Film OBEY

'OBEY'

Synopsis:

          Leon, a 19-year-old young man from East London, returns home to take care of his alcoholic mother and adjust to life as an adult. Frustrated by his lack of an education and his bleak financial prospects, Leon finds solace in the boxing ring as his dreams become more and more unattainable and distant. He soon meets Twiggy, a girl living in a squat to escape her family’s affluence. As riots begin in the streets and police
and protesters inundate his neighbourhood, Leon must decide whether to join his friends and fight or follow Twiggy’s hedonistic lifestyle.

PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES 

1. Visit the official webpage of the film: https://www.obeyfilm.co.uk/
You’ll find the official trailer (in English) and information about the actors and director, as well as some reviews about  the film.

2. Now you’ve watch the trailer, let’s play Chinese whispers! A person has to think about what he or she thinks the film is about, and will have to tell that in English to his or her schoolmate as detailed as possible, then successively until the message goes to the last pupil in the row. He will tell aloud what he thinks they’ve told him. Check if the final message was similar or not to the original one.

3. The film is set in the 2011 England riots. Search for information about these riots and start a discussion about the reasons that could cause these incidents. Could you compare these riots with others that have recently happened in the world?

4. After reading the synopsis, you can get an idea of the plot of the film. Knowing the context in which it will be developed, what do you think are the main problems a teenager living in a troubled neighbourhood must face?

5. One of the ideas held by the director as an inspiration for his film is that the situation of poverty itself is often the origin of violence in deprived areas. Do you agree? Do you think that the place where a person grows is something determinant to form his character? Compare your ideas with other concepts that deal with this quandary, such as ‘biological determinism’, ‘social determinism’, or ‘behavioural determinism’, and open a discussion in class with your schoolmates.