Essay 6 "Sleep Dealer"

Sleep Dealer is a film that conveys a deep connection of ideology with other films (e.g. The Matrix and The Truman Show). A strong connection that is basically what makes the story evolve and hit its climax is the desire of the lead role to be and live something more. Memo, Neo and Truman all have this inquisition which leads them to seek answers and live out the progression of the story. If you really look at it, all of these characters are the same person. They dislike the world they live in; they are persistent and determined to find answers to the truth. I think that the greatest similarity though is between Sleep Dealer and The Matrix. The reason why I say this is because in both of the films Memo and Neo are part of a world that is run by machines that are run by humans. A quote that caught my eye though, was that of Luz the girlfriend of Memo when she says, “…be careful that the machine does not control you.” This is very significant because in The Matrix the characters would feel in real life what they feel in the matrix and in Sleep Dealer the nodes would do the same as the matrix in how it would show Memo a reality that he couldn’t see in front of him. This is a form of control over the humans and this shows a strong connection in terms of reality between both films.
Now, there are some relevant differences between the films. In Sleep Dealer, I think that the primary focus is on Latinos and Immigration. The reason why I say this is because in Sleep Dealer the United States government has control over the water system around the world. They force all residents to pay for water and if not than they won’t have water. Another example is that in the movie, the Mexicans work in sweat shop factories that they call sleep dealers where they are connected into a network that sends they’re movement and talking signals to a robot somewhere in the U.S. as long distance workers for low cost work. This reminds me of what Mitchell says, “Depending upon our relationships to the associated social and political structures, each of us can potentially play many different roles (some strong, some weak) at nodes within these-owner, authorized user, operator…” (9) This idea leads to non-necessity of immigrants in the United States, which they actually make known in the movie and conveys their demeaning status. The Matrix plays a whole different role in terms of story line or core significance because it’s more about the whole world playing an essential role in survival. Neo and the others are all considered one people, the human race. There is no racism or stereotyping in the film. The centrality of the story is freedom from the machines.
These differences show that race is definitely an issue in comparison with The Matrix where race is not an issue at all. This movie was particularly Mexican because the story surrounded Mexico and Mexicans. The lead character Memo is a Mexican who starts out as a farmer who works with his father in a small town called Santa Ana, Oaxaca. Another example that definitely puts it in this racially saturated category is the fact that the movie is in Spanish which definitely marks it as being Latino. Other elements that add to the idea of it being particularly Latino is the Mexican bar, Mexican music, and the culture presented in the film. I think that this movie makes it an importance in presenting Mexican or Latino stereotypes.
There is a big difference between the rural and urban life in Sleep Dealer. Those who live in rural surrounding are faced with economic instability, financial deterioration and the stoppage of technological advancement. We see this in how Memo lives in his hometown and when the movie transitions to the city life. There is a huge difference between these two and the movie seeks to make it known to the viewer how blatant rural life is in comparison to how lively and exciting city life is. All of the films and books contain the central idea of freedom from control. In The Matrix they wanted freedom from the machines. In The Truman Show Truman wanted to be free from the blatant, controlled and counterfeit. Memo sought after a life that was free from economic depression and control. What we see from all these films is the need for change and personal and wide frame freedom. Through the books The Matrix and Philosophy and Me++ we see how philosophers from all around the world and from centuries ago consider this topic to be of vital importance. The reason for this is so that people can realize that we have a mind of our own and we should have control over our own lives. We see issues like free will, determinism, networks, connections, etc. These issues surround each and every one of us. I can honestly say that this topic has been of vital importance to me because this shows me how the human mind works and how there is so much more to look into and determine the truth for ourselves.

Blog 12 "Sleep Dealer"

I have to say that Sleep Dealer was a good film. I didn't think that i would be that interested but i was interested the whole time. You can definitely see how this movie was "particularly Mexican" because the story line took place in Mexico and basically everybody was "conceived" to be Mexican. The lead character Memo is a Mexican who starts out as a farmer who works with his father in a small town in the film. The movie being in Spanish definitely marks it as being Latino. Another element that added to the idea of it being particularly Latino was the Mexican bar during the movie that shows a "ranchero" who's playing the snare drum with Mexican type music playing in the background. I believe that the connection between this film and the other films is the basis of machines taking a lead or crucial role in society. The way people connected were through the nodes in Sleep Dealer that was similar to The Matrix in how Neo and the others would be "jacked" into the matrix where they connected to another world. I think that there is a huge difference between this film and The Matrix, especially when it came to the issues of race. In The Matrix, race was definitely not a primary issue of importance because race wasn't even looked at. In fact, the only race to be known was the human race as a whole. In Sleep Dealer race played an exponential role. The focus was on Memo who's family was barely getting by and the government had taken control over the water system. So in looking for a way to support his family, Memo went to look for an opportunity and that opportunity came to him through being a sleep dealer. This movie has racial stereotypes written all over it. This is where Sleep Dealer and The Matrix differ. One thing is certain though. Memo, Neo and Truman all believed that there was more and they were all searching for answers to there unanswered questions. This is greatly important because this desire is what leads them to the climax and synopsis of the story.