One of these focusing points of representation in the
extract is the difference of genders, as it follows the typical love story
between a man and a woman. However, the main protagonist in the extract is a
woman. This is an interesting counter stereotype as women are rarely depicted
as the protagonist in several films in the media due to the traditional belief
of women as inferior or not as suited to important jobs as men. In this sense
Ingrid is a counter stereotype, as she is also a spy and possesses lots of
skill in combat. (As shown when she decapitates an ice statue) She is very much
a strong willed woman who is not weak in any way. However, she does possess
qualities that make here a much more stereotypical woman. An example of this is
when she instantly falls in love with Gregorio. This is stereotypical as it
follows an extremely outdated and stereotypical film trope where the woman
falls in love with the man, which suggests a sense of vulnerability and can be
depicted as the woman, no matter how skilled and incredible she is still needs
a man to protect her or care for her.
Another interesting representation in this extract is that
of race and nationality. Ingrid is a white American female, which is
stereotypical in American produced films. However, the other protagonist
Gregorio is a foreign Latino agent. This is counter-stereotypical as most
American produced films feature an American male as a form of propaganda to its
people and foreigners are often depicted as the antagonists i.e. British
antagonists. As Gregorio is foreign and possesses very heroic qualities he is
depicted as a very counter stereotypical protagonist for an American film. The
contrast between these two protagonists is connected as the two decide to
marry. This representation of love is very modernised as it depicts to the
audience that love can exist between any nationality and should not be confined
to only one, and also that even people with the most extraordinary lives are
still human, as they fall in love
Due to the extract revolving around spies there is a huge
focus on the representation of both spies and spy conventions. The spies in
this extract are stereotypical spies, as they are armed with an array of
gadgets and gizmos to get themselves out of any situation and are depicted as
being ‘the very best’, supporting the popular belief in media that spies are almost
superhuman. An example of how the characters are extremely typical spies is at
the end of the extract where the enemy spies (depicted in helicopters) are
chasing Ingrid and Gregorio. The two characters are armed with parachutes as
they jump off a cliff edge, opening the parachute right at the end. This is
very typical of spies as it mimics old bond-like conventions of gadgets being
the difference between life and death, and that these spies can get themselves
out of any situation.
As the extract follows a story of how two people fell in
love, there is a huge focus on family and love, and how it is all connected by
marriage. The depiction of family is stereotypical in that it involves the
young, innocent daughter asking her mother how she met her husband. (This is
usually implemented in romantic films) However, this representation of love and
family is very counter stereotypical as it does not follow the ordinary
principles revolving around how people fall in love. Ingrid and Gregorio are
spies who have been tasked with killing one another, but then end up falling in
love. This is counter stereotypical as it involves the brief period of
destruction and hatred, but this hatred and duty is resolved by love, which
suggests the message that love can conquer all emotions. As the mother is
talking to her child she also tells her about how the marriage underwent. The
feelings that she connotes to her daughter are very realistic and capture
extremely realistic emotions of how people feel when they get married. Marriage
is usually depicted as happy and the greatest thing that has ever happened to a
duo, but the marriage in this is very counter stereotypical, but not due to the
wedding being crashed by enemy helicopters. This wedding is counter
stereotypical because it shows the reality of how people feel when they are
about to get married, which is not usually shown in weddings where the husband
marries the bride and they live happily ever after without a second thought.
This extract focuses on how difficult a choice it can be, and how the words “I
do” can be the most difficult words to say in your life.
