Chun Li movie
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nancy-fuentes — 10 years ago(January 07, 2016 07:34 AM)
I love horror films so I was interested in The Forest because it looked like a supernatural horror flick. Now, that I have read the posts on different threads on whitewashingI think I will watch a documentary on Aokigahara before seeing the movie. I agree that the movie could've gone to a higher level if the main actress were asian (even though I like Natalie Dormer) and touched on the actual issue of high suicide rates in Japan. Check out this video on the real forest of Aokigahara in Japan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FDSdg09df8
Now, other people have also made valid points. Some people are saying that it's irrelevant because it's based on the supernatural perspective of two outsiders one Euro-American living in Japan and another Euro-American traveling to Japan in search of her sister. The movie is not based on a local perspective and the reality of the forest which is a current spot for suicides (like Niagara Falls or the Golden Gate Bridge in North America).
Again, we go back to the original point of whitewashing. Why was the movie based on a supernatural, foreign, Euro-American perspective? So, I do see the whitewashing. The movie didn't have to be a documentary but it could've stayed a little more true to reality. The movie could've been a psychological horror, psychological thriller, horror drama, crime thriller, or horror thriller film (Nightcrawler, Silence of the Lambs, Orphan).
Plenty of foreign people live and work in Japan and I'm sure that white people are raised there too. Soit is a possibility that a white person of European descent would understand the forest and Japan's high suicide rates. Personally, I think the film could've been enhanced if the actress were Asian AND if the genre weren't supernatural. Even if the actress were Asian, it wouldn't touch the very real issue of high suicide rates in Japan because it's a supernatural horror flick. The genre itself evades the current reality of the forest and what it represents. I guess supernatural elements could remain in the movie if they were tied to a psychological thriller making it unclear if it's hallucinations or real supernatural events (The Shining, Butterfly Effect, They).
I can't really provide a thorough critique yet because I haven't seen the movie. I will see if my perspective changes after I watch the movie. -
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voiceactivatedboy — 10 years ago(January 16, 2016 09:51 AM)
I think everybody is forgetting the financial aspect of this conversation, which is really the deciding factor. The producers/investors of these films care about the bottom line. Period. That being said, they know that to capitalize on their investment and receive the biggest return, they have to look to the past on how movies perform in various markets.
The fact remains, and I'm sure this reflects poorly on American/Western culture, that American movies perform better in North America with white leads, otherwise ignorant people view the movie as foreign, whether it's or not. Hollywood movies, on the other hand, often times perform very well overseas regardless of the ethnicity of the lead actor, because many foreign markets have a minimal to small film industry, plus the general admiration of many people in the East for American/Western cultural influences.
Times are changing with the significant growth of the film industry in various developed nations, most notably China, which will soon overtake Hollywood as having the largest film industry in the world. But if I'm a Hollywood producer, and my job depends on how much money I make for the studio behind the film, I am probably going to cast a white lead. Hollywood will always be about maximizing profits, and this is how they do it. -
Shimmer_Me_Timbers — 10 years ago(January 21, 2016 07:50 AM)
Because a Japanese girl would've been respectful of the history/folk lore surrounding the forest.
An American Girl who was ignorant of the local area would not be hesitant to dismiss warnings and go into the forest in search of her sister.
Natalie Dormer isn't American nor is she a twin are you going to pick on her for that too? -
Jessica-katz5 — 10 years ago(January 21, 2016 09:44 AM)
It's obvious that the majority of people who have commented about this have not seen the movie.
Yes. The movie was in Japan. Why was the main character a white person? BECAUSE HER SISTER WAS AN AMERICAN, WHITE, and FEMALE who traveled to Japan to teach English to Japanese kids! OHBOY! WHITEWASHING!
I guess you missed the part where the guide was Japanese, the hotel owner was Japanese, the bartender was Japanese, the ghosts were Japanese.
A lot of you need to sit down and relax. Stop looking for issues where there are none. -
Mattfinbell — 9 years ago(April 04, 2016 10:08 PM)
Japanese people dont sell in america
Maybe one day well others DO want if you read Young Samurai and Shogun both leads are white and William Adams was a Samurai who was white
Bonesaw21
Because ALL Hollywood films must be set in America.
Right?
Because no white person has ever set foot in Japan.
Right?
YEP
COUGHCOUGHWILLIAMADAMSCOUGHCOUGH
bcjester
Yes because visiting Japan is absolutely illogical and silly. You're right my bad. Being a Caucasian person who works in Japan(you need a work visa for that by the way) is u heard of. Man I'm sorry you're right. I don't know where I came up with these half-brained schemes of mine.
have you met Unrested? What part of japan do you live in?
knikas356
Well considering white people don't suffer from systematic racism, no it does not go both ways. And racism isn't just as simple as "hating another race". There's much more to it, that I'm not going to waste my time going into because I already know you aren't going to understand and itll go one ear and out the other. White people are the most highly represented race in film. They are not oppressed in the entertainment industry and neither in life. So no, a Japanese film studio not casting white people isn't racist.
oh it goes both ways you just dont want to see it
udidwht
Your giving em to much credit. Racism is NOT by very definition the hating of a race. It goes much deeper than that. If a white person grows up in a predominately black neighborhood he/she is quite likely to grow up hating those in the hood. Is it because of the color of their skin? No
How do you know
Theshornwonder
White people make up the majority in the United States and Europe. If you decide to criticize a national film industry because it doesn't represent the population of "the world" then you're pretty silly.
Not really
town_night
You know that is the philosophy of alot of KKK members. They say now they don't hate people of other racists but should not be mixed. Say for instance they would only want the Japaneses to be with Japanese, and black people with black people. This is exactly what you are asking for. So to help you out here is the link to the KKK application for you to join. http://traditionalistamericanknights.com/Application.php Hope you find this helpful.
yeah like the Black Panthers! Well i dont agree since I am half chinese
This movie is not about a real person, so there can't be whitewashing. Now that would be wrong. This movie is just about a girl trying to find her sister who went into the forest. White people do exist in Japan, and are even aloud to visit if they want. In this movie case she was probably the actress they wanted for a fictional role.
Would you applaud a British film if they cast a Japaneses girl in the lead role? Im sure you would due to the diversity. I myself would have no issue with that. You can't have it both ways.
Depends on how the story was written
ingve1974
99% of movies that do well have a white lead. Welcome to the world.
No not all the time
But it doesnt help that when Japanese draw the characters they make them more white looking
Look like Tarzan talk like Jane! HAHA -
cokezero99 — 9 years ago(May 01, 2016 12:04 PM)
Why not? Why are you such a racist that you think anything like this cannot involve a white person? Is it not possible that whites get depressed, whites, work in Japan and that perhaps a white depressive person would go to a nearby infamous place for suicide? Pathetic.
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Intothenightalone — 9 years ago(July 23, 2016 04:39 AM)
Well the 'venture into the unknown' is heightened by having a non-japanese person in the role. Her being an english speaker puts the movie in english (which helps) and puts us in her shoes as we would be english speakers in japan (assuming you're not japanese).
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Eve_of_Destruction — 9 years ago(July 26, 2016 03:14 AM)
But it is a story of an American who went to Japan. Why is that so wrong? Does that not happen in real life? Are people not allowed to travel and experience things in other countries? Being from Ameica Diversity is completely normal. Maybe where you are from you prefer segregation?