I think Saving Face is almost (but, obviously, not exactly) like a modern-day adaptation of The House Is Black. Clearly they discuss two different topics in two different time periods and countries, but they definitely share several similarities. For starters, both films show that no matter how mangled or diseased a person appears to be on the outside, they're still people and they certainly don't deserve to be ostracized from society, especially when their appearance is altered by situations they don't exactly have much control over. One of the most obvious differences between the two films is that the people with leprosy in The House Is Black were victims of disease, not deliberate violence. One difference I noticed as far as construction of the film goes is that Saving Face took advantage of including more dialogue, whereas The House Is Black used music and background noises as the backdrop of the film. This could be a sign of the times, as well, not just because it's easier now to sync dialogue with video, but also because today's general viewing audiences want more outright dialogue in films to know how the characters feel and what they're thinking.
I really liked Saving Face because it was an interesting film in general, but also because I've heard a little bit about acid attacks before, but always through international sources. Despite having read up on acid attacks a bit before seeing this movie, I still had never really understood why acid is seemingly so readily available, whereas here in the United States, you typically can't just walk into a store and buy some concentrated acid. I did a small amount of research online and found that Mohammad Jawar, the doctor shown in Saving Face, actually contributed to a recent BBC News article online. In the August 9, 2013, article titled "How many acid attacks are there?" Jawad says, "Acid can be sold for as little as a dollar or 50 cents a litre," which shocked me; I had expected it to be cheap, but had no idea it's THAT cheap.
I also really like the point Laura made of comparing the acid attacks to our rape culture here in the United States--specifically because in both cases, many people (who seem to be mostly male) believe that female victims must have in some way instigated the attack and they could have prevented the violence by basically being completely submissive to men, and also because many people assume that all victims of both types of violence are female, even though a considerable number of men in both cases have been victimized.
Overall, I did really like Saving Face. I liked that we got to follow the cases of several women who had been attacked with acid, especially as they began treatment, and the movie was constructed in such a way that it effectively explained the background of these attacks so that we're not just thrown into the situation completely lost. I think many North Americans who watch this movie will think that as a culture with less reports of such brutal violence, we have a duty to help these women overcome these attacks. Personally, I think it's an issue we shouldn't get involved in because we don't know their culture, we don't have to be the saviors of the world who correct every single wrongdoing, and this is an issue they have to proudly overcome on their own, to show how far they've come.
It is really shocking that acid is so readily available and for no cost at all. You'd think that the government or someone would do something to help with it accessibility. And it certainly isn't a thing we as a country should be involved in, but it still is a problem and the more awareness people have of its existence, the better chance there is of others wanting to make a difference. I don't even think its really about trying to understand a different type of culture, acid attacks occur in a lot of places from Vietnam to Cambodia. They even used to be common in the UK and North America during the 18th century and still occur although less frequently. Its not it as if its just a foreign problem. I think it has more to do with a country's development and its government. US and UK acid attacks dropped as the judicial systems solidified.
ReplyDeleteFifty cents, huh? It leaves such a mark. Did you ever read The Scarlet Letter? I'm thinking about marks versus violence that leaves no outward mark (rape, etc...). There's something about marking a woman, making her "ugly" if she won't love you, that is particularly repugnant. The idea of "ruining" a woman, raping her, not letting her "forget" you--all of it stems from jealousy, no? Rage? Hatred of women? Lack of respect?
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