From there, his perspective starts to change and he becomes friends with Cameron, a middle-aged Neo-Nazi.Ĭameron sees Derek as a young, frustrated, and vulnerable man. This mass arrival provokes outrage among the original residents, who reject the immigrants with fear.Īt the same time, the new arrivals reject the locals because of how they treat them, and this vicious cycle of hate repeats itself time and time again and makes integration and relationships impossible.Īfter losing his dad, Derek blames the black and Latino population for his death and basically all of society’s problems. Many of these new people are marginalized, something that often happens in our cities. As time passes, the neighborhood becomes more and more diverse. In the worst of cases, you might rescue ideas or customs that trigger hate.Īmerican History X places us in a working-class neighborhood. That’s why, when you feel like what is “yours” or “ours” is threatened, conflicts arise. We hope that the things our parents and grandparents have shared with us won’t disappear. They’re very difficult to eradicate.Įvery community has a cultural identity and we all like feeling like we’re part of something. It’s normal to defend your customs, language, and culture.
These prejudices are deeply rooted in our society and institutions. However, no matter how much you try to avoid them, there are a lot of prejudices surrounding different cultures. It makes you think about the nature of your own prejudices.Įvery day we grow more used to walking around town and finding people from different backgrounds, religions, cultures, etc.
Eddie furlong american history x movie#
This movie touches on the way that ideas are passed down from one generation to the next. In black and white scenes from the past and scenes in color that take place in the present, you discover why Derek ended up in jail and why he was released. It also helps us understand to a certain extent why this type of hate exists in society today. In spite of all that, it’s interesting to see the background of the two main characters and how the most vulnerable characters are manipulated. It’s difficult to accept his new situation, his attempt to distance himself from his dark past.Ĭonsequently, the movie casts a lot of doubt into the viewer’s mind and, in turn, loses credibility. Nevertheless, the character isn’t quite convincing, perhaps because of how different he is after being released from prison. Norton’s portrayal of Derek is credible and amazing. Could it be that easy to forgive?Īs the viewer, you forget the first brutal scene after a few minutes. That’s why it feels strange and difficult to believe that the Derek from the end of the movie is the same as the one from the beginning. It’s also difficult to believe his mother and his sister’s behavior. It’s difficult to believe that he is the same person after he’s released from jail. Some critics wrote it off as melodramatic and emphasized how hard it was to empathize with Derek’s character. However, the movie provoked contradictory reactions. The movie is quite interesting and the plot is well laid-out. The project is called “American History X” and Professor Sweeney expects Daniel to reflect on his brother’s actions. Professor Sweeney attempts to prevent Daniel from ruining his own life by giving him an unconventional homework assignment. Young Daniel Vinyard, Derek’s brother, seems to be following in his brother’s footsteps when he turns in an essay about the book Mein Kampf. The movie then immediately jumps to the present, now in color. All the while, his mother and two sisters are asleep in their house, and his little brother is watching him in shock. A young Neo-Nazi, Derek Vinyard, brutally murders two young African-Americans who were trying to rob his car.
In the movie, immigration has changed the cities and caused some radical ideas to resurface again in the minds of young adults.Īmerican History Xopens with a black and white flashback scene. The movie takes place in modern day United States. American History X hit the big screen in 1998. Tony Kaye directed this North American film starring Edward Furlong and a barely recognizable Edward Norton.
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