Short movie review - Gran Torino

The film we watched last time in English is called Gran Torino and it was produced in 2008. It is an US-American movie and the director is Clint Eastwood who also plays one of the main characters, named Walt Kowalski, in the movie. Other main actors are Bee Vang (Tao), Ahney Her (Sue), Christopher Carley (Father Janovich), Chee Thao (Grandma) and Choua Kue (Youa).

The story takes place in a neighbourhood of Detroit where many people with multiculturalism background are living.

Kowalski is an embittered Korean War veteran, whose prize possession is a 1972 Gran Torino, and he is also a work-a-day man, who is emotionally distant from his two sons and their families. His wife has recently passed away and the neighbourhood they have lived in for years has changed dramatically. Now his neighbours represent various cultures, much different than his own and for the cantankerous, and some times, racist, Kowalski, it is almost more than he can take. A conflict arises between Kowalski and his Hmong neighbours (many Hmong people fled to the United States from Vietnam, Thailand and Laos immediately after the Vietnam War). However, the conflict results in Kowalski inadvertently becoming involved in the lives of the two Hmong young people, brother and sister, Tao and Sue. After some time he gradually takes Tao under his wing, teaching him a few things about life and helps getting him a job. When a local gang begins relentlessly harassing Tao and Sue, Kowalski cannot simply stand by and watch; this time he intentionally becomes involved.

The film illustrates town members forcing to make a choice as to which popular culture they will follow.  They can follow a path of religion and live peacefully or they can choose a path of constant feuding by joining a gang.  Either way, the town has become divided and both opposing cultures seem to be constituted as a popular lifestyle.

The movie Gran Torino gives a lot of attention to cultural differences. Especially the initial cultural conflict between Walt Kowalski and the Hmong people in his neighbourhood plays a huge role in the film. It is a good pictured example for multiculturalism and multicultural society because there are living people from different cultures in one street and they have to adapt and to respect each other to have a working relationship and living together.

 

The picture is published on the webside www.entertainmentnutz.com