Gus Van Sant's Constant Thematic and Cinematic Elements
The differences in these films could not be more blatant, and yet Gus Van Sant has found a way to portray the same messages and use the same techniques in each.

A story centered on a village girl named Alka, whose character exhibits contradictory traits and possibly a violent nature. Her life intersects with other village inhabitants, including Nanda, and a figure described as a "ruthless dacoit" who undergoes a transformation into a "dacoit-devotee" and is involved in an unusual burial ritual. The narrative attempts to weave in themes related to divinity and spiritual protest through these characters and events.
The differences in these films could not be more blatant, and yet Gus Van Sant has found a way to portray the same messages and use the same techniques in each.
The new biopic 'Elvis' highlights the beginning and end of the career of this rock and roll legend. The audience is taken on this journey knowing the tragic ending but not so much about what led him there. A large topic of discussion is the influences on Elvis that made him who he was as a singer, musician, and performer, which were blues, gospel, and country. Many of the songs that rose him to fame were songs by Black artists he heard growing up in primarily Black settings.
In The Novelist's Film, Hong explores the meaningful things people share and inspire by virtue of simply engaging with one another.
This Comedy-Drama set in Nazi Germany, shows a young boy, Jojo who wants to be Hitler's personal guard and even conjures up Hitler to be his imaginary friend. His nationalism and prejudices of Jews change when he discovers a Jewish girl hiding in his attic.
Joann Kohng’s Subject to IX tells the heartbreaking truth of the Title IX rules that colleges abide by.
After his family fled to England after the Vietnam War, Kit returns home to Saigon.