Moma Response

The concept of identity is important to the average person. As we grow, people often struggle with the idea of defining who they are and what purpose they have within society. This search for self identification can be assisted with the act of interaction and the concept of identity through time. Interaction can stem from communicating with others both physically present and by means of technology. In the modern world, people often interact with others through social media and garner attention from their personality online, presenting themselves in ways that normally can’t be done while being physically present. Judith Howard states this importance in Social Psychology of Identities in regards to interaction, “the point is simply that people actively produce identity through their talk. Many studies (generally ethnographic) analyze identity through everyday interaction.” (Howard 372) By gaining a following online without major communication with their audience, is enough to produce a sense of identity within the person in front of the camera. However, modern day communication and an online presence occasionally lack a sense of intimacy. While social media makes everything posted available for public consumption, the home videos presented at the Museum of Modern Arts are enveloped with a more personal impression.


The various films on display at this museum all had a unique sense of uncertainty. Every film only had a title, which only leaves the audience to use their imagination to understand what it could be about. This concept was heavily present in “Roy family,” where it starts off in a school in India and transitions to what is presumed to be a funeral. The transition between the two was incredibly off putting as even the literal film transition cut through a few colors and jumped into the next scene. The lack of knowledge of what is happening or how we got to this point further extends the realization of how personal these films can be. The only people that are truly aware of what happened are known by those that filmed it. Despite these shocking moments, the people captured have a sense of unity between them and continue to perform the task at hand.


The next film, “Wise family,” also has a more personal feel to it. It shows a group of people talking on a movie set, presumably taking stage directions for a film called “Science Fiction Film in the Latter Half of the XXth Century.” It’s interesting to see how this was filmed, as most behind the scenes videos have a typical dynamic that generally shows the enjoyment between the cast and crew in the form of bloopers. This instead reveals a more step-by-step process on how the film needs to be done and the work put into it. It’s also centered on what appears to be the director of the project as he interacts with the cast and crew. The film also captures moments of relaxation, as several people on the set enjoy their time smoking and talking.


Finally, the last film is referred to as “Snow” and appears to be a family outing in the snow. This film is the epitome of what home movies are usually about, a family capturing moments of fun in a unique situation. The video shows children playing in the snow to its absolute fullest by riding on sleds, rolling with tires, and throwing snowballs. The way this video was filmed and presented encaptures this sense of relatability to it that videos today fail to attempt. Watching the film made me feel nostalgic to the amount of fun I had as a kid playing in the snow with my brothers growing up and the feeling afterwards when my mom would make some hot chocolate for each of us.





While these films are presented to have those around the filmmaking process understand exactly what’s happening, there’s a feeling of mutual understanding between the three videos that make even those unaware of the situation relate to what’s on the screen. “Roy family” shows the bond of people fulfilling a task, “Wise family” displays the comradery between people during work hours, and “Snow” reminds the viewer of the fun we used to have as children. Howard refers to this concept as interactionism, “The basic premise of symbolic interaction is that people often attach symbolic meaning to objects, behaviors, themselves, and other people, and they develop and transmit these meanings through interaction.” (Howard 371) The films were made to personally take a trip to the past and reminisce of what used to be, identifying themselves currently and comparing it from then. While we view these as an outsider to these situations, we can’t help but compare ourselves to what’s being presented and remember of what we used to be as well, comparing our current identity to what we had in the past.