A Good Citizen - Short Film
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ย. 2024
- Written and Directed by Hafeez Sarumi. A paranoid observer at a park questions the relationship of a young black child and a white male. Issues of race and profiling emerge as the man claims to be the boy's father while the observer fears he may be a kidnapper.
Contains adult language. Viewer discretion is advised.
The topic is not disclosed. Being a good citizen assumes to be diverse, but it's not all the qualities and duties
This video raises an interesting issue. It is well done and makes a lot of sense. It does contain some language, though, so I wish it did not come up under "good citizenship videos for kids."
I'd love to show in my classroom if it didn't have the F-bomb....
What age classroom Alan? I'm going to show it in my high school class. Regarding the F-bomb, my students hear and use it everyday....no, I don't allow it in class, however, I'll forewarn them, it's used in context, the clip is too relevant to let go and not use.
The boy and his father did seem disconnected at first so Melvin was wondering of a kidnapping on the basis of his observation. But once the father said, "let's go Mike" and his son got up and ran over to him and the father affectionately put his arm around his son's shoulder that alone would have alleviated Melvin's doubts. This is a play, a script, to make a point to not be judgemental, which is a good cause. I think in real life (no script or film) someone like Melvin would not have approached the father given the circumstances. Also, even if Melvin did he would not have been so rigidly aggressive to the father. In other words, this wouldn't have happened in real life. Melvin would have caught on soon enough to not blunder or the two men would have both acted with more graciousness.
Also, the father looked at the situation as Melvin being judgmental of the boy being an African American (or mix) but as the script went... Melvin was being judgmental of the father as a kidnapper. The script acted out racism where the father was rebutting Melvin with reference to skin shade, however, also according to the script, Melvin was suspicious of the father, not the son. There were two themes occurring but only one was the actual context: an error of assessment and hence judgement! In that sense this film had depth.
Both Melvin and the father are white so there was no racism in their confrontation. The racism was projected by the father toward Melvin. But Melvin was judgemental toward the father as a kidnapper (not the son), hence both were judging the other. One as a kidnapper and the other as a racist. The father was judgmental of Melvin as being racist toward his son. It is right to be concerned for other peoples' safety... in this case the safety of the boy... and it is right to not judge (which is the father's position, though ironically the father was judging Melvin who was overzealous and too sure of himself). In this script, the character Melvin overtly overplayed his suspicions which made him look foolish. The father was right to defend his own character but wrong to extend the attack of his character as racism toward his son. The boy's race was not the issue in Melvin's mental dialogue or behavior.
This would not have happened in real life but it is a given script where both men over-reacted. Drama requires over-reactions. Nevertheless, congrats to Hafeez Sarumi for making everyone think about important issues!! Job well done!!
My teacher accidentally showed us it
Lol. My brother said to me,"In my class my teacher said youtube is a bad place, and even in good video's it curses." Obviously she didn't spot out that in the description it said,"Contains Adult Language."
my teacher edited out the f-bomb. which is fucking hilarious.
I don't thing the color of the kid is what motivated the older man.
This video is NOT for kids!!!!
Great film! Love it!
my teacher too everybody LAUGHED!!!!!
He thinks he kidnaps but that's just his son
Not for elementary age students due to language being used
my teacher show us this at first when the f bomb happened my teacher was walking slow to the computer the with the other f bomb he stared runing to the computrt LOL
Dude my teacher had this on then he cussed and my teacher panicked like crazy
Lol my teacher showed us this video, until it's said the f-bomb
SAMEEE
;-; wow we almost saw this in my school
Well done! Compelling messages.
Partiu estudar kakaka.
Too much swearing - please avoid showing younger children.
we dont get the point of the video
Actually it's the bad citizen because you shouldn't just go up to a guy and accuse him of kidnapping because his son is a different color that's just racist.
I don't thing the color of the kid is what motivated the older man.
that's stupid dude