Exeunt Magazine: Martin McDonagh loves midgets.
The word midget, I mean, used a lot. There are midgets flying all over the place in his first feature film In Bruges (2008). Lots of uses of the word, I mean, though there’s only one character of short stature, played by actor Jordan Prentice.
1 comment:
I think it’s important to acknowledge that satire only works when it has a firm moral stance. If it does not, it now only comes of as insensitive. When trying to get political, it’s important to have a purpose, remember your audience, and consider the story your telling. As artists, all we have to offer is our experiences, feelings, and opinions, in one form or another, and while we want to provoke thoughtfulness and effect our audiences, at the same time you have to consider whether or not what you’re creating is “valid.”
This is about the get very subjective because validity is intrinsically tied to the individual perceiving it, but it is the responsibility of the creator to take certain things into account. Whose story is it, why are you telling it, and do you have the right to? Can you do so tastefully and respectfully? There is a difference between being controversial and being problematic. Satire is inherently controversial because it raises questions people are too afraid to acknowledge, it engages the audience and eases them into considering what they’re watching, but parody done poorly misses the point, and causes problems along the way. In this case, the issues of ableism and racism are highlighted due to the poor handling of sensitive material that the playwright appropriated.
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