After public mass shootings, the national gun debate consists of predictable talking points that focus on the object and neglect the underlying causes. However, firearms are unlike other objects. For some Americans, they are the symbols of personal identity and community. For other Americans, they represent racial oppression and violence. American Totem explores American’s emotional connection to firearms, and the power of this object to both create and destroy community. Taking a non-artisan approach, diverse communities, gun rights activists, gunshot victims and community organizers share their stories; and historians, philosophers, and sociologists offer their viewpoints.
Exploring the topic of guns in America from a more nuanced approach than the standard “more guns versus less guns” debate, American Totem recognizes that Americans have complex, and often contradictory, relationships with firearms.
"Attempts to broaden the understanding of why opposing groups hold their opinions in order to find ways to reduce gun violence with respect to each group. The use of the academic researchers is particularly effective in framing the narrative. The films is well crafted and the narrative is compelling. Recommended for both public and academic libraries." — Educational Media Reviews Online
"STARRED REVIEW. This thought-provoking film suggests alternatives to eliminating the gun problem by taking steps including focusing on mental health treatment, building community, seeking to understand opposing views, and providing equal treatment under the law rather than simply rounding up guns. It's an explosive subject, but this objective film will encourage thoughtful debate. Will get teens talking on this important topic." — Booklist
"A superb documentary, that looks past the partisan abstractions of the 'gun rights' debate to show how different cultural communities understand and use firearms. What sets it apart is the way in which it invites each community to speak for itself, and gives each a respectful hearing. It should be a model for public discourse." — Dr. Richard Slotkin, Wesleyan University, Olin Professor of English and American Studies
"Critics have long held that the gun was a phallic symbol, the symbol of an aggressive potent virility. But the film shows it is much more than that: it is an extension of our selves, a magic wand that restores all that masculinity that has been lost to the forces of modern society." — Dr. Michael Kimmel, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies / Executive Director, Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities
"In addition to providing an excellent data-driven analysis of gun violence in the United States, American Totem also offers a visually rich look at the ways Hollywod and the gun industry have inculcated a narrative that romanticizes gun use and killing by the 'good guys'...Thought provoking without being biased." — Robert Speer, Newsreview.com
Citation
Main credits
Hilderbrand, Sue (film director)
Hilderbrand, Sue (film producer)
Dillon, Stephanie (film producer)
Other credits
Cinematography, Dan Carter; editing, Jim Miller, James Carroll; music, Francesco Micucci.
