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Cities of Connection & Disconnections: Discussion Questions
1. How is city (or urbanism according to Luis Wirth) re-defined by flows? In other words, how are the key features of a city defined by this chapter related to Wirth’s urbanism as a way of life?
2. G 2 How is this chapter connected to Incendies? Where is the “point/place” of connection & disconnection? Can you find examples to support and illustrate the chapters concepts (gated community & its connections with its surroudings, city vanishing or multiple time-space, call centers, multiple networks of relations, etc.
Incendies: Discussion Questions1. G 7 Major motifs: broken promise and forsaken children– How does the
story of broken families/promises develop, reach its climax and then resolved, using the motifs of broken promise and forsaken children?
2. G 6 Incest: Do you find the theme in this film “incest” overly sentimental? The Group’s question: Do you agree that “sometimes it’s better not to know”? (Compare Simon’s and Jeanne’s responses)
3. G 5 History: How is history discovered through the use of ”documents” (photograph, passport) and sites (university, prison, village, hotel, refugee camp and swimming pool)
4. G3 What roles do the professionals play in this film? E.g. the mathematicians and notaries (Mr. Lebel & Mr. Maddad) play?
5. G 4 Filmic Connection & Disconnection: What do you think about the film’s opening, closing scenes, and the bird-eye’s view in the film? And the use of cell phone as a device for communication? And the use of music?
6. G 1 Cities & Religions: How is Montreal presented? How is it opposed to the fictional place in Middle East (Daresh, Deressa)? How are religions and “ideoscapes” presented in this film? Are there villains in this film? How about Chamseddine?
Main characters
Nawal
Wahab
Nawal’s brother
Nihad
Jeanne
SimonNotary
Shooting
Lover
rape
Delivering the will, letters, Photograph & passport
Christian ArabPalestinian refugee
Denis Villeneuve1994 REW-FFWD (short; set in Jamaica)
1996 "Le Technétium“ Cosmos
1998 Un 32 août sur terre
2000 Maelström
2008 Next Floor
2009 Polytechnique
2010 Incendies
2013 Prisoners
2013 Enemy
Plot (1)The Twins Newal Daresh
Past (1)The child (3) Nawal + Wahab, killed + Nawal gives birth to a baby, leaves the village
(5) Nawal, a student working for a newspaper sympathetic with the refugees
present
(1)Mother ill, The will
(4) Jeanne goes to the univ.
Plot (2)The South Deressa (the camp) The Woman who
singsPast When the war
breaks out, she goes back to look for her son w/out success; almost get killed on the road
(7) Nawal goes back to Daresh, joins anti-Christian/Nationalist group; killed the Christian group’s leader, finally put in jail
Nawal in prison
pres
ent
(6) Jeanne goes to the village, gets rejected by the village women
(8) Jeanne goes to the prison of Kfar Ryat, talks to one jail keeperCalls Simon
(9) Simon and Libel go to Daresh
Plot (3)
Sarwan Janaan Nihad of May Chamseddine
Past The birth of the
twinsNihad a skillful sniper
Mother in the swimming pool
present
Simon’s arrival;The twins see the nurse, to realize that they were the results of rape
Simon goes to the warlord
Final revelation
Transitions: Simon’s Involvement
• 1:16 [radiohead music] 1:20 (Simon’s & the notary’s roles) the rape scene in the prison
• 1:25: the babies rescued tunnel
Ideoscape and its floating signs
Promise: Lebel vs. Simon
Before going to Daresh
• - We'll get her, and then come back.
• - Promised. A promise, Mr. Marwan, is sacred for a notary.
Upon knowing the brother’s identity (1:39)
• - They (Abu Tarek & Nihad)are both dead. We open the envelopes, then that's it.
• - That I will not, Simon. This kind of thing is sacred.
• (Mr. Maddad): This commit rape.
• - Luckily, that runs in the family.
The Notaries: Libel & Mr. Maddad
- You really know the woman who sings?You do not know what it means to me.
Mathmatics
Jeanne’s teacher --Welcome to pure mathematics, the land of loneliness.The prof at Daresh: confused about times History -- that this period is a series of reprisals (instance of retaliation/revenge) which fit one another in an inexorable logic, as additions.
- One plus one makes two.It can not make one.
Chamseddine: Different Versions
• 00:45 Chamseddine and his men killed all the Christians to avenge the refugees. The children are perhaps at Deressa.
• 1:52 There was an orphanage• in Kfar Kout. I saved the children. I took them
with us. … Nihad…he had a gift. But he wanted to find her mother. … he
• wanted to be a martyr so that his mother should see her picture everywhere on the walls of the country.
Chamseddine• 1:48 Children will help you, you'll see.• - You can not ask me.• - Your children are our children, Nawal. Your
family is our family.
Main Concepts (2): Global Flows (Arjun Appadurai)
Ideoscape
Christian vs. Muslim
Mediascape
Music
Technoscape Ethnoscape
Migrants
In a Quest (like Ko)
Immigrants Exile
Financescape
Urban Landscape
as Palimpsest
Place/Space/
Landscape
When Yesterday Comes
Super Citizen Ko
Urbanism as a Way of
Life
Anomie
EnemyWhat
Time is it there?
Time-Space Compression
Mediated Communi
cation
Love Go go
Global Flows
Flaneurism
Cabbie,Amelie
Taipei 4-Way
Globalization of
Strangeness
Other
God-Man-Dog
Course: Main Concepts (3): Next Week
Course: Main Themes
• urbanism as a way of life, • history and oblivion, • urban migrant and family, • flâneurism, • global capital flows and simulation• Family, immigrants and strangers in
global flows
Recurrent Motifs in our Course
Presentations of City•Cityscape, its history, “character” (image), nodes, areas, streets and landmarks•City vs. “Country”Flows (1): Communication vs. Fragmentation•1. letter writing and delivery •2. usages of cell phone Flows (2): Cultural Globalization•Images, Commodities and Simulacra•Use of Music Flows (3): Migration: Internal and External Flows (4): War, Love and “Family” & Flows of Desire