My Life as a Poster
Encyclopedia
My Life as a Poster by Indian filmmaker Shashwati Talukdar
is a mockumentary
of a stereotypical, tragic foreign teen’s story about moving to a strange, new land. An Indian
girl and her parents move to the United States
after the mysterious death of her sister. The girl struggles to fit into her new school while her parents adapt to new jobs and lifestyles. The story covers all the bases of the immigrant’s heartbreaking tale: not finding acceptance, the stubborn father versus the American boyfriend, the longing for home, etc. The film
is shot with footage of different streets, buildings, windows and doors. Several pictures of Indian people also are shown during the narration. At the end, it is revealed that all of these pictures come from a Bollywood
movie poster, revealing that the entire story is fictional.
This film was believed to be a true story by audience members when it first premiered. When the director/writer revealed that the story was fictional and not about the filmmaker’s life, the audience was shocked. Instead of a documentary
, they had just viewed a new kind of film, which can be described as a fact-fictional form. This form maintains a close relationship to both drama
and documentary
. It not only uses documentary
codes and conventions but constructs a particular relationship with the discourse of factuality. Talukdar did indeed closely tie drama
and documentary
together, using the typical themes described above that, at the time, were commonly expected in the story of an immigrant. Audiences had a difficult time believing it was not Talukdar’s real story, even after the movie poster revealed that it was fictional.
Shashwati Talukdar
Shashwati Talukdar, is an India-born, academic-filmmaker based in New York City, with more than twelve films and videos to her name, and who has become well-known on the international film-making stage, particularly for her documentaries on cultural identity and representation.Her work has appeared...
is a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
of a stereotypical, tragic foreign teen’s story about moving to a strange, new land. An Indian
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
girl and her parents move to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after the mysterious death of her sister. The girl struggles to fit into her new school while her parents adapt to new jobs and lifestyles. The story covers all the bases of the immigrant’s heartbreaking tale: not finding acceptance, the stubborn father versus the American boyfriend, the longing for home, etc. The film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
is shot with footage of different streets, buildings, windows and doors. Several pictures of Indian people also are shown during the narration. At the end, it is revealed that all of these pictures come from a Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
movie poster, revealing that the entire story is fictional.
This film was believed to be a true story by audience members when it first premiered. When the director/writer revealed that the story was fictional and not about the filmmaker’s life, the audience was shocked. Instead of a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, they had just viewed a new kind of film, which can be described as a fact-fictional form. This form maintains a close relationship to both drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
and documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
. It not only uses documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
codes and conventions but constructs a particular relationship with the discourse of factuality. Talukdar did indeed closely tie drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
and documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
together, using the typical themes described above that, at the time, were commonly expected in the story of an immigrant. Audiences had a difficult time believing it was not Talukdar’s real story, even after the movie poster revealed that it was fictional.