Şiddet Dolu Amerika, Şiddet Dolu Ben: Edward James Olmos’un American Me (1992) Filminde Şiddet ve (Eril) Benlik

Öz

Santana’nın hayatında her şey şiddet ayaklanmalarıyla birlikte başladı. Edward James Olmos’un ilk yönetmenlik deneyimi olan American Me (1992), Folsom Devlet Hapishanesi’nde mahkûm olan, (Olmos’un kendisi tarafından canlandırılan) Santana Montoya’nın kaçınılmaz şiddet dolu varlığının sert bir yansımasıdır. Film, eğlencesine ve masumca sayılabilecek bir şekilde kendi çeteleri La Primera’yı kuran genç Santana ve yakın arkadaşları Mundo ve J. D.’nin yine tesadüfi sayılabilecek bir biçimde çocuk hapishanesinde biten hikâyelerini konu edinmektedir. Yiğit delikanlılığın kurumsallaşmasına ve toplumsaldan uzaklaşmasına giden ilk adım, aşırı şiddetle damgalanan gelecekteki yaşamlarını ve kimliklerini aktifleştirmek olacaktır. Bu yazı American Me filminde şiddetin inşa edildiği, asimile edildiği ve zorunlu kılındığı farklı katmanları, özellikle aşırı erkekliğin özünün “sözde doğal olarak şiddet dolu” performansına odaklanarak analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• American Me, Edward James Olmos, hapishane, erkeklik, maço, şiddet

Violent American, Violent Me: On Violence and (Masculine) Self in Edward James Olmos’ American Me (1992)

Abstract

Everything in Santana’s life began with the violent riots. American Me (1992), Edward James Olmos’ directorial debut, is a harsh reflection of the inevitably violent existence of Santana Montoya (performed by Olmos himself), an inmate from the Folsom State Prison. The movie recounts the story of a young Santana and his lifelong friends Mundo and J.D., who playfully and almost innocently create their own clicka, (gang), La Primera, and end up in juvenile hall in the same, almost accidental manner. This first step toward the de-socialization and institutionalization of the youngsters will become the catalyst of their future lives and identities, which will be marked by extreme violence. This essay aims at analyzing the several layers in which violence is constructed, assimilated, and enforced in American Me, paying special attention to the “supposedly inherently violent” performance of a hypermasculine self.

Keywords

• American Me, Edward James Olmos, prison, masculinity, macho, violence

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