Narrative technique · used in 3 films

False Kinship Exploitation

Showing a character who uses the language of family, friendship or love purely to exploit people. A partner, son or colleague is only a tool for getting money or power.

Examples

3 films that use it

  1. There Will Be Blood (2007) poster

    There Will Be Blood

    Paul Thomas Anderson · 2007

    Daniel takes in H.W. as his son because a man with a child looks more trustworthy to the landowners he approaches. Years after the boy goes deaf, Daniel disowns him. I feel like it's the most honest moment in the film, since the mask slips and he admits the boy was a tool for business. Every other relationship in the film is a deal of the same kind.

    Where to see it: Daniel's speech to H.W. He calls him a 'bastard from a basket'. He sounds relieved, like a man who finally gets to tell the truth.

  2. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) poster

    Judas and the Black Messiah

    Shaka King · 2021

    O'Neal works his way into the Panthers and forms real relationships with Hampton and other members. That is, his job as an informant works exactly the way the FBI works. It uses the language of community to destroy community organizations.

    Where to see it: O'Neal at the Panthers' community breakfast program. He really is taking part, and he is betraying them at the same time. The film refuses to let either fact cancel the other.

  3. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) poster

    Killers of the Flower Moon

    Martin Scorsese · 2023

    William Hale presents himself as the Osage's greatest friend (he speaks their language, he attends their ceremonies) while directing their murder. The film shows that this act of kinship was how the genocide got done.

    Where to see it: Hale among Osage friends at their gatherings. He speaks of his love for them while he directs Ernest toward the next murder.

Questions

Quick answers

What is false kinship exploitation in film?
Showing a character who uses the language of family, friendship or love purely to exploit people. A partner, son or colleague is only a tool for getting money or power.
Which films use false kinship exploitation?
There Will Be Blood (2007), Judas and the Black Messiah (2021), Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).
What kind of technique is false kinship exploitation?
It is a narrative technique. Related narrative techniques include Perpetrator Perspective, Religion and Society Collision, Slow Build Runtime.

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