Keeping the Faith, Essay Example

Identify, describe, and explain the types of love evident in the film

The film represents the connection between three people rooting out from a long-time friendship which served as the foundation of their relationship between each other. Being friends, Anna, Jake and Brian have spent several important years of their lives together. This love was rather platonic and defined as good foundation for further future relationships between these individuals. Understandably though, it could be realized that somehow, this relationship has grown into a deeper identification of the individual being of each of these persons in later years.

Anna and Jake had a deeper relationship when they first met after a few years of being apart from each other. However, the congregational privilege of Jake as a Jewish Rabbi keeps him away from actually finding a better way of establishing his relationship with the Anna. Brian on the other hand, even though he has a secret  feeling for Anna had to keep it too but had the desire to leave his privilege to spend more time with Anna and pursue a relationship with her. A more serious love that is instituted upon a more comprehensive indication on the being of Jake, Anna and Brian has grown into a more serious relativity that caused several issues between the said individuals; especially in relation to their religious affiliations.

What does the film reveal about Jewish, Christian, and contemporary western cultural values about love?

The Jewish religion specifically insists on the need to marry inside their congregations; which means it is a serious case of going against that rule if one chooses to fall in love with a non-Jewish. The conflicts are specifically instantiated by this belief causing particular issues between the emotions of the heart. Anna and Jake, even though they had a past relationship, need to make amendments on their emotions so as to protect themselves from the course of supposed destruction of their faith. On the other end, other individuals point out the need to give attention to their feelings rather than undergoing complications.

What might be problematic about these?

The conflict between emotions and religious responsibilities often cause issues between the people who are involved in the situation. Relationships are being compromised and the idea of “love” becomes rather connected with several points of indication that makes it harder for the individuals involved to balance their feelings and they desire to find the right one who they would be spending their lives with.

Is the myth of romantic love evident, and if so, how does it function in the film?

Romantic love is often regarded as something serious that complicates situations in a person’s life especially when it comes to dealing with the connection they have with others.  The classic identification of romantic love among past literary forms have been dependent on the idea of making comprehensive implications on how conflicts make romantic relationships more exiting, imposing on the idea of refining the emotional connection between two people being kept away from each other. In the movie, religion has been utilized as the primary element towards the introduction of conflict among the individuals involved between each other. This made the romantic connection between Anna and Jake more interesting and rather challenging for both individuals.

What constructions of masculinity and femininity are evident and how do they affect the plot?

Jake, being a rabbi and a son of a seriously affiliated Jewish individual has been represented to have strong feelings for Anna, which he cannot contend especially in relation with his indicative responsibility with his religion and his family. On the other end, Brian was more evidently relative with his feelings and was willing to sacrifice his privilege and become closer with Anna. Anna, being the central point of attention of these two men, was specifically noted for her being feminine yet strong willed. In a way, these elements of femininity and masculinity defined the being of all the individuals involved with such relationships. The gender individualism between the characters insistently makes a definite course of development that questions both the willingness of the characters to respond to what their feelings impose or would they rather remain within their comfort zone.

What specific concepts can you apply from lectures and course readings to help analyze the film?

Love is often made exciting and insistently challenging with the existence of conflicts. In literary art, it could be analyzed that conflicts have been made specifically effective in questioning the actual emotions of the people involved in the relationships. Most often than not, these conflicts entail to further strengthen the being of the relationship that is being established. Relatively, it could be analyzed that these situational conflicts are designed to give an attentive consideration on how the two people who are presented to be involved with each other are tested for their consideration on their emotions and how they are willing to stand for such emotional bearings. Their decisions become rooted upon these conflicts and how they are willing to sacrifice some of their most priced conditions in relative connection with their comfort zone so as to definitely make indicative pathways that would lead them to fulfilling what their romantic desires are.

The question of balancing the priorities of one with regards his heart and his mind [deciding on which is more important, his romantic emotions or his responsibilities] often create a massive change in the vision on how love is supposed to be and how it should affect one’s being and one’s lifestyle. The presentation that was used in the movie was rather effective especially in addressing the conflict between religion, family and romantic emotional connection with another individual. The question on how far one would go to fulfill his responsibilities or follow what his emotions suggest to be an essential part of his being has been effectively addressed in the film.

Placing the individuals in different situations that conflict each other makes the film more interesting hence imposing a thought on the part of the viewers as the plot of the story questions what should be more important to human individuals today, religion or romantic love. Handling a controversial issue through the movie makes it a more relative especially in reflecting the truth about relationships between people and how they entail the creation of what their priorities should be about.

References:

Keeping the Faith. (2000). Touchstone Pictures.

Pollick, M. How To Analyze a Movie.http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/how-to-analyze-a-movie. (Retrieved on November 29, 2011).