MAGICAL REALISM - REACTION SHOTS EP 2 DISCUSSION TOPIC

Hello, Easy Allies Film Club!  Here is this month's discussion topic for the May episode of Reaction Shots!

We're talking all about Magical Realism!  A favorite topic/device of mine.

So what is magical realism you ask?  

Magical realism is when a world is presented as real (or at least consistent with a set of rules) but then has any number of things that are magical or somehow incongruous within that reality.  In other words, something magical or unexplained or supernatural happens in an otherwise ordinary real-world.  These magical events or characters or items generally remain unexplained within the context of the film.  Basically, if something weird or magical happens and no one really bats an eye there's a chance it's magical realism.

Examples of films with magical realist moments or undertones (or overtones): The Green Mile, Amelie, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Birdman, Midnight in Paris, many Hayao Miyazaki films, Borgman, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Royal Tenenbaums, Trainspotting, Anti-Christ, Barton Fink, Swiss Army Man, The Ninth Gate, Venus in Furs, Blazing Saddles, Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Upstream Color, Wings of Desire, Magnolia,  Big, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Holy Motors, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Lobster, Twin Peaks, Stranger than Fiction,  Mulholland Drive.

An example from this month's assignment film Brazil is when a character is engulfed in papers and disappears.  It's not explained, and within the context of the film's reality, it's magical.  This is not to say it is meaningless.  What do you think the meaning of this particular scene might be?

Are there other good examples of magical realism in Brazil?

Is the entirety of Brazil magical realism?  Or is it a fantasy film with magical realist moments?

Is magical realism a genre or a device?

Is Harry Potter magical realism?

How about films that have fantasy worlds that exist for a character apart from the "real world"? Think Pan's Labyrinth, The Fall, Suckerpunch, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland.  Are these examples of magical realism or fantasy?  Is there a difference?  Are they mutually exclusive?

Do films that deal with a character's sanity, or trustworthiness as a narrator, include magical realism?  Trainspotting, Jacob's Ladder, Fight Club, Mulholland Drive, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, etc.

Do dreams count?  Does American Beauty have magical realism in it, or are those just dreams?

Do you find it more impactful when there is a consistent use of magical realism in a film (as in the setting or central conceit is a magical realism idea) like in Pan's Labyrinth or when there are only one or two moments of magical realism, like in Magnolia or Borgman or Birdman?

What are some video game examples of magical realism? Metal Gear, Kentucky Route Zero...

What are some other examples from film and TV?

Much is made of the differences between fantasy and magical realism.  Some think that magical realism MUST exist within our grounded normal world, whereas others think that if a film's premise is fantastical that doesn't necessarily mean it can't contain magical realism.  What do you think?  For example, is Groundhog's Day magical realism or a fantasy movie?