While watching “Abouna,” I was sure Tahir, the older brother, and the mute girl would kiss after they became “blood relatives.” When they didn’t kiss (after drawing closer to each other) I thought about why. If this was an American movie, they definitely would have sealed the scene with a kiss. Then it hit me. They can’t/won’t kiss because they’re Muslim.
This got me thinking about how actions inform the audience without words, and how these actions are sometimes culturally constructed. I expected a kiss because a kiss symbolizes something. I also noticed that the movie kind of supported this expectation. Why do they draw closer if they aren’t going to kiss? As an audience member who is accustomed to seeing people kiss after making such movements, was I not supposed to think they were going to kiss? Maybe I’m a paranoid watcher but I was almost certain of the kiss and when I didn’t see it I had to find some rationale to explain WHY? The different setting, cultural mannerisms, and language told me I was somewhere different and yet the film evoked a familiar feeling, one I know, but out of context.
Does this substitution-the blood relatives for the kiss- happen often? Can we predict when it will happen since we know why it happens? I’m going to try and look out for more instances when I have an urge for a visual that is countered with another visual representation.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: cultural differences |
Screening Africa 1 
Good point. I was also a bit irritated by the kiss build-up and then lack of follow-through. I didn’t make the Muslim connection, but my mind jumped immediately to Hang Time’s final scene, and the director’s choice to cut it off right before the resolution. It makes me wonder whether it just comes down to cultural stylistic differences… American audiences are so prepped to expect pat endings, and get hell-bent on seeing the underdog’s every triumph spelled out in front of us, but is that really necessary?
Re: your comment about the kiss symbolizing something, I think the fact that you knew to expect it there indicates that the kiss has already, in some sense, been conveyed. Seeing their mouths pressed together is almost extraneous, at that point.
I don’t know if I would say it was because they were Muslim. I think it’s another kind of cultural difference: kissing in film or in public is still somewhat taboo in many parts of the world, Chad being no exception. (e.g. in referring to Latika and Jamal’s kiss in Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle (the director) says “[Kissing is] sort of like nudity here [in India]; how some people [actors] will do it and some people won’t, “It’s quite a big thing there, but she understood it was necessary for the story, and I tried to convince her that it would be seen in a very gracious and beautiful way.” )
I would say that’s the reason why they didn’t kiss.
I agree. Their kissing had nothing to do with their religion. Many countries, including India where I’m from, often have controversies over scenes showing intimacy, and these scenes are edited. In most cases, directors don’t film such scenes at all, or use devices like flowers coming close together to show people kissing. Here’s a video that shows the flowers scene at 3.54 (towards the end of the video)-