David Bordwell identifies four stylistic functions of film: expressive, denotative, symbolic, and decorative. Each of these functions serves a purpose within the film.

This analysis will examine how reflexivity is intentionally incorporated into the storytelling and camera movements, and its impact on the emotional authenticity of the narrative and the representation of Black women’s narratives.

In the film Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984), the plot revolves around the portrayal of non-White cultures as mystical and in need of saving.

Ethnic Notions (1986) offers a crash course on African American history, shedding light on the influence of censorship on the dissemination and production of the distorted Black image.