The Distribution of the Sensible in The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nicole Rothwell Guerra
HUM306: Watching Film & Television
Word Count: 2848
HUM306: Watching Film & Television
Word Count: 2848
Abstract
This essay provides a critical film review on The Grand Budapest Hotel directed by Wes Anderson. It holds as its central thesis that The Grand Budapest Hotel proves Ranciére’s concept of “distribution of the sensible”, where aesthetics allows director Wes Anderson, through the use of film techniques, to disrupt the senses of a western audience by presenting a refugee’s lived experience as a central theme, making visible the status of Eastern refugees in Western European countries. The film review contains a brief overview of Ranciére’s concept “distribution of the sensible” followed by concrete examples of the film techniques which disrupt the social order presented in the film and make visible refugees in Western Europe through the character of Zero Mustafa. The film review concludes that The Grand Budapest Hotel is a true aesthetic masterpiece in accordance with Ranciére, making it a truly educational film well worth watching.