Film Analysis of Dead Man Walking Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Film Analysis of Dead Man Walking - Term Paper Example In order to discuss these critically important principles and relate them to the film under analysis, first the particular scene to which each of them relates the most will be identified. Then, that principle will be scrutinized to appreciate what literature has to say about it and finally, the extent to which each principle relates to the scene described will be critically analyzed. A- Deindividuation Scene: After going through many sessions with Poncelet, Sister Helen develops a special relationship with him and also becomes his confidant. She strongly believes in the value of forgiveness and repeatedly attempts to inculcate the same belief in him in many earlier scenes. It is because of that emphasis that near the end of the film just sometime before Poncelet is about to be executed for his crime, he confides in Sister Helen that he did in fact kill the boy and rape the girl despite having denied these deeds before. In this scene, he takes full responsibility for the cruel demise of both teenagers. What is deindividuation? Deindividuation is popularly described as marked loss of self-awareness to the point that a person becomes uncaring about social code of conduct or norms of the society. The loss of self-awareness is so potent that a person refuses to take responsibility for any action taken by him/her. ... Such people have no regard for others’ lives and do not seem to mind the idea of them bringing suffering or acute distress in other people’s lives. Deindividuation also compels people to violate their personal norms because external norms become more powerful (Pastorino and Doyle-Portillo 473) and engage in activities they would not care about otherwise. It is associated with unbridled and offensive behavior because it lowers the sense of self-awareness leaving a person unable to conscientiously evaluate his/her actions. How the scene conforms to the principle of deindividuation? This scene illustrates how deindividuation played a destructive role in motivating Poncelet to murder two innocent people. Because of wrong influence in the form of Carl Vitello and his own weaknesses, he violated his person code of conduct and lived by the external norms which stimulated him to commit the crime. He had no self-awareness in that moment and even after that, he is not seen willin g to take responsibility for his heinous actions. Before this scene, he always admitted being high on drugs but blamed Vitello for killing the teenagers leaving himself out of the main action. His personal norm was to lie about the real situation and he tried to live by that norm. However, when the moment of execution finally dawns on him, he loses self-awareness and the will to protect himself. Here, the external norms of Sister Helen related to honesty and taking responsibility for one’s actions become more powerful. B- Schemas Scene: Near the end of the movie, Sister Helen tells Pocelet that he is a son of God and should expect forgiveness because while he is being executed, Christ would be here.