Once upon a screen: explosive paradox
Decades after seeing ‘Platoon’, Kevin recalls how the film stirred generational trauma in his family and racism at school- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon.
The article discusses a video essay by filmmaker Kevin B Lee titled Once upon a screen: explosive paradox, which explores how watching the 1986 Vietnam War film Platoon affected him deeply as a young viewer. Lee recalls the intense, visceral experience of seeing the film in a San Francisco cinema with his family, describing it as shocking and harrowing. The film’s raw violence and emotional weight left a lasting impression on him, stirring personal memories and family trauma. This experience was not just about the film itself but about how it resonated with his own life, including experiences of racism at school and generational pain. The video essay is part of a series called Once Upon a Screen, curated by Ariel Avissar and Evelyn Kreutzer for The Cine-Files journal, which examines the relationship between film viewing and childhood trauma.
Kevin B Lee’s video essay is described as a profound and intensely personal meditation on memory, using a simple yet effective approach to invert and subvert Oliver Stone’s original film. Unlike traditional film criticism, Lee’s work focuses on the emotional and psychological impact of watching Platoon rather than analyzing its technical or artistic elements. He crafts his essay on a shoestring budget, emphasizing its accessibility and raw authenticity. The video reflects on how films are not just passive entertainment but active participants in shaping personal and collective memories. It also highlights how trauma, whether personal or inherited, can be triggered or processed through cinematic experiences, particularly in the context of a family’s generational history.
The article situates Lee’s video essay within a broader cultural and generational framework, particularly in relation to the Vietnam War and its lasting effects on families and societies. Platoon, directed by Oliver Stone, is a widely acclaimed film known for its unflinching portrayal of the war’s brutality and moral complexities. Lee’s reflection ties the film’s themes to his own family’s experiences, suggesting that films can act as catalysts for remembering or confronting unresolved trauma. The essay also touches on how such experiences can manifest in unexpected ways, such as racism or generational pain, underscoring the idea that films are not just watched but lived in some capacity. The San Francisco cinema where Lee first saw the film serves as a symbolic location, grounding the essay in a specific place and time.
The article highlights the video essay as a distinct and evolving form of media criticism and storytelling. Unlike traditional written essays, a video essay combines visuals, sound, and narrative to explore complex ideas in an accessible way. Kevin B Lee’s work is noted for its deceptively simple approach, meaning it appears straightforward but carries deep emotional and intellectual weight. The format allows for a more immersive and personal exploration of themes like memory and trauma, making it particularly effective for discussing films that have had a significant impact on viewers. The essay was published as part of a series commissioned by The Cine-Files, a journal dedicated to cinema studies, which showcases the growing recognition of video essays as a legitimate and impactful form of academic and cultural discourse.
The video essay is part of a series titled *Once Upon a Screen*, which focuses on the relationship between film viewing and childhood trauma. The series was curated by Ariel Avissar and Evelyn Kreutzer and published in *The Cine-Files* journal, Issue 15. The series aims to explore how films shape and are shaped by personal and collective memories, particularly in the context of trauma. Each video essay in the series is designed to be a *profound and intensely personal meditation*, using film as a lens to examine broader psychological and cultural phenomena. The curators’ goal is to create a space for filmmakers and critics to reflect on the emotional and psychological dimensions of cinema, beyond its technical or artistic merits.
