Since their creation, all films are created from some form of ideological basis. Intentional or unintentional, conscious or unconscious--it doesn't matter! These films are only ever capable of two functions, more mainstream films often reinforce dominant cultural ideologies (the straight white male is the protagonist = Star Wars 4 - 6) because they are driven by profit, reinforcing a majority of the audiences view points and generating more success. Whereas more independent cinema will most likely challenge these expectations/'norms' (a young African-American female is the protagonist = Beasts Of The Southern Wild) because--although a profit is obviously required, 'indie' films are more driven by the message of their work and the 'niche' target audience who want the dominant cultural ideologies (DCI) to be challenged.
However, although both forms of cinema follow contrasting processes, they're still embedded with ideologies that spectators are capable of 'decoding' with their own personal ideologies--if they so choose. An example of the audiences ideologies encouraging them to 'decode' a particular interpretation of the film being if the spectator was strongly a political supporter of capitalism--a social construct Zeitlin's 'Beasts Of The Southern Wild' (BOTSW) heavily criticises.
As earlier mentioned, Zeitlin's BOTSW centres the message of opposing Capitalism in favour of a more environmentalist approach to the planet. His use of a 'documentary style' look (hand held camera) for his film physically shows him rejecting the mainstream--and more 'Hollywood'--cinematic technique, while his main character being a young African-American female represents his rejection of typical mainstream film characters/protagonists. The main character (Hush Puppy = HP) living in poverty and joyously celebrating with her fellow inhabitants of 'the bathtub' contrasts the belief of money equaling happiness, as well as this it also rejects capitalisms idea of individuality because everyone is celebrating as a community; this emphasised through the brightness of the fireworks and the free flowing camera, but mostly through the positive non-diegetic music.
The mise-en-scene of rusty metal surrounding/scattered across HP's home conveys how much of a destructive force Capitalism can be and how--even in the most natural of environments--it can still infect the area; HP's affinity to nature being a critique on humanities abuse of it--this highlighted in the wide shot of HP and Wink (HP's dad) at the levee, the barrier between nature and industrialism not working because of the plastic in the water of the 'natural' side. The narration also emphasises this view as it points out the 'dry landers' way of life as unnatural and wrong because instead of killing their food and cooking it we go to the supermarket and purchase chemically enhanced and pre-packaged meats--wasting plastic and creating even more damaging effects for the environment.
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