequences - is pushed around by the members of the family - tries to commit a crime/ steal the car Part IV - is more self-confident, leans to stand up for himself, e.g. by confronting Walt in the dispute over the freezer and by asking Youa out on a date - learns to be more independent - becomes less shy, more outgoing => develops in a much more positive direc tion relationship with his cousin: has not im- proved but worsened because he refuses to be in their gang - the low meaning his grandmother has of him - his inability to be "the man of the house" - his place in his family: he is on his way to becoming the man of the house, has grown more manly and can support the family with his job - does not go to school: but has a job now and will maybe earn enough money to go to school - low self-esteem, inability to stand up for himself: has earned much more self-confi- dent, is able to stand up for himself Part V has gained more confidence, is able to stand up for himself - relationship with his cousin: The rela- tionship is as bad as ever, but at least Thao is no longer harassed by him since he is now in jail Thao has "won". - the low meaning his grandmother has of him - his inability to be "the man of the house": has become a lot more ma- ture, Sue can no longer boss him around. He also has a job now, so he can take more responsibility and is more independent - low self-esteem, inability to stand up for himself: his self-esteem has in- creased a lot; e.g. he has asked Youa out on a date function Ashley Kowalski (Walt's granddaughter) - is very disrespectful to her grandfather (she bluntly asks him whether she can get his car when he dies - and his couch, she wears a short short to church and plays with her smartphone) - she is lazy because she only asks Walt whether she can help him with the chairs when her father tells her to do so - is not able to protect his family prefers passive resistance is not mature, still has to grow up - she is careless and drops the cigarette on the floor but does not pick it up - she is also disrespectful to her dead grandmother because she is bored at her funeral and asks her parents to leave early - She does not care whether her words affect peo- ple negatively - she is overall rather selfish => a negative character - near the ending of the scene, he tries to stand up against the gang, he resists their attempts at abducting him - confesses to Walt that he tried to steal the car (but was forced to do so by his sister. Nevertheless, he is really sorry for it) - is not aggressive, but neutral => an ambiguous character => Thao gives the viewer an example of how to come of age => Shows what it is like if your family has huge expectations of you => shows that it is not necessarily important to fulfil the expectations of others - you have to find your own way! => shows us how important it is to have friends Mitch Kowalski (Walt's son) - does not want his father to live with him, although he is old and lonely => selfish => treats Walt like a lost cause, talks about him without asking him what he wants himself => constantly complains about Walt complaining -does not see that Walt probably has a reason to glare at Ashley - has no compassion for Walt => a negative character Sue Vang Lor (Thao's sister) -tried to protect Thao - makes Thao confess to Walt -is very grateful to Walt - she stands up for herself and is very self-confident - openly expresses her gratitude with gifts and words - still remains nice and polite when Walt rudely tries to send them away - her family is important to her - she is Thao's protector - she takes over the role as the head of the family, in a way, when speaking to white people, because her mother cannot speak English - bosses Thao around => Thao is now a positive character because he has learned to stand up for himself. => a positive character Spider (Thao's cousin) - forces Thao to do things he does not want to do, like stealing the car - bothers him repeatedly - puts his gang above his family - uses violence against his family - he is a hypocrite, pretending to have good inten- tions, but really it is the opposite - protected Thao from the Mexican gang, but wants something in return from him - does not respect Thao's boundaries, when Thao tries to resist him, he tries to get him to follow him by force => a negative character