Rachel's Media Criticism Blog Posts

  The controversial Netflix film, Cuties , has not only been one of the most controversial films produced by Netflix, but one of the most analyzed because of society’s view on the film. Although the film may include some provocative shots of 11 year old girls dancing inappropriately, the film is much more than that.  The film’s storyline is originally based on society’s influence on young girls and the influence of social media. As said by a Netflix spokesperson, “Cuties is social commentary against the sexualization  of young children.” Throughout the film, 11 year old Amy is trying to figure herself out and along the way becomes friends with the fierce and outgoing group, the cuties. Seeing how the cuties seem so confident and their true selves, Amy is determined to find that confidence within herself to fit in and become a “cutie” herself. This makes her hungry for attention, whether it be from the cuties themselves, kids at school or older family members. Through her ...

  The HBO phenomenon, Euphoria , is known for its glittery makeup, Emmy award winning acting and the most popular cinematic videography. The cinematography utilized within Euphoria is best known for its storytelling capabilities. In the opening scene , we go through a montage of Rue's memory of her childhood as to how she became addicted to drugs.  The scene starts with a focused shot of Rue’s mother with the background blurry, but then gains focus on young Rue. This is to insinuate to the viewer that we are looking at things from Rue’s past from her perspective. Throughout the montage, we see scenes starting with zooming out to give more of a perspective to Rue’s state of mind during that moment of her life, as well as a series of pan shots when she is moving from one room to another. Particularly in the scene where she begins to start taking her mother's pills, the transition would be her opening and closing the cabinet on various different days, utilizing the spatial m...