ZodWriter

Debunking certain buzz words being used to describe #TheLastPhotograph "THE MOVIE IS TRANSPHOBIC" The main character visits a brothel where the head "Madam" is a trans woman. This is not transphobic. Trans people can play "morally grey" characters as well. Trans people can play heroes, villains, average citizen, rebels, terrorists and morally grey characters if the plot calls for it. There is nothing negative portrayed specifically in the fact that the Madam is trans in this movie. Nothing about her identity is scoffed upon or used as any sort of right wing leverage. Are the roles of Madams reserved solely to straight women? or perhaps you'd feel more comfortable with a straight male being the "pimp" so that morally you can feel abit more secure in your belief system? Madams have been around for a while as part of "procuring" systems that put sex workers in relation with customers, especially in developing countries, where for many women. Sex work is the only work they can do to survive. "THE MOVIE IS RACIST!!!!" Why? Because there is drug trade/poverty/sex work in third world/developing countries? That crime lords are pieces of shit? That corruption exists? That there are poor shanty towns and favelas? That there are places in the world that still have indigenous people living off the land with belief systems rooted in their culture. It says alot more about you being uncultured than anything if any of this bothered you. Most of you have never travelled the REAL world and it shows. "THE MOVIE IS MISOGYNIST" Why? Because women can't be victims? There's no sex trade in third world countries let alone first world? That women are poorly treated in third world countries, once again, let alone first world ones? The movie is a revenge thriller with the protagonist seeking revenge against a woman. The movie does it mercilessly and violently. It taps into that area of the human psyche that we inadvertently reach into in times of extreme emotional distress. The "If I could...I would do this". In the case of The Last Photograph....the protagonist has the means and resources TO "do this". "THERE'S GRATUITOUS NUDITY" What are you 12? Stop cheering on Game of Thrones then and premium TV which constantly showcases gratuitous nudity because "That's what premium TV is for". Btw, I am A-OK with Nudity in film. Film began, in many ways, as a means of capturing life and reality as it actually exists. The human body is part of that reality, and I don’t think cinema should be afraid to depict it simply because it’s a body. The nude scenes between the protagonist and a woman are tastefully done and in a manner that is true and authentic representation of intimacy that we've all experienced, tho given the response to the "nudity", I feel I may be giving some critics too much credit. The opening sex scene is meant to feel sleazy and is shot as such without being graphic. "THE MOVIE IS SUPER RIGHT WING" It's only ever right wing when you want it to be.....right? I guess in this case Kill Bill/Man on Fire are right wing as well....cuz going on a revenge spree is inherently right wing....do I have that right? Or is it because the protagonist is a male who used to work as a DEA agent and there's some Cool Military Shit shown in the movie and the protagonist looks like he walked out of a Call of Duty Game? Revenge isn't in any way shape or form a right wing thing. Every person of every political/religious ideology has felt the urge for revenge at one point in their life. All that to say.... most of these criticisms are being made in bad faith. If it's not one thing, it would be another and if we had a different movie on our hands, then there'd be different complaints. The critics are (deliberately?) confusing depiction with endorsement, and seem to be imposing their own ideological framework onto a movie that is explicitly interrogating that very impulse It’s an interesting notion that one of the movie’s themes is the idea that North Americans/Western nations love imposing their moral ideology on the rest of the world, and that sometimes those nations simply don’t want it. That very idea is the inciting incident of the movie. "An American ambassador and his family are murdered because that ideology is not welcome." That must have rubbed some of these elbow rubbers in the audience the wrong way. (Somebody get these BEGGARS out of here) The movie is likely going to be a hard watch for some, in the same way Se7en or 8mm or any revenge thriller that deals with human trafficking/unscrupulous characters (Man on Fire comes to mind). Is the movie perfect? No. There are a few clunky scenes & I would have liked a bit more clarity on one or two scenes & how they played out, but I truly hope this movie gets a theatrical release so people can truly make up their minds. My rating right now is a soft 8/10 (I rate movies based off of different factors depending on the type of movie and what it's trying to do etc) The movie is in the upper echelon of Zack's work along DotD/300/Watchmen/ZSJL Trilogy and far better than AotD/Rebel Moon/Sucker Punch.