L.O.V.E. Film Analysis Framework

ES 384 is entitled Interracial Sex and Marriage through Film, but I find it horrible that LOVE is completely left out of the title. In order to bring love back into the discussion, I want us to use this L.O.V.E. Framework when analyzing the films we watch in this class.

In other words, when I ask you to analyze a film, you should be responding to ALL of these questions.

Thank you to Dr. Raju Desai for the use of this framework.

LENS

• Whose voice or perspective is the story being told in?
• Whose perspective is race and/or interracial relationships being told in?
• When was this film made? How do you think that impacts the lens?
• Who was the intended audience? What do you think their understandings of race and/or interracial relationships were?
• What do you think was the purpose or message of the film for the time it was released?

OBJECTIFICATION/ OTHERING

• How is race and interracial relationships being treated?
• What are the identities (racial/ethnic backgrounds, genders, sexualities, etc) of the main characters?
• Is any character portrayed as other? If so, how are they othered and why do you think that is?

VISUALS

• How do the visuals in this film impact the message around race and interracial relationships?

EXPERIENCES/ EVALUATION

• How does this film connect to your own experiences or understandings of race, racism, and interracial relationships in the United States? What are your understandings, frustrations, critiques, surprises, and/or comments about the film in relation to race and interracial relationships in the US?