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FCS 224 – Film Analysis
70 points possible
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this class the student will have:
1) Formulated a working definition of “family”.
2) Critically analyzed problems and issues facing families.
3) Come to a better understanding of how society interfaces with the family.
The entertainment industry used to represent the traditional white family on TV and film. In more recent
years, different family compilation and issues have been introduced. Are families represented realistically
after you’ve learned about them this semester. Let’s take a look!
For this assignment, you will watch one of the films listed below. Each film focuses on a family facing a
particular issue. The issues might include divorce, abortion, depression, multi-racial family moving into a
new neighborhood etc. After you’ve viewed the film, write a paper in which you critically apply course
content to analyze the relationships and family dynamics among the main characters in the film.
Your final paper should be approximately 4 to 5 pages in length, double spaced, using 12pt Times New
Roman font with 1 in. margins. Most of these films are available through Amazon streaming, iTunes,
and/or Netflix.
a. Blue Valentine (R)
b. Little Boxes (TV-14)
c. Marriage Story (R)
d. Anything’s Possible (PG-13)
e. Moonlight (R)
f. Hillbilly Elegy (R)
g. The Squid and the Whale (R)
h. A Separation (PG-13)
i. My Happy Family (TV-14)
j. Labor Day (R)
If for some reason you are unable to access or unwilling to watch any of the films listed above,
send me an email with some potential acceptable/accessible alternatives and I can let you know
if they would be appropriate for this assignment.
Your film analysis should address the following questions (70 points possible):
1. What role does gender or sexuality play in the lives of the main characters in this film?
How do these factors impact the way family members interact with one another? (10 points)
2. How does work/employment (or lack of) impact the family(ies) in this film and their
dynamics? (10 points)
3. What are the communication patterns of family members in this film? To what extent are
they effective or ineffective? (10 points)
4. What sorts of stressors are the family(ies) in this film experiencing? (10 points)
5. What sort of resources for resilience does the family(ies) in this film have that might help
them overcome stressors? What additional resources would have benefitted the
family(ies) in this film? (10 points)
6. What sorts of effective parenting strategies do the parent(s) in this film engage in? What
sorts of ineffective or harmful strategies are present? (10 points)
7. Based on what you have learned in class, do you believe this film provided a realistic
example of how relationships and family dynamics operate in the real-world, or was it
more fantastical? (10 points)
Detailed Rubric available on Canvas
Please note which movie you are analyzing in your opening paragraph
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