Going into The Pawn Broker, I had expected the mix of cultures to be healthy and to encourage acceptance and all that cliché jazz. I was surprised when I saw Nazerman’s character right off the bat. When I realized that he had survived the Holocaust and had a crazy life story, I thought he would share his built wisdom and advice to generations below him. However, I was less than pleased to find how he presents himself around others.
In one of the first scenes, in the pawnshop, Nazerman’s character is developed fast and without much question. A strong tool is used in the film as each visitor walks in during this scene. The camera is set facing the customers, and all we see is Nazerman, looking straight down, focusing on whatever he is writing. It shows that he doesn’t care to show that he cares for what his customers have to say. However, this is also a good tool to introduce a bunch of characters from different ethnicities and backgrounds. I noticed how the woman who comes in with the candlestick has a lengthy monologue, which is a great opportunity for her to introduce herself, because Nazerman practically acts as a dead wall for any character to talk to and express himself to for the sake of the film.
This segues perfectly to my point about how the different ethnicities interact with on another. I think the best way to put it into words would be to say that, “The different ethnicities within the film don’t allow more patience with other ones because of their differences.” This may sound confusing, but I think it actually sums up what I got from the film well. For example, referring back to a past example, the woman with the candlesticks puts on a little saleswoman-like show to try to boost the amount she’ll receive for them. However, Nazerman has no patience with her and doesn’t play along her routine. He has the same interaction with Jesus. In “City of Nightmares,” Grace writes about how Dominguez, the big, rich black man has the seat of authority in the film and how that was a bold move for the director. I think this further illustrates me point, because it shows that he has no more patience with Nazerman than he does with any other people that are like he is (a.k.a. black).
Basically, I thought different cultures mixing together is always a beautiful thing, and it is; however, it doesn’t always happen in perfect harmony like I thought it did.
