Guiding questions/thoughts:
What neo-noir traits does this film have?
What sets it apart from noir as a whole?
Are the elements of neo-noir that are present strong enough to make the film neo-noir?
Was there any neo-noir inspiration or influence for Everything Everywhere All At Once?
Can Jobu Tabaki be considered a femme fatale?
Is the antagonist “punished” in the end?
Does the fight of hope versus existential pessimism remove this film from the neo-noir genre?
Does this film follow the typical noir structure?
Could this be another subgenre of noir and not neo-noir?
- Mother-daughter relationship
- women still being a point of “corruption”
Working Research Question:
Does Everything Everywhere All At Once alter the role women can have in the neo-noir genre?
Topics/subjects: Gunfu, postmodernism in connection to neo-noir, Femme fatale in a new narrative, and neo-noir visual style
Helpful course readings: “COMMENTS ON THE CLASSIC FILM NOIR AND THE NEO-NOIR” by Andrew Dickos – This reading is crucial for grounding the argument of what neo-noir is and how EEAAO might begin to fit into the subgenre. When looking to make my main argument I feel it would be very beneficial to use “WOMEN AS SEEN IN THE FILM NOIR” by Andrew Dickos given that I am analyzing whether or not the role of women in film noir has room to change with the (potential) addition of EEAAO. I have glanced at the other readings and have not found anything that seems like it would affect the overall shape of my thought process yet.
Films to help with specification and clarity: The first films that come to mind are Blade Runner and Pulp Fiction for visual style. Additionally, I would like to look at John Wick to help with my analysis of the fighting style and cinematography in EEAAO.
I realize this is not the most in-depth or wordy response but this is how my brain works.
I am intrigued by your topic and your thought process. I loved EEAAO and now that you mention it, I can totally see the noir elements. Pulp Fiction and John Wick are good choices, I might also suggest looking into maybe kung-fu movies or maybe anime?
I haven’t seen EEAAO, but I can tell I’m definitely going to be intrigued by the end of this, considering the high praises it’s already gotten! Pulp fiction is a good choice for the femme fatale, and brings up interesting points. In terms of readings, depending how your argument goes it might be worth looking into Altman’s ‘Characteristics of Genre’ to help you define it and construct the differences between noir and neo-noir.
As someone who’s seen EEAAO, I can definitely see how you could label Jobu Tupaki as a “femme fatale”. I think the readings you’ve selected should definitely help with your research. While I see the connections you’ve made to claim that EEAAO is a noir film, I think that they’re rather a stretch, as the film doesn’t really follow the traditional “noir formula” as it definitely lacks some of the visual elements.
For your proposal, I found that this was very well articulated. I like the fact that you included your notes and your guiding questions/thoughts that led you to the research question you proposed. I can see how meticulous the thought process of creating this proposal was. I remember how you’d bring EEAAO in class and in Erin’s class, so I’m honestly sold on this topic. A new example of a neo-noir released super recently.
Your selection for topic/subject is understandable with the given proposed research question. Basing the research on the specific neo-noir style and the femme fatale is perfect and I’m sure you’ll be able to create a compelling over-arching video essay.
Your helpful readings both pertain to your topic perfectly, i.e. the neo-noir and femme fatale. I think these readings will strengthen whatever points you may decide to elaborate or find within this proposal.
For your films selected, you selected two of the ideal films I would also suggest when tackling neo-noir as a style in comparison. John Wick is another good pick. Might I suggest seven? Even though it isn’t as action-packed, the violence in it is fairly graphic.
First of all, I really enjoy the image. I thought it was a stock image for a hot second, but it’s really cool because it’s your thoughts spread out. Second of all, I do really like your research question: Does Everything Everywhere All At Once alter the role women can have in the neo-noir genre? However, something to think about and my question is, why does this matter? How does this effect perception and why is it relevant to an overall understanding? A film to potentially look at is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This feels like it would potentially tie into what you are trying to do.
The question “Does Everything Everywhere All At Once alter the role women can have in the neo-noir genre?” is what interests me the most because I know this movie already set a new precedent in many ways. For a different perspective of a similar femme fatale character I recommend the movie Jackie Brown.