White Behavior Film Analysis

To properly deconstruct the white savior myth embodied by Romeo Dallaire, it is first important to understand the concept of white savior films and how problematic they are. Blogger Feministfilm defines White Savior Films (WSF) “as movies that feature a white person coming into the lives of a person or people of color who are often low-income, troubled, and/or severely oppressed. The troubled times that the people of color are in can be a product of oppression from other white folks, or their own doing. Either way, the White Savior comes in, quickly sympathizing with the problems of the people of color, learning what needs to happen to solve their problems, and in doing so, wins their favor and becomes their hero”. This phenomenon has become especially popular in historical drama films. In WSFs, the protagonist eventually assimilates in the colored people’s culture and proves to be just as knowledgeable and cultured as the colored people. The antagonist of WSF features a white person who is presented as a bigot, oppressor, and racist to the colored people; totally opposite of the white protagonist. The white hero assumes the position of a leader and fights the antagonist, thus becoming a …show more content…
As a white soldier, he stands for peace, discipline and order. Most importantly, Dallaire is a reminder to all the viewers and to the rest of the world that he is a “good” white man. Proving that there are some good white men in the world. It is imperative for the screenwriters and directors to create an emotional and moral connection between the hero and the viewer, such that the viewer can’t help but agree and applaud the hero’s decisions and actions.e oppressors, but as a ‘messiah' to the people of