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Short Eyes
The film is based in a detention facility in New York and is directed by Robert Young with the script being written by the play’s original composer Miguel Pinero. The convicts in this facility’s primary goal are survival as there exist all forms of brutality that violate all the decency rules.
In the facility, the inmates share several things, which have ended up becoming a routine and also a way of life. In there, homosexuality, as well as musterbation, is an everyday talk within the prison walls, which makes it a bit unusual given the time setting of the film. A case in point is the interest in other inmates to have a piece of Cupcakes. There is a culture of violence in there as all the inmates show a great deal of hostility. It gets well-illustrated after the murder of Bruce. Despite being in prison, the inmates have developed a code in which they perceive child molestation as the lowest one can ever stoop in the crime chain. It leads to them promoting hatred for Bruce.
The inmates also have developed a form of hierarchy. Though this is in an unofficial capacity, Juan is perceived as the inmates’ leader due to the respect accorded to him. El Raheem can be said to be the spiritual leader in this specific setting. There is also another show of power in the form of Nett, a guard, and his superior officer Omar.
In this particular setting, values are held high. As seen from the guard’s will to forego a promotion for the well-being of the inmates. The inmates also believe that letting Bruce go would do more harm to society and thus kills him. The different positions in the facility are significant. El Raheem is a spiritual guider who helps the other inmates in learning religion (Berg, 1982). In prison, there exist racial grouping, which helps in ensuring the prisoners’ safety by forming alliances. It portrays the power that can get achieved through unity.
Work Cited
Berg, Bruce. “Short Eyes (Book Review).” Humanity and Society 6.3 (1982): 320.