“Patti Cake$” A new possibility of communication depicted through the life style of “White Trash” *Note! Contains spoilers.

<White Trash> What the movie “Rocky” depicts *Note! Contains spoilers.

Rocky , which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1975, shares a similar storyline to Patti Cake$ in that it depicts an unknown man rebelling against reality and achieving self-realization. It also belongs to the "white trash" genre of films in that it depicts the depressed lives of white people in urban areas. Rocky, played by Sylvester Stallone, is a dull boxer who is given a Being There to fight the champion Apollo through an unexpected turn of events. He puts everything on the line in the match, but his goal is not to win. He wants to prove that he is not trash by throwing himself into a hopeless fight and fighting to the end. In the process, he builds connections and a community with his girlfriend, his brother-in-law, and even the people in the town who support him. Therefore, in Rocky, the results of the match and financial success do not have any important meaning at the end of the story.

So what is the protagonist pursuing in "Patti Cake$"? It is to rebuild her relationship with her mother. Before giving birth to her daughter, Patti's mother was a vocalist in a rock band and was close to signing a record contract. However, at that time, she became pregnant with Patti, her relationship with her husband did not go well, and she had to give up her dream of becoming a musician. Since then, she spent her days drinking at bars and singing her beautiful voice to drunk people at karaoke. Her mother said, "I became this way because I was pregnant with Patti." It is not difficult to imagine the pain of a child being told such a thing by her mother. Patti scolds her mother and explodes with emotion, saying she wants to leave home. However, she seeks to rebuild her relationship with her mother through rap. The core that drives this story is Patti's character, who tries to open a channel of dialogue with anyone.

“Patti Cake$” (c) 2017 Twentieth Century Fox

She boldly tries to connect with an anarchist black youth with whom it seems impossible to communicate, a street rapper she has a secret crush on, and even a famous musician she admires through music (rap). She is very clumsy and fails repeatedly. However, communication is not essentially the ability to talk skillfully with anyone. Philosophy researcher Uchida Itsuki writes:

"Communication skills are not the ability to communicate smoothly, but the ability to get out of a bad situation when communication goes wrong."

High communication skills are the willingness to still try to communicate with people who don't know how to communicate with you. In the film, Patti boldly tries to open channels with people who you would never think would be able to communicate with her. The process creates a comfortable tension and drive in the drama. The highlight of the film is the climax of the live performance, where, through rap, she opens up a new relationship with her mother, who had been having trouble communicating with her. Patti Cake$ certainly shows the emotion of the moment when a new channel opens between people. It is also a new aspect of the "possibility of communication" that American films have depicted through "white trash."

Text: Tetsuya Inagaki

TV director. My personal goal is to realize a documentary project that depicts the obsessions of manga and movie creators. Programs he has directed in the past include ``Gekiga The Godfather : The Man Who Revolutionized Manga'' (WOWOW) and ``Takeshi's Birth: Master of Oira and Asakusa'' (NHK). Currently, he is planning a documentary about a famous manga artist.

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``Patti Cake$''

Provided by: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Distribution/Promotion: Cultureville x GEM Partners

Official website: http://www.patticakes.jp/　

(c) 2017 Twentieth Century Fox

From April 27th (Friday), Human Trust Cinema Shibuya and other nationwide road shows