Jungen is a coming-of-age and self-discovery film telling the story of Sieger, a Dutch teenager, who throughout the film was exploring and questioning his sexuality. It was also the first film I watched whose theme revolves around self-discovery and the LGBTQ+ community. Rather than rely on flashy scenes and drawn out dialogue, the movie instead uses its cinematography and its focus on the actors themselves to convey the struggles that Sieger faces in his journey of self-discovery. One of the scenes that stuck out to me most was when Sieger failed to get the baton from Marc at the beginning of the movie. To me, when I first watched this scene, I knew that this meant there will be more conflicts to come, and this foreshadowing was correct. After dealing with conflicts with his brother, with Marc, and within himself, Sieger finally accepts himself and his feelings for Marc, ultimately pursuing what he truly wants and what will make him happy (which I believe can be marked by the successful transfer of the baton and the victory at the final race). Overall, this was a film that I enjoyed watching and after discussing it, it will be a movie that I will watch again in order to be able to pick out and better understand its symbolism.
Author Archives: xy339
The AI Takeover?
Though The Matrix was released almost two decades ago, I find its discussion of artificial intelligence to be especially relevant in modern times, as development and innovation into the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence continues to grow.
As AI continues to improve, it will undoubtedly bring many benefits to humans. If coded properly, AI would have a low, or nonexistent error rate. Artificial intelligence programmed to perform medical procedures, to drive cars, to complete tasks that humans are unable to do will greatly advance human civilization. Productivity will greatly increase as AI will never need to take a break or get tired, and AI can be programmed to complete the mundane tasks that humans do not want to do.
Yet, there is the very real fear of job loss due to automation, of immoral machines, and (one of the most interesting hypothetical scenarios to me, and the theme of many dystopian novels and movies) the fear of an AI takeover.
Will AI ever become sentient to the point that they take control of Earth and enslave all humans? Will we ever find ourselves in a Matrix like scenario, where we are controlled by and batteries for AI and live only in our minds?
Many AI researchers have also voiced a similar concern, that AI could potentially develop to the point that humans cannot control it, meaning the end of humankind as we know it. Yet theoretically, if humans were to create AI, we could instill it with human morals, so that it will help humans rather than harm us. At the same time, would we also not take precautions to prevent an AI takeover?
Research and development of AI will undoubtedly continue. I know that we can gain a lot from AI and the quality of human life and society as a whole will improve. As it stands right now, I believe that the benefits we can gain from AI outweigh the potential dangers, but it is never too late to think about what could happen and what we should do if things go south.
“We’re Americans”
When Us was released last year, through word of mouth and online reviews, I knew that this movie was one I had to see.
Throughout the film, the attention to detail, the use of symbolism and metaphors, and the underlying themes and messages combine to make this movie one that would have to be watched multiple times in order to be able to fully comprehend and appreciate its deeper meaning.
One of the scenes that stuck out to me most was that when Adelaide asked who Red was, the response Red gave was that the tethered were “Americans.”
I believe that there could be several ways to interpret this line, however, the most obvious to me is that this is a criticism of American society and culture.
I believe that the movie criticizes the materialistic way of life that some choose to pursue. For instance, we can see that the Tylers seem to be in pursuit of material happiness. They have a new boat, a new car, a summer home, yet they are not truly happy. It is obvious to the audience that the marriage between Kitty and John is not a happy one: Kitty seems to be an alcoholic and Josh seems to encourage it. They may appear to be a perfect family, yet they are far from it.
Furthermore, though the Wilsons and the Tylers both seem to be well off, the Tylers always seem to want to “outdo” the Wilsons. The Tylers flaunt their new car, live in a more “modern” house, and live across the lake from the Wilsons. The fact that the Wilsons and the Tylers live on opposite sides of the lake reminds of the “East” and “West Egg” idea introduced in The Great Gatsby, hinting at a similar criticism of the wealth disparities in modern society today. At the same time, the underlying message of racial injustice is another theme implied several times throughout the movie.
As a whole, Us was an enjoyable and thought provoking movie. It is one that I look forward to watching again and again to look for any details I missed the first time around!
With My Own Eyes
As #17 on the list of “161 Things Every Cornellian Should Do,” Fuertes Observatory was a location that I always wanted to visit, but never had the chance to do so until this Rose Scholars event.
Located in the center of the room was the hundred year-old telescope. From the guide, I learned that this telescope was run through a clock drive mechanism, which allows it to rotate with the rotation of the earth and keep the object currently being viewed in sight. Tonight, we were looking at Saturn.
As I waited in line to look through the telescope, I realized that this was a novel experience for me. I had previously been to various observatories, namely, Griffiths Observatory and Chabot Space and Science Center, however, both of these times I had just toured and viewed other exhibits. While visiting Griffiths last winter, there were telescopes which offered tourists the opportunity to look at Neptune, Mars, the Moon, and Andromeda, however, I arrived just when these celestial bodies were starting to phase out of view of the telescopes. So instead, I toured the rest of the museum, reading about space missions, the history of astronomy and important historical figures, and facts about the planets, galaxies, stars.
As I climbed the ladder and looked through the telescope, I was amazed! Saturn looked just like what I had seen in textbooks: a pale yellow sphere, with rings around it (albeit not in as high resolution as in textbooks); two of its moons were also visible as dots of lights around it!
It was a surreal experience: being able to see with my own eyes a planet, millions of miles away, really puts into perspective how vast our universe is and gives me a greater appreciation for earlier astronomers, who, using telescopes less refined than the ones we have today, were able to make discoveries about the universe that we are situated in.
Next Fall, Mars will be in view, and I know that I will be among one of the first in line to see it.
A Community United Against Cancer
When we first arrived at Cass Park, the crowd of people already gathered, stretching and preparing to run/walk in the 5K could not be missed. Hundreds of people from all walks of life were in attendance: parents pushing children in strollers while holding the leashes of dogs; families holding signs voicing their support for participants; families young and old, wearing color coordinated shirts and more, united as a community to show their support for those who have fought, or are currently fighting cancer.
Prior to the walkathon, we had the opportunity to meet and talk with Jason, a cancer survivor himself. What Jason said about the stigmas of cancer and the consequence it has on patients and families alike is something I had never thought of before. Cancer is often stigmatized, sometimes to the extent that many patients and families are isolated and feel that there is not one they can talk to or approach.
However, the Cancer Resource Center is working to provide a network of people and support groups where patients can voice their concerns, receive help, and meet people who are going through, or have gone through the same experience that they are currently going through.
The community that the CRC has created is even more evident as we walked along the path: cheerleaders, singers, acapella groups, performers and more were all present, providing encouragement to the runners and walkers as we passed.
I am glad I had the opportunity to participate in the walkathon hosted by the CRC. To see the community come together to support a common cause was heart-warming and this was truly an amazing, unforgettable experience.
The Importance of a Picture
As recruiting season for internships and summer experiences rolls around, students are making the final touches on their resumes, applications, LinkedIn profiles and more. One of the most important steps in this process is having a professional photo. As one of the first images that others see when they stumble upon your LinkedIn, a picture is worth a thousand words. A professional headshot can convey a lot about you: your personal brand, your professionalism, your personality and so much more. It allows a person to learn a little bit about you before you may actually meet in person and can leave a strong first impression. The importance of a professional headshot cannot be underestimated!
I am very thankful that Rose House offered this opportunity. I loved the way that the pictures turned out and am very eager to use them for job and internship searches this semester!