'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.
Change: cambio ( “She
gave me the wrong change”: Me dio el cambio incorrecto./ “She short changed me”:
No me dio el cambio suficiente. / She gave me too much change: Me dio más
cambio de la cuenta.)
Bill (U.S.A.) / note:
billete
Coin: moneda
Currency: moneda (o
divisa) nacional
Credit card: tarjeta
de crédito
Credit / debit cards:
tarjetas de crédito / débito
Debt: deuda
Bank: banco
Bank transfer:
transferencia bancaria
Loan: préstamo/
crédito
To be filthy rich:
estar podrido de dinero (informal)
To be rolling in it: estar forrado (informal)/ “My
uncle is rolling in it”: Mi tío está forrado.
To be well off: tener mucho dinero (informal)
To be wealthy: tener
dinero y propiedades
To be rich: ser rico
To be broke: estar sin
dinero / pelado (informal) (¡Cuidado! To be broken: estar psicológicamente
destrozado/a)
To be skint: estar pelado (informal)
To be hard up: estar sin dinero / pelado/ arruinado
(informal)
(“I’m broke/ skint/ hard up this month”: “Estoy
pelado/a este mes.”)
Account: cuenta
A bank account: una
cuenta bancaria/ corriente
A savings account: una
cuenta de ahorros
Savings: ahorros
A checking / current account: una cuenta corriente
Salary: salario,
sueldo
Wage: jornal (lo que
ganas en una hora o un día)
Get paid: cobrar,
recibir el salario
Paycheck: cheque de
pago
To get by: apañárselas,
llegar a fin de mes
To make ends meet: apañárselas a duras penas
Tax: impuesto
Investment: inversión
Loan: préstamo
Mortgage: hipoteca
Possessions: posesiones,
bienes
Shopping center/ Mall:
centro comercial
Bill: factura/
cuenta
Wallet: cartera
Greedy: codicioso
Generous: generoso
Afford: permitirse /
permitirse el lujo
Can’t afford: no
poder permitirse
Blow: fundir
(dinero)
Splash out: fundir
(dinero)
Be worth: estar
valorado
Spend: gastar (dinero)
Waste: malgastar,
derrochar (dinero)
Save: shorrar
Buy: comprar
Pay: pagar
Sell: vender
Cost: costar
Earn: ganar
(dinero)
Win money: ganar
dinero (en la lotería, en un juego, concurso)
Borrow: pedir
prestado
Lend: prestar (“Could you lend me $100?/¿Podrías
prestarme $100?)