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I truly enjoyed watching the film Snowpiercer with its
intricate plot and one’s ability to look at the movie from many different
perspectives. I was particularly drawn to the purpose of “Kronol” in the film. Apparently
a highly addictive drug, “Kronol” was something that was enjoyed by BOTH the lower and upper class
passengers on the train. What is the purpose of “Kronol”? At first I thought it
was just a futuristic drug they decided to put in the movie. But then I realized
it was so much more…
We encounter the drug when Curtis buys some off a dealer at
the back of the train. We don’t know exactly what it is yet, but there’s a
feeling that it isn’t anything good. Next, after they free Namgoong and his
daughter from their captivity, the “Kronol” is used as a currency to bargain
with them to open the locked doors in between cars. In this post-apocalyptic
world where people have nothing and actual money is useless, it is interesting
to see what they use for currency instead.
Towards the end of the movie, we see Namgoong and his
daughter frantically stealing and collecting “Kronol” from the other passengers
on the train. It seems like their addiction has gotten out of control. But
instead of falling victim to the drug again, Namgoong sticks them all together and
one is able to realize that he has a different plan in mind. By derailing the train, they
are able to liberate themselves from the social hierarchy that controls them. Looking back, “Kronol”
becomes crucial to the plot as it is a driving force that allows key events in
the movie to take place.
It is so interesting how what we (the audience) think is a bad influence on them, turns out to be what saves them. It shows us how although we have no idea what the drugs are or do, we already think that they are bad because they are called drugs, even though there are many kinds of drugs including those used in hospitals to save lives everyday.
ReplyDelete-Peder
DeletePeder and Darren,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you both interpret that Kronol changes as the movie continues. I think that not only is it "crucial to the plot as it is a driving force," but it also is a crucial part of how the audience sees Nam and Yona.
When Nam and Yona were first introduced (and I was thinking about Mr. Khactu's question about how Asian/Americans are being represented), I felt like the Kronol addictions were really negative and almost offensive. How could the first Asian characters be presented as crazy drug addicts? But then it became clearer to me that Nam and Yona are important characters and that the Kronol had a different purpose.
In class, we discussed the challenging balance between the responsibility of Asian/American representation in American stories/entertainment/media and the artistic freedom that any writer/director/actor needs to have. I realize that if Nam/Yona were white, I wouldn't have thought about the Kronol addiction twice.
- Tiffany