Films That Have Changed My Life

With all the things happening in our world, it became easy for me to lose a lot of passion for things. Watching films was an easy way for me to escape and to feel happy but, for a while, I had completely stopped watching them. These last two months I’ve thankfully been able to pick myself up a bit and started revisiting that passion for film.

This project that I’ve been slowly creating is titled Films That Have Changed My Life. It’s a project I plan to work on possibly forever since it’ll be ever-growing. At first, I started doing simple doodles on film stills with my favourite quotes to now collaging or combining the two skills. My passion for film is deep and someday I hope to make my own. It’s been such a great joy to be able to sit and watch one of my favourite films and create a piece of art while doing it.

Film has been one of my favourite art forms since I was a kid. The beautiful thing about it is how neverending it is and how it’s constantly changing. I take a bit of inspiration from each one I watch! Every film I see whether it be old or new just gets better from the last. Film and art have brought back a passion into my life that I had lost for a while and it’s got me excited to create again. Since I’ve started making collages, I’ve received a lot of support and love from friends and strangers which is important during this time when we’re all away from each other. I hope that my passion for film and art comes through in my pieces and that hopefully, I’ll continue to expand it and meet other people through it.

“Let me give you a tip. You wanna make some money here? Use your white voice.”

I remember when I first heard that while watching the trailer for Sorry to Bother You and the impact it had on me. Sorry to Bother You explores and perfectly explains Code-Switching. Cassius Green alters the way he talks using his white voice to make his way to the top and in all honest truth, I think it also just says the only way to the top is if you’re white.

Sorry to Bother You creates a weird alternate world to ours but is it really that different? Through my collage, I tried to combine different aspects of the film and things I personally took from it; a horse to symbolize the ideal mindset that if we don't “work as hard as a horse” you will never get by. Countless eyes watching Cassius to see if he fails or succeeds and of course a T.V, the only way to get people to listen to you sometimes. It’s really funny when I talk to someone about this movie, the only thing they take out of it is the whole horse thing when in reality Boots Riley is trying to talk to people about the working class. I think through this film he explains all the hard work that they do just for the rich to sit there and make millions while the ones who do the actual heavy lifting barely have enough money to live. Now is the perfect time to learn and to educate yourself about what's wrong with our systems and there is no easier way to learn than through film.

By Azul

(they/them)

Graphics by Azul

IG: @smalldweeb

Edited by Halima Jibril