In what respect might we regard White Material by Claire Denis
As an example of world cinema?
World Cinema is a genre of film referred to in the cinema industry that has a number of characteristics, usually involving a foreign place of origin however not necessarily defined by this. Films that fall in this category are generally not commercialised Hollywood films and focus more on the artistic value of film-making as opposed to the monetary value. They attract an educated audience and are shown in small art-house cinemas across the world.
White Material (Claire Denis, France, 2009) has a number of characteristics that could contribute to it being regarding as World Cinema. The first and most obvious one is the country of origin. Being filmed in a non-specified African country by a French director, with French dialogue and English subtitles, the film has very deep French roots but is released and marketed in English which is completely opposed to standard Hollywood films.
Another characteristic of art-house and world cinema films is their subject may present social or political issues and therefore invite controversy and debate, causing the viewer to think about what is being shown and engage with it. In White Material this is presented in a number of ways: A non-specified civil war in Africa which features heavily on child soldiers, a broken family, poverty, desperation and racism, all of which are heavily discussed and frequently touched upon social issues to identify or involve the viewer.
As one of the main purposes of world cinema is to focus on the artistic merit of film, a big factor of popularity is the reputation of directors and their directing style, for example in White Material Claire Denis uses some very unconventional shots and methods such as shaky handheld cameras that stay very close to the action with the intent on involving the viewer more and offering a more realistic view on what’s going on. The use of music as a soundtrack is also very important, however not defining, and is used in this context to create an atmosphere of suspense and tension with the addition of the music of Tindersticks which are a very underground and niche band that Denis uses multiple times throughout her film repertoire.
