Father Figures in Boyz and American History X

From Boyz N The Hood’s opening STOP sign, bright red, rigid and alarming, and American History X’s serene and melodic, black and white opening on the California shoreline, the two films contrast each other in almost every way. The black and white segments and flashback storytelling of American History X hardly parallels the colorful chronological spanning of Boyz N the Hood, making the movies look like opposites. The upbeat sounds of R&B and Soul of Boyz hardly sound anything like the hard rock or symphonic church music of X. And while both are fantastically moving films, Boyz’s optimism and X’s tragic conclusion make for completely different feels. It is through these diametric styles that Boyz & X so incredibly examine the same issues. From concerns of individuality or the group to community, to the evolution of the adolescent years, both filmmakers simply chose different means in order to express similar ideas. The paper that follows will investigate how each film conversely tackles the most significant of issues in which Boyz and X synchronize: the role of the father figure in the development of each child. Through each filmmaker’s choices of cinematic style and

story line, he shows the audience the effect on each child (Tre in Boyz, Danny in X) of either a positive father figure (as with Boyz) or a negative father figure (as with X). By following the progression of each film by way of examining the introduction of the father, the influence that he has on his child, and the ultimate effect of his paternal presence, we can clearly understand each director’s message: while many things can sway and influence children in their teens, one’s father figure is the most significant factor in determining the outcome of a child’s life.

The first and only time we see Tre act like a man in the presence of his father is at the very end of the movie, after Ricky is shot and Tre is going to avenge him. When Tre emerges from the bedroom with a gun in his hand to after Ricky’s murderers, he is met face to face by his father. For the first time in the movie, we find Tre and Furious framed at an equal level. What follows is a long 2 shot, about ***** in length. When the shot is finally interrupted, it is only briefly in order to show them from another angle, and it remains an equally framed 2 shot. The two of them talk about what is going on and Furious finally treats Tre as a man, telling him to do what he wants, but he should pass over the gun. It is during this speech that the camera drops behind Tre in order to face more directly at Furious. Eventually the camera is shooting from directly over Tre’s shoulder now framing Furious as he talks directly at the audience as we can only now see the shoulder and t!

orting argument in the last scene. Even after Derek has made a positive influence on Danny, it isn’t until after we see Danny be a man, making it too late. It is not surprising, then, that when Danny and Derek separate for the last time, and everything seems to be back to a health father/son relationship, Danny ends the interaction by once again turning his back on Derek (this time only literally, but it is enough). A few minutes later, Danny is shot by a black classmate he had previously picked a fight with. After growing up in a negatively influenced childhood, Danny can’t end up any other way.

or camera movement, to Furious and the fact that he is constantly looming behind and, most importantly, above his son. From the first interaction on the lawn outside their house, where Furious stands over him and tells Tre to rake the leaves (a job we just saw him offer to pay the other kids to do) because it is his responsibility, to the scene when Tre watches Doughboy get taken away by the police, to the scene in Compton where Furious is preaching to Tre and Ricky, Singleton makes no mistake to have Furious always sharing the frame with his son down at his side. The scene that defines Furious as the father the clearest is the scene in which Furious cuts Tre’s hair. In this sequence, the camera remains almost entirely stationary on Tre’s face, front and center. While this draws our immediate focus on Tre, it is the constant movement in the background that brings the attention back to Furious. As he moves around, back and forth behind Tre, he never once leaves the frame.

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