Blog 11

 Representation/Hall

Still video from  Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2019)

In the scene where Miles sings 'Sunflower' emotionally while drawing, in his messy but colorful room; The Filmmakers appropriately show a smart and creative teenager being simply a teenager. Then when he is called by his father, he communicates with his mom in Spanish, with his dad in English and with his friends in both languages, we can see the multicultural side of Miles, through his expressions and languages. Miles is bilingual and speaks English and Spanish representing his Latino and African-American roots. That makes him an identifiable and diverse teenager because normally superheroes are adult white guys - DC reference-. Miles is a very expressive and charismatic boy who through his art, languages and music shares his culture with the audience. Filmmakers use counter typical representation through the contrast between their old school and their new school. On the one hand, in his public school – a more urban environment – he was an outgoing, popular and admired boy and he felt comfortable there because his friends were there and, in addition, he was admired by them, teenagers who share the same cultural context. On the other hand, in his new school, Miles tried to be friendly but did not get the reaction he expected from his classmates, also his classmates are just as intelligent as him and competitive, he no longer stands out as in his previous school. That contrast challenges stereotypical portrayals of Latino and African-American teens because they are often portrayed as problematic in films. Deconstructed representation: Miles is a character who breaks stereotypes, he is an intelligent, creative, sensitive boy and represents himself through his way of communicating, music, drawings, humor, charisma and colorful world. He represents a cultural mix.