Netflix’s recently released film, “The Red Sea Diving Resort” is loosely based upon the true story of Mossad agents secretly smuggling Ethiopian Jews out of Sudan to Israel.

Unfortunately what could have been an opportunity to tell an interesting and incredibly complex; both politically and culturally, story, has instead been made into a Hollywood-style, spy action-thriller, complete with a white saviour narrative and cheesy dialogue such as “What we do is dangerous. People get hurt sometimes.” and “We leave no one behind”.

The American made film, focuses on the hero versus villain story line and typical action-thriller cliches, seemingly ignoring it’s intended focus which was to depict the struggles of the refugees.

The film seems to target a western audience, who generally have a limited knowledge of Sudan and its political climate during the 1980s. Berry explains that “In the context of blockbuster film making… films are ‘aimed at an undifferentiated popular audience’. (2017).

Critic Karen Han believes that, “The only demographic to which The Red Sea Diving Resort won’t be a disappointment is crowd tuning in specifically for Evans, as he spends a good chunk of the movie shirtless, and all of it sporting a great beard.” (2019).

*Currently Netflix offers audio for this film in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish, and additional subtitles in Vietnamese and Chinese.*

Consequently, it seems as though the director didn’t want to draw attention to the political and cultural intricacies of the film’s context at all, instead choosing to use two dimensional stock characters and to derive tension from a stereotypical, good guy vs. bad guy plot.

The film ultimately, distracts the audience from the politics behind the true story, conveniently creating an easy to follow, action-packed movie, that most audiences familiar with the genre would understand.

“The Red Sea Diving Resort” can be said to reflect aspects the concept of Americanisation or cultural homogenisation, which refers to “the power of the dominant culture to overshadow and even overtake local cultures.” (Saylor Academy, 2012.)

Despite featuring other cultural details such a variety of ethnicities, languages and an Ethiopian inspired soundtrack, the film still felt very Americanised to me.

Perhaps this is because the director Gideon Raff, has strived to make this film as appealing to the widest, global audience possible, by focusing on the universal genre of good vs. evil? However, by the end I had actually forgotten the film was based on a true story and not just a Hollywood action-thriller, for me it was missing that depth needed to make it feel real.

The film also highlights the Global North and South Divide, by creating a strong contrast between the characters and the settings of Britain and Europe, opposed to Sudan. The white saviour narrative is particularly prevalent throughout the development of the film, with the main characters depicted as confident, brave and powerful, opposed to the African characters who are consistently portrayed as weak in contrast. Critic Mark Kennedy describes that “With the exception of Kabede, no African is portrayed as decent or honest or normal.” (2019).

References

Miskell P, 2016, ‘International Films and International Markets: The Globalisation of Hollywood Entertainment’, Media History, Vol. 22, No. 2

Berry, C. (2003). “What’s big about the big film?”: “de-Westernizing” the blockbuster in Korea and China. In J. Stringer (Ed.), Movie Blockbuster. London: Routledge.

Kennedy M, 2019, ‘Netflix sinks low with ‘The Red Sea Diving Resort’, The Times of Israel, viewed 01 September 2019, <https://www.timesofisrael.com/netflix-sinks-low-with-the-red-sea-diving-resort/ >

Han K, 2019, ‘Netflix’s Red Sea Diving Resort gives Chris Evans a white savior complex’, Polygon, viewed 01 September 2019,<polygon.com/2019/7/31/20748965/red-sea-diving-resort-review-netflix-chris-evans>

Jackson D, 2019, ‘Netflix’s Chris Evans Thriller ‘The Red Sea Diving Resort’ Doesn’t Go Deep Enough’, Thrillist,viewed 01 September 2019,<https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/the-red-sea-diving-resort-netflix-review-chris-evans>

Saylor Academy, 2012, ‘Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication’, Vol 1, viewed 01 September 2019, <https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_understanding-media-and-culture-an-introduction-to-mass-communication/index.html >

In the 1980s, the musical genres of rap and hip hop began increasing in global popularity. This rapid rise to global prominence can likely be attributed to the introduction of the internet and new communication technologies, which consequently accelerated the globalisation process.

Initially originating from African American communities in America during the 1970s, nowadays, localised versions of Hip Hop and Rap can be found all over the world.

Typically, Hip Hop and Rap music reflect an individual’s national and cultural identity, and are often a means to express the issues important to them.

Initially, rap was, “a means of presenting social and political commentary and only later branched into sub-genres that were more mainstream and commercial.” (Thorman M, 2018).

However, over the years the genre has developed to include different hybrid and sub genres such as Grime, Gutter rap, Trap, Country rap, Christian Hip Hop and more (Adega, 2013).

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As Fabienne Darling-Wolf explains, the success of hip hop as a genre can be attributed to “its asserted link (actual or imagined) to highly local contexts.” and “links to an imagined global community.” Darling-Wolf also establishes that the the key characteristic of the Hip Hop/ Rap genre is that it is regarded as an authentic representation of an individuals experiences within that context (2015).

Researcher, Ian Condry agrees, proposing that “‘keeping it real’ has had greater influence in the globalization/localization of hip‐hop…than mere marketibility” (2007).

An example of cultural hybridisation can be seen in Japan where the Hip Hop/ Rap genre has steady increased in popularity since the 80s. Nowadays, Hip Hop in Japan has it’s own style, such as the music of female rapper Hime (Princess) who began experimenting with classical Japanese poetry within her music.

Due to the globalised nature of the Hip Hop and Rap genres, cultural appropriation is often a discussed topic.

Cultural appropriation can be explained to be, “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.”(Blatchford, 2017).

Cultural Appropriation becomes particularly relevant when looking at a dominant culture taking things from another culture that is experiencing oppression.

References

Adams R, 2019,“Home sweet home, that’s where I come from, where I got my knowledge of the road and the flow from: Grime music as an expression of identity in postcolonial London”, Popular Music and Society, viewed 01 September 2019, <https://doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2018.1471774&gt;

Adega A, 2013, ‘Genre Research: Hip Hop’, viewed 01 September 2019, <https://www.slideshare.net/Mradega/genre-research-hip-hop&gt;

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Blatchford, E, 2017, ‘What Exactly Is Cultural Appropriation? Here’s What You Need To Know’, HuffPost, published: 26 October 2017, viewed 01 September 2019, <https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/10/25/what-exactly-is-cultural-appropriation-heres-what-you-need-to-know_a_23253460/&gt;

Condry, I, 2007, ‘Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization’, NC: Duke University Press, viewed 01 September 2019, <https://eprints.qut.edu.au/83221/3/83221.pdf >

Darling-Wolf , F, 2015 , ‘Imagining the Global:Transnational Media and Popular Culture Beyond East and West’

After a long day, one thing I love to do is zone out and watch some good ol’ fashioned, (some might say ‘trashy’) reality TV.

Well, the other night I was watching “If You Are the One” a humorous, Chinese dating show, and I couldn’t help but think that it seemed really familiar.

A quick google search later, and I found out that the show is based on an Australian show aired in 2008, called ‘Taken Out’ which had failed to capture an audience.

Despite it’s failure in Australia, this format has gone on to find success in over 30 other countries!

The international success of this format has even prompted Australian broadcaster; Channel 7, to try it again with their “new” dating show “Take Me Out”.

“If You Are the One” is “currently the most viewed entertainment show in China with a viewing audience of up to 50 million per episode.”

So, why is it so popular internationally?

This type of show is a form of reality television is called ‘Format TV’, and in an increasingly global and connected world, its characteristics allow it to travel and often prosper on an international level with relative ease.

The structures of these shows are already defined, they are flexible and easily adapted to suit what a broadcaster perceives to be their audiences’ taste. All broadcasters need to do is localize them for their audience, they do this primarily through “people, language, décor, and cultural differences.” (Turnball, 2019)

This is where the concept of cultural proximity comes into play.

Cultural proximity was first defined by Joseph Straubhaar and can be explained as “where viewers seek to recognize and relate to familiar cultural elements, such as language, ethnic appearance, humour, historical reference and so on.” As such, perhaps the success of format TV proves that television continues to be connected with local an national cultures? (Loisen et al. 2018)

Interestingly, “If You Are the One” has not only found success nationally, but also continues to increase in popularity overseas, even in Australia. The show was first broadcast on SBS in 2013 with English subtitles and “has become the longest running non-English program in Australian broadcasting history.” As Dr Jing Han explains, “The show has provided Australian viewers with direct access to the lives of ordinary Chinese people and the contemporary society of China”. However, because the show was produced and intended for a Chinese audience, it has made translating the show into English difficult, particularly when it comes to translation of humour, youth culture and slang. (CSAA, 2017).

Comedy can be especially difficult to communicate internationally, as comedy and humour often rely on more than just the words or actions. As Medhurst explains, it can include, “inflection, timing, nuance, gesture, the balance of sound and silence, the unexpected or willful pronunciation of key words, the raising of eyebrows or the flipping of wrists.”

Perhaps the key to this show’s success is it’s universal theme of love? Sumi Connock, a creative directore of formats at BBC Worldwide believes that the best global formats are built upon universal themes, “that viewers anywhere can relate to, such as cooking, dating or dancing.” (Thomas D, 2017).

What do you think? Let me know in the comment section below!

References:

Iordache, C, Van Audenhove, L, Loisen, J, 2018, ‘Global media flows: A qualitative review of research methods in audio-visual flow studies‘, SAGE Journals, viewed 01 September 2019, <https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/doi/10.1177/1748048518808650>

‘Transformation of a Chinese dating show If You Are the One for the Australian Audience’, University of New South Wales, viewed 01 September 2019, <https://hal.arts.unsw.edu.au/events/transformation-of-a-chinese-dating-show-if-you-are-the-one-for-the-australian-audience/&gt;

Thomas D, 2017, ‘How to turn a hit TV show into an international success’, BBC News, viewed 01 September 2019, <https://www.bbc.com/news/business-40301134 >