The first paragraph
DISCUSSION QUESTION: Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman, Israel, 2008, 90 min)
In Chapter 7 in Introduction to Documentary, Bill Nichols describes the Performative Mode. Based on Nichols’ classification of the Performative Mode, what specific characteristics in Waltz with Bashir belong to this tradition and how does director, Ari Folman use different creative tactics to engage with the limitations of knowledge and subjective memory? To receive full points, please contextualize your response by engaging in at least ONE point addressed in ONE of the following essays:
Cristóbal Escobar, “Waltz with Bashir and the Fictions of the Historical World” (pdf)Open this document with ReadSpeaker docReaderDownload Cristóbal Escobar, “Waltz with Bashir and the Fictions of the Historical World” (pdf)Open this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
Garrett Stewart: Screen Memory in Waltz with Bashir (pdf)Open this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
The second paragraph
Online Screening: Stories We Tell (Sarah Polley, 2012, 118 min) *with English subtitles/captions
DISCUSSION QUESTION: As a “hybrid mode” documentary, please watch and analyze Stories we Tell (Sarah Polley, 2012) to consider how Sarah Polley’s approach interrogates some of the layers of myth and memory in documentary representation by contextualizing some of her key stylistic choices. In doing so, please identify how ALL of the following documentary modes are utilized/combined and briefly explain their effect and/or greater significance:
Expository Mode
Reflexive Mode
Observational mode
Participatory mode
Performative mode
In your response, I encourage you to briefly engage with broader questions of truth, memory, subjectivity, and reenactment that we’ve examined so far in the course. In order to receive full points, you must contextualize your ideas by engaging with at least ONE specific point addressed in “Family Viewing: An Interview with Sarah Polley” (pdf). Open this document with ReadSpeaker docReader