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.

The events of Tanker Jargal and Cavalryman Tsend show that every citizen must fight against a foreign enemy for the independence of his country. Tseren, a man who mischievously misleads the letters sent by the two to their beloved ladies, expresses the evil plot of the enemy.
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.
‘Oppenheimer’ is a force to be reckoned with. A biopic that respects the audience’s intelligence.
With raw and unapologetic performances by Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, stories about the hardships of Black musicians are weaved in with The Blues.
Even without the messaging, Mercy does not hold up as a movie. It's sloppily done and the mystery doesn’t tie together at the end.
In the film adaptation, director Jon M. Chu turns each musical number into a massive show stopper, with grand set pieces and a wealth of diverse dancers. Yet, in this attempt to show reverence for the people of the Washington Heights barrio, Chu, or maybe more specifically those in charge of casting, left out a crucial part of the community, Afro-Latinos.
A trio of girls form a band and enter a singing competition together after learning they work best as a team.