California State University Los Angeles Birdshot Asian Film Paper

watch 2 films from the list and write a 400-600 word personal reflection on it.

1. Snowpiercer (NOT THE SERIES ON TNT)

a. The Snowpiercer train, operating on a globe-spanning track, carrying the last

remnants of humanity after an attempt at climate engineering in order to stop

global warming has unintentionally created a new Snowball Earth. The lowerclass

tail section passengers lead a revolution against the elite of the front of the

train.

2. Okja

a. For 10 idyllic years, young Mija has been caretaker and constant companion to

Okja – a genitically modified superpig and an even bigger friend – at her home in

the mountains of South Korea. But that changes when the Mirando Corporation

takes Okja for themselves and transports her to New York, where an imageobsessed

and self-promoting CEO has big plans for Mija’s dearest friend. With

no particular plan but single-minded in intent, Mija sets out on a rescue mission.

4. Right to Health: Cuba and the Philippines

a. about community health approaches in Cuba and the Philippines. Perfect to

watch right now.

5. Pangandoy

a. Short documentary about the Salupongan schools in Talaingod, Philippines.

6. Barefoot Doctors of Rural China (1975) (YouTube)

a. After Mao Zedong’s healthcare speech in 1965 the concept was developed and

institutionalized.[5] China’s health policy began to emphasize the importance of

barefoot doctors after Mao Zedong’s June 26 directive, and, in 1968, the barefoot

doctors program became integrated into national policy.[6] These programs were

called “rural cooperative medical systems” (RCMS) and worked to include

community participation with the rural provision of health services.[7] Barefoot

doctors became a part of the Cultural Revolution, which also radically diminished

the influence of the Ministry of Health, which was dominated by Western-trained

doctors.

b. Part 1

c. Part 2

8. Birdshot

a. A farm girl in the countryside unwittingly kills a Philippine eagle (an endangered

species), and two police officers assigned to track down the eagle’s killer while

investigating the mysterious disappearance of a busload of farmers en route to

Manila.

9. Buy Bust

a. A team deployed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to conduct a drug

bust, but is poorly managed. Considered a social commentary on President

Duterte’s war on drugs.

10. Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj “The Real Cost of Cruises” (Netflix) (2019, 23m)

a. Watch this and you won’t even have to think twice about going on a cruise again.

Especially with how people are affected by the health crisis. It also highlights the

impact on contract cruise workers from countries outside the US.

11. Act of Killing

a. A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to

reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including

classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.

12. Look of Silence

a. A family that survived the genocide in Indonesia confronts the men who killed

one of their brothers.

Subtly Political

13. Studio Ghibli films (Anime)

14. Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon