Lone Star Movie Analysis

Chinque Thompson
Professor Rai
WRT 102.75
14 April 2016 The Past’s effect on the Present
Lone Star directed by John Sayles is a film which follows a man’s journey trying to search for the truth in his mysterious town. Through the movie, Sayles intertwines many different backstories of various character’s lives, each of whom are dealing with their own issues of history. By pulling from problems which rip apart our own social fabric, Sayles uses these patterns of lives to better exhibit the role played by many complex levels of history. With this being said, the movie comes to a conclusion which shows how classically believed concepts regarding the nature of history to illustrates how lack of knowledge on history functions

History will live on in the present as discoveries about the past can affect the present. The love story within the movie puts further insight on this predicament. Sam Deeds and Pilar Cruz were teenage sweethearts who fell deeply in love with one another. However, the two was never able to understand why her mother and his father strongly disapproved their relationship with each other. Sam and Pilar from a young age had naturally assumed their parents not wanting them together due to racist beliefs of the other’s culture. However, it was much more than that. As Sam throughout the movie searches to get a better understanding of Buddy Deeds, he learns his father had a long time mistress to which most of the town knew. To make matters worse, his father’s mistress is Mercedes Cruz, Pilar Cruz mother. Sam was cautioned to not go poking around in the past as he could learn things he did not want to know [find quote for this]. In this case, Sam finds out that Pilar and he are half-brother and half-sister. The notion of the past affecting the present can be applied in this situation, as the discovery of Buddy Deed’s affair with Mercedes Cruz impacts Sam and Pilar’s rekindled romance within the present day. Both their parents are forced to constantly try to keep the two away from one another to hide events of their past so it does not affect their present. Nonetheless, the lovers find out the truth. In the past due to

Though, their findings may not be what they want to hear or what they expected. Within the movie, this theme is presented in many different backstories for instance Private Johnson from the local military base. After a shooting happening at Big O’s bar, a place where many African Americans get together to have a drink to hangout, Private Johnson finds herself caught up in the middle of drama when the man who is shoot is someone she knew from her past. Afterward Johnson’s head Sergeant, Sergeant Cliff brings her into his office, and begins questioning her: “So you knew this young man before?” Where Private Johnson then replies: “From back in Houston. We both come up on Fifth Street.” At this moment, she is forced to confront her gang related past as she now is trying to pursue an occupation in the Army. Since this Johnson’s other boss, Sergeant Priscilla, has developed an opinion on Private Johnson as she now believes if she is not watched carefully: “she's gonna slide right back into [her gang past].” Here, it is illustrated of how the past can later haunt someone’s present as Private Johnson’s character is now viewed differently due to what her bosses learned about her