For Kenoshans, the biggest question may be "Is this film mocking or honoring Kenosha?" To be honest, I'd say there is a little mocking, but a lot more honoring. I chose Kenosha as the setting for this film to honor my hometown and my friends from Kenosha. For me and my friends, Kenosha has (had) two distinct layers--the "normal" family-friendly city and the slightly eccentric city. Both layers can be seen by driving through most residential areas and by visiting downtown spots such as Frank's Diner and Mike Bjorn's.
I think these two layers make Kenosha a great setting for a motion picture as it will draw in audiences comfortable with one or both, not to mention actual Kenoshans. Besides the place, the time period of the early 1980s makes the story more interesting. Many in Kenosha may look back to the early 1980s as a period of unwanted change as it looked like the city may become one of the rustier parts of the growing Rust Belt. In fact, the entire decade of the 1980s was a period of uncertain transition. But I believe the city has had a happy ending to that transition as the 1990s showed excellent growth and a new image.
What is mocked about Kenosha is more about the past. This story is somewhat of a mocking homage to the culture of the 1980s as Kenosha exhibits some of that culture quite well including the newfound obsession with cars through shows like Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard. The city is not intended as the target of mockery or ridicule. Audiences should leave the cinemas relating and possibly bonding with Kenosha as much of the nation feels its plight.
What I intend to feature the most about Kenosha is the heightened level of uncertainty, a feeling that the whole nation has been feeling for the past year as of May 2009. The best stories focus on periods of change and I think Kenosha of the 1980s strongly exemplifies this. In this sense, realism with both its positives and negatives will be portrayed.
Another concern may be about the main characters attitudes towards Kenosha. The majority of the characters feel a strong sense of pride and loyalty. A few characters' pride may be ridiculed as it is over-the-top. None of the characters will have a feeling of disgust for the city. The main character will have a feeling of ambivalence as his naive pride turns to ambivalence. I think he is somewhat the personification of Kenosha as he is also going through a change, and must make the difficult decision to move on.
How will Kenosha be portrayed? I want the bleakness of uncertainty to feature in poignant parts of the film, but I'd like positive images of the city to be featured at both ends of the film so audiences have a general positive emotional response to the city. To simplify, I'd like the audience to get the feeling that this is a good city going through an ugly transition--a perfect metaphor for the early adulthood of many of the major characters.
Will my personal feelings about the film come out? Most of my immediate family will say they've had more negative experiences than positive ones, but I won't let these interfere with the portrayal of the city. I'd like to consult with friends and family with more positive experiences to avoid casting Kenosha in a biased darker light.
It was only until I left Kenosha that I believed that the city was unique. When describing the city and its people to my non-Kenosha friends, they were intrigued. Before I left, I thought it was your typical family-friendly quiet Midwestern city, almost like its own suburbia. After describing it to friends and then researching the city's late-20th Century history, I realized that it was more unique than I had thought. I hope this uniqueness shows in the film.
I think these two layers make Kenosha a great setting for a motion picture as it will draw in audiences comfortable with one or both, not to mention actual Kenoshans. Besides the place, the time period of the early 1980s makes the story more interesting. Many in Kenosha may look back to the early 1980s as a period of unwanted change as it looked like the city may become one of the rustier parts of the growing Rust Belt. In fact, the entire decade of the 1980s was a period of uncertain transition. But I believe the city has had a happy ending to that transition as the 1990s showed excellent growth and a new image.
What is mocked about Kenosha is more about the past. This story is somewhat of a mocking homage to the culture of the 1980s as Kenosha exhibits some of that culture quite well including the newfound obsession with cars through shows like Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard. The city is not intended as the target of mockery or ridicule. Audiences should leave the cinemas relating and possibly bonding with Kenosha as much of the nation feels its plight.
What I intend to feature the most about Kenosha is the heightened level of uncertainty, a feeling that the whole nation has been feeling for the past year as of May 2009. The best stories focus on periods of change and I think Kenosha of the 1980s strongly exemplifies this. In this sense, realism with both its positives and negatives will be portrayed.
Another concern may be about the main characters attitudes towards Kenosha. The majority of the characters feel a strong sense of pride and loyalty. A few characters' pride may be ridiculed as it is over-the-top. None of the characters will have a feeling of disgust for the city. The main character will have a feeling of ambivalence as his naive pride turns to ambivalence. I think he is somewhat the personification of Kenosha as he is also going through a change, and must make the difficult decision to move on.
How will Kenosha be portrayed? I want the bleakness of uncertainty to feature in poignant parts of the film, but I'd like positive images of the city to be featured at both ends of the film so audiences have a general positive emotional response to the city. To simplify, I'd like the audience to get the feeling that this is a good city going through an ugly transition--a perfect metaphor for the early adulthood of many of the major characters.
Will my personal feelings about the film come out? Most of my immediate family will say they've had more negative experiences than positive ones, but I won't let these interfere with the portrayal of the city. I'd like to consult with friends and family with more positive experiences to avoid casting Kenosha in a biased darker light.
It was only until I left Kenosha that I believed that the city was unique. When describing the city and its people to my non-Kenosha friends, they were intrigued. Before I left, I thought it was your typical family-friendly quiet Midwestern city, almost like its own suburbia. After describing it to friends and then researching the city's late-20th Century history, I realized that it was more unique than I had thought. I hope this uniqueness shows in the film.
This post hit my Google News Alert for Kenosha. As a lifelong Kenosha resident, roughly contemporary with major character #3 (born 1951), I'm quite interested in seeing the film. However, you don't include any information in any of your blog posts about the current state of the film... sounds like it's in the script development stage.
ReplyDeleteKenosha is back in the news in regards to cars. I found this on the Wisconsin Public Radio Archives website:
ReplyDeleteThursday
5/7/2009
9:00 AM
Kathleen Dunn - 090507D
As part of bankruptcy, automaker Chrysler will close its Kenosha plant, and open a new plant in Mexico to produce a new engine there, originally promised here. After nine, Kathleen Dunn and her guests discuss how job out-sourcing is impacting Wisconsin workers.
Guest: Tod Ohnstad, 6th District Alderman, City of Kenosha.
Guest: Ron Hira, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, College of Liberal Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology.