Anthropomorphism in Ramin Bahrani’s film Plastic Bag (2010)

Anthropomorphism in Plastic Bag (2010)
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Anthropomorphism in Plastic Bag (2010)
Ramin Bahrani’s film, “Plastic Bag (2010),” is a deceptive short movie that triggers the emotions of its viewers. The director and writer of this film use anthropomorphism to motivate people to change their behaviors when it comes to the usage of plastic bags. In particular, anthropomorphism entails the attribution of human intentions, emotions, behaviors, and traits to non-human things. In other words, it involves the idea that a particular object or animal is given characteristics or feelings similar to those of humans. In “Plastic Bag (2010),” a plastic bag narrates its life from when it belonged to its owner to the time it hard no purpose of life and joined others in the Pacific vortex. Based on Bahrani’s short film, anthropomorphism is an effective technique to use in motivating individuals to change their behavior with respect to plastic bags usage.
“Plastic Bag (2010)” depicts the entire life of the plastic bag from the time it was used to carry groceries from the supermarket by the woman it refers to as its owner or maker. Werner Herzog’s voice plays a significant role in narrating the experiences of the plastic bag. Specifically, the plastic bag says that it felt a sense of belongingness when it found its first owner. Indeed, its first duty was to carry groceries, which made it feel useful, something that has never happened before (DrBashi Publisher, 2014). The plastic bag was happy since its owner carried it when meeting her friends. As such, it experienced the positive side of life. At some point, it was used to carry tennis balls and was happy to be engaged in various daily activities. When the woman got injured while playing tennis, she put ice in the plastic bag and place it at her ankle. At this juncture, the plastic bag says that “my skin came into direct contact with hers,” which was a nice feeling. Consequently, the short film triggers the emotions of viewers since one can understand the experiences of plastic bags and even make proper use of them.
Anthropomorphism makes people understand the things that objects go through, particularly when they are given human traits. For example, one can see how the plastic bag was happy upon meeting its maker. Notably, the plastic bag’s perception was that it would spend its entire life with its owner. However, things changed when it met its owner’s dog, which it calls the “monster.” During the first few minutes of the film, it is clear that the proper use of this object makes it feel happy (DrBashi Publisher, 2014). As such, individuals might focus on using plastic bags well to make them joyous. The actio...