Grace is Gone (2007)

The film tells the story of a father (Stanley) who embarks on a road trip with his two daughters (Heidi and Dawn) upon finding out that his wife (Grace) was killed in a battle. The stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) as proposed by Kubler-Ross is depicted in the film, and we see Stanley go through some of them in the course of a few days.

Grief can be defined as "the emotional numbness, disbelief, separation anxiety, despair, sadness, and loneliness that accompany the loss of someone we love" (Santrock, 2008, p. 635). Stanley certainly displayed emotional numbness, disbelief, and denial when he was informed of his wife's death on a morning like any other. He looked shocked and at first refused to let the officers into his home, perhaps thinking that if they sat down and talked to him further it would make the news seem more real; he also did not seem to quite know what he was doing as he tried to digest that piece of information and responded woodenly. Long after the two army personnel left, he was still sitting in his bathrobe in the same chair, staring off into space. He did not even react to the ringing phone, which is not normal, as people would usually rush to pick it up. 

Some anger was also seen when Stanley ordered his daughters to stop eating the casserole that was left on their doorstep. Although it was a kind gesture by a caring neighbour, Stanley probably felt angry because it implied sympathy and pity for their loss, which further reinforced the news that his wife was gone, and that was a fact he found difficult to accept. In addition, he became overly angry when his brother brought up the current political situation; this anger is normal as the masking effects of denial begin to wear off. In the time that it took Stanley to reach his mother's house, he had time to process the bad news and was not that deep in denial any more. However, he was still not ready to face reality and the intense pain that would come with it, so the emotion was deflected, redirected, and expressed as anger instead (Axelrod, n.d.), causing him to lash out at his brother when it was suggested that the girls had a right to know about their mother's death. 

I feel that Stanley made the impulsive decision to take his daughters to the Enchanted Gardens as he felt it would give him a chance to get to know them better and vice versa before he broke the news to them. In the beginning of the film, we saw that Stanley seemed very much like the distant father who had no idea how to relate to his daughters. At the dining table, what little conversation they had was mainly business-like and without warmth, as he chastised Heidi for falling asleep in class. He had also denied Dawn's request for second helpings at first, and later unceremoniously slapped more food on her plate, which I felt was rather brusque. 

Perhaps Stanley felt that the drive to the Enchanted Gardens would allow him to foster a better bond with his daughters, so that they would not shut him out when they learned of their mother's passing. If he had told them on the same day he found out, it is quite possible that the girls would not have turned to him for comfort, given the nature of their relationship at the beginning of the film. Stanley probably also wanted to come to terms with the loss before he told the girls so that he would be in a better position to provide them with the emotional support he knew they would need. By postponing telling his daughters the news, he ensured that his family would not fall apart as they faced the painful reality of losing a wife and a mother. Good family communication can help grievers cope with feelings of loss and separation after the death of a loved one (Santrock, 2008), and I believe that Stanley's impulsive decision led to all three of them finding comfort and support in each other during this difficult period, thus allowing them to accept Grace's death sooner, and helping them move on from it together.

References

Axelrod, J. (n.d.). The 5 stages of loss and grief. Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-5-

     stages-of-loss-and-grief/

Santrock, J. W. (2008). Life Span Development (14th ed). Mc-Graw Hill: NY.

Sybil (1976)

Shirley Mason (the real 'Sybil') had apparently admitted that her multiple personalities were fake, and that she was lying all along. Regardless of whether this is true, I feel that for the most part, the film managed to accurately portray the mental illness that was experienced by the title character.

As with typical cases of dissociative identity disorder (DID) (as presented in abnormal psychology textbooks), it was the extreme childhood abuse that Sybil suffered at the hands of her mentally-ill mother that caused her mind to dissociate in order to cope with the trauma. Her father neglected to see the truth behind his wife's treatment of Sybil, and even their family doctor turned a blind eye towards the injuries he found on her, leaving Sybil all alone to experience the horror that was her childhood. Dr. Wilbur mentions several times that Sybil's "friends" exist to protect her and help Sybil express what she cannot; the film is accurate in the portrayal of DID as a psychological coping mechanism. 

According to the DSM-5, an individual has to have at least two separate personalities that exist independently of one another and that emerge at different times in order for a diagnosis of DID to be given (Kring, Johnson, Davidson, & Neale, 2013). Sybil certainly met this criterion, as she was depicted having at least 13 different personalities in the film; all of them had different temperaments - for example, Vicky, the confident and sophisticated French girl; Peggy, the traumatised little girl who kept breaking windows; and Vanessa, the talented pianist who also liked to sing and dance. 

At the beginning of the film, we see that there are missing pieces in Sybil's memory. One example was during the field trip, where she ended up standing in the pond without any recollection of how she had gotten there. There were also gaps in her memory when she was at home; she would take a rest and wake up after several hours only to find her apartment in a mess, without remembering what had happened in those few hours. In Dr. Wilbur's office, Sybil suddenly started speaking in a child-like manner, and when she came back to being Sybil, she had difficulty recalling the conversation between Dr. Wilbur and herself. This disruption of identity and discontinuity in sense of self is characteristic of individuals suffering from DID (Kring et al., 2013).

The manner in which Dr. Wilbur tried to treat Sybil's disorder in the film is also accurately depicted. Hypnosis is sometimes used by practitioners who have a psychodynamic orientation as a means of helping DID patients gain access to repressed childhood memories (Kring et al., 2013), which is what Dr. Wilbur did in her later treatments with Sybil. Dr. Wilbur's goal was for Sybil to realise that the threat (her mother) she experienced during her childhood was no longer present and she did not have to live her adult life being afraid of the ghosts of the past (Kring et al., 2013). 

All in all, I think the film did a good job in illustrating the reality of DID - from the symptoms that manifest, to the challenges experienced by the individual as well as those around them, and also the treatment in helping the individual reconcile the various personalities.  

References

Kring, A. M., Johnson, S. L., Davidson, G. C., & Neale, J. M. (2013). Abnormal Psychology (12th ed,). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

I have never been a huge fan of horror films. Watching them on a small laptop or TV screen is still fine, but I typically avoid watching horror in a cinema/cinema-like setting. This film is technically a psychological thriller - with minimal horror scenes - yet it still managed to evoke some fear in me.

As with many other films, the director for this film used music and different sounds to elicit emotions from the audience - in this case, the primary emotion was fear. Some scenes were accompanied by eerie background music, while in other scenes there was a sudden change in volume - the audience's emotions were very cleverly manipulated through the use of sound. Humans have an innate fear of sudden, loud noises; loud stimuli cause an immediate response (the startle reflex) because we naturally assume the noise is made by something large, and therefore dangerous (Shiota & Kalat, 2011). Our predisposition to fear loud sounds is due to natural selection, where the aversion towards loud, unexpected sounds was retained throughout our evolutionary history because it served our ancestors well back in the primitive days. The film exploits this fear.

Unlike some horror films which over-utilise gore and/or horror-inducing scenes to the point which the audience becomes somewhat desensitised (e.g. the Final Destination series), The Sixth Sense made use of far subtler scare tactics. Instead of shoving lots of horror in our faces in a bid to induce fear, the film used nuances to frighten us on a visceral level. There wasn't much that was scary in the first half of the film but in the second half the tension began to build up, and when we became startled by a sudden noise or a passing shadow, it was because we had been just waiting for the release of that tension. In my opinion, this is a lot scarier than the usual gore that is presented in some films.

In addition, the film made use of our fear of the unknown and the unsettling sense of uncertainty to evoke an overall sense of anxiety in the audience. For example, when Cole got locked in the cupboard at the party, all we could perceive was the closed cupboard door and Cole's screams. The audience had no idea what lay behind that door; it was left up to our imaginations - and more often than not, our imaginations conjure up much scarier scenarios that spook us out of our minds. Another example was when Cole's mother, Lynn, left the kitchen for a few moments only to return to a room full of open cupboard doors. There was no rational explanation for how that happened in such a short time, and then the camera zoomed in on the imprint that Cole's hand left on the table, leaving it up to the audience to interpret the shot.

I feel that the film was also particularly good at eliciting my emotions because the characters (Cole and Malcolm) were relatable; I could empathise with them. I could feel Malcolm's disappointment in himself when he realised that he had failed Vincent, and his need to try to make amends by helping Cole. Lynn's desperation at her son's situation and the frustration she felt when she was indirectly accused of abusing him was also relatively easy to identify with, as I have also sometimes felt helpless and frustrated in certain situations that seemed beyond my control. Furthermore, I feel that I can definitely relate to Cole's fear of being able to see dead people, as I would be extremely likely to be terrified too, should I find myself in his situation. This drew me further into the lives of the characters as I realised that I could very well imagine myself being in their shoes.

Last but not least, I feel that the fact that Cole managed to get over his fear of the ghosts that visited him, and ended up helping them instead is symbolic of our fears in real life. Sometimes we may be so apprehensive of things that are new or strange to us that we let our fear of it cripple us, but if only we allowed ourselves to move past that fear, we would live life feeling more at ease and may even be able to provide assistance to the less fortunate around us.


References
Shiota, M. N. & Kalat, J. W. (2011). Emotion (2nd Ed.). Wadsworth: California.

Whale Rider (2002)

The film depicts the struggles of a Maori chief as he searches for a worthy successor, and the clash between the older generation and the younger generation. Koro, who is the village chief from the older generation of Maori, places utmost importance on tradition while his son, Porourangi, is more modern and does not share Koro's reverence for their customs. This can be seen when Porourangi refuses to claim his birthright as the next village chief and defies his father by leaving their community to live on the other side of the world. Koro does not understand Porourangi's penchant for art, while Porourangi does not seem to understand the depth of Koro's despair at not being able to find a chief from a suitable lineage. However, Porourangi was honouring his Maori culture in his own way through his art exhibitions in Germany, as he was able to share a part of it with people who would most likely never be exposed to it otherwise. The village boys' lack of respect for tradition when they first began their training also illustrates this clash between the two different generations, for instance, Hemi talks about the training he is about to receive rather flippantly when he tells Pai about it.

The film makes a strong point about the inability to accept change, and tendency to cling to customs that have been passed down since the beginnings of the community. Koro absolutely refused to consider Pai as a potential candidate for the position of the new chief despite his love for her and the fact that she is the perfect choice if one to were to judge her based solely on her bloodline, which is what is typically done. The sexism shown by Koro is blatant, but I suppose I cannot blame him as he was raised in a patriarchal community that has strictly adhered to tradition all this while, and that is all he knows. Although Pai expressed obvious interest in becoming the new chief and demonstrated her willingness to learn as well as her skill with the taiaha, Koro consistently doubted her and responded to her determination by downplaying (when she managed to start the boat's engine) or even being outright dismissive (when she beat Hemi at using a taiaha) of her achievements.

I feel that the concept known as the "backfire effect" captures Koro's attitude and behaviour towards Pai most accurately. This concept holds that individuals who receive evidence that goes against their beliefs may not merely ignore the facts that challenge their views; in fact, they may become even more convinced that their pre-existing opinion is right (Nyhan & Reifler, 2006). In the film, we see that the more Pai displays behaviour which hints that she might be worthy of the title of chief, the colder and more distant Koro becomes towards her, to the point where Pai had to go stay with her uncle Rawiri for a while. Koro's determination to quickly find a successor also increases when Pai becomes less afraid of showing her interest in stepping up to the job. Koro is eventually forced to accept the fact that his granddaughter is indeed worthy of leading their people when he sees her on the back of a whale and after he finds out that she had managed to retrieve his whale tooth necklace. The ending scene shows the entire village united due to Pai's initiation ceremony; those who left for greener pastures abroad have returned home to celebrate the dawn of a new leader.

The message that this film imparted to me is that although our culture and the customs that come with it are important and we should hold on to them, some traditions need to be challenged in order for society to move forward and the people to achieve success. There are traditions in place because that was what worked for past societies but as change creeps up on us due to modernisation, we should not let tradition hinder our progress; neither should we completely cut it out of our lives - instead, we should try to find a nice balance between tradition and modernity.


References
Nyhan, B., & Reifler, J. (2006). When corrections fail: The persistence of political misperceptions. Retrieved from https://www.dartmouth.edu/~nyhan/nyhan-reifler.pdf