Dallas Buyers Club Film Analysis

MAJOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: TOPIC TWO ESSAY

WORD COUNT: 1893

Introduction:

In film, drama is the most diverse of genres with many subcategories such as crime drama, comedy drama, romantic drama, and historic drama. Dallas Buyers Club directed by Jean-Marc Vallee and The Imitation Game by Morten Tyldum both take on the role of historical and biographical dramas. This is due to the fact that both films are set in the past to tell a story and through the perspective a certain important person in history. The purpose of a drama film is to touch on realism of a central protagonist and the people that he/she interacts with, to touch on social issues mostly and go in depth indirectly through a character’s encounter with the issue(s). The genre mostly

The technique of using real characters help the director make for a more realistic film and connect with the viewers in this way. The ways in which the films enforce realism is through scenes, dialogue, and cinematic techniques such as in both movies the lighting is nothing abnormal and changes naturally with the time of day and with other variations. Natural shadows are also shown in the films to which the lighting seems to only come from windows or other natural light sources. Dallas Buyers Club touches on the true issue of AIDS in the 1980’s in particular the protagonist Ron’s journey with the disease and selling illegal medication for other people in need. The legal issues in which Ron faces with the selling of medicine it makes for very real complications of his situation. The death of the protagonist and supporting protagonist in the film, Rayon and Ron, inflicts realism of the disease that is being combated and makes the small triumphs factual instead of greatly satisfying. In both films each character is greatly limited to what they can achieve compared to what they wish to achieve due to legal, social, emotional, and other genuine day-to-day issues. Another difficulty that characters are presented with is sexim, Rayon because of his transitioning

These social issues are most commonly shown through the protagonist’s direct encounter(s) with the societal problems. Ron, in Dallas Buyers Club struggles with the SDI AIDS and is constantly scrutinized for it and disowned by his co workers. When little was known about the disease during this time and socially it was known as a ‘gay disease’, which is generally known now to be false. This causes frustration from the viewer that the government and people around the protagonist are not understanding his efforts to help others affected by AIDS. The government’s lack of interest in the help of the people suffering in the film creates a link to the issue of big companies and their addiction to profit putting money before others. In both films as mentioned earlier strongly touch on the realism of sexism during the times that the works are based on through protagonists and supporting protagonists. Alan in The Imitation Game is limited to what he can be at the ending of the film due to his homosexuality, and ends up taking his life because of the scrutiny he faces. As a relation to present times it urges people to be more accepting of the LGBT community. In both films the rise against government is a strong thematic device to make relations to the viewers world. There is constant problems with government around the world in present times and using it in