Belonging

Most people feel that belonging to a group or society is one of the most significant doings in life. This feeling of struggling to belong is shown in the film ‘Strictly Ballroom’ directed by Baz Luhrman as well as being depicted in the song ‘The Frozen’ performed by Stone Sour. The use of language techniques such as dialogue and visual imagery create the sense of effort people go to to belong. The song ‘The Frozen’ is a view from someone who has made it in Hollywood showing the naivety of people feeling that it is easy to belong in the entertainment industry. The lyrics ‘Diamonds are fashioned from expectations and fortified on a steady diet of simple lives and red carpets’ sarcastically reveals how easily people think it is to be able to belong in such a large industry. In reality, ‘You spend a week bullsh***ing yourself that it was all true, all of it, just to watch in horror as it all falls to pieces under the gravity of reality’ is actually what is really going on. The wool has been pulled in front of their eyes and they still believe that they have a chance to belong when in reality there is no chance. On the other hand, ‘Strictly Ballroom’ depicts the struggle to belong but shows a positive outcome instead of a negative outcome. Scott Hastings the main protagonist from ‘Strictly Ballroom’ lives and breathes the air of ballroom dancing. From the beginning of time Scott was destined to win the Pan Pacifics however when Scott decides to ‘dance his own steps’ he begins to drifts away from his destined path and away from conformity. By ‘dancing his own steps’ he receives much critical and negative reactions from Barry Fife, who insists that “There are no new steps” and from his hysterical, exaggerative mother Shirley who believes “There was no excuse for what he did”. Barry and Shirley’s lack of understanding of Scott will to dance his own step which created barriers for Scott preventing him from belonging.