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The Film, Rhymes For Young Ghouls

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In the film, Rhymes for Young Ghouls, Mi’gmaq filmmaker Jeff Barnaby uses film syntax (mise-en- scène, montages, diachronic shots, synchronic shots, and cutting) to assist him in telling a tale about the historical violence done to Indigenous men, women, and children by the Canadian government and the residential school system (Boo 220). The purpose of the film Rhymes for Young Ghouls is to bring awareness to a wider audience who may or may not be aware of the violence inflicted on Indigenous people, violence that was sanctioned by the Canadian legislation and state (Boo 211). In the film, Barnaby illustrates how non-Indigenous men were not concerned with gender when beating an Indigenous person; women were beaten the same as men were. In…show more content…
Dymphna’s. After being set free, Aila and her friends steal Popper’s money. They free Joseph, whom Popper took into custody (Carleton). Popper finds Joseph and Aila, interrupting Joseph telling Aila about how residential school damaged her mom, he knocks Joseph unconscious with his rifle, then beats Aila and tries to rape her. Popper is interrupted by a young boy and shot with his own rifle. Joseph takes responsibility for Popper’s death, saving Aila and the boy from prosecution, giving them a chance for freedom (Carleton). In his film, Barnaby uses a diachronic shot and a synchronic shot to depict how there was no gender discrimination when it came to inflicting violence on an Indigenous body. For instance, a sequence of cut shots begins with a medium shot of Aila peacefully riding down a dirt road. Where all of a sudden, a long shot shows one of Aila’s friend is running from someone (Barnaby). The shot changes to a medium shot of him yelling for Aila to run; the shot becomes a close-up of Aila from the shoulders up, she faces forward and out of nowhere a white man sucker punches Aila. The shot changes to a medium shot, showing her fall to the ground and the man walks back to her and tells her to give her friend a message. The camera view becomes a synchronic shot to give the audience a view of what Aila sees as the man stomps on her face, knocking her unconscious (Barnaby). From beginning to end of the diachronic shots, the audience is set up to
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