Motifs and Metaphors - Movie Review Example

Percy Adlon presents his made up truck stop as a metaphor for the neglected hopes of those cast aside people by America, that whether by discrimination and financial and economic harsh times (pertaining to C.C.H. Pounder’s scathing Brenda) or by the times going on (Jack Palance as Rudi Coxx, the artist relic). One of the metaphors, the Boomerang also boosted the motif of the movie and it revolved around all characters of the movie; it suggests that what a person puts forth returns back to them that is, what you give, you get back such as the love which Jasmin transferred to and got back from Brenda, her family and everyone.

The joy of giving and receiving is also depicted with the use of Boomerang (Maslin 1988). Another metaphor used in the movie was the thermos; it was the first sign of magic that is, in the film, perpetually full of coffee. This was a coffee maker or a thermos that Brenda’s husband left by the side of the road that further made its way into the motel, Bagdad Cafe. This was the reason which brought Jasmin into the motel and which provided everyone with a much induced idea to pick her up in. The use of magic tricks came into Jasmin’s mind when she found a magic set in Brenda’s messy office things and played with them which changed the life of Jasmin.

These helped her to entertain the customers at the cafe and induce more sales and profits which lead eventually to a strong friendship between Jasmin and Brenda (Maslin 1988). The incremental progress of these motifs came with the thermos in the commencement of the film followed by the boomerang when Jasmin started spreading love and friendship with Brenda and everyone in the motel, the painting of Jasmin which Rudi Coxx wanted to paint all the time and finally the use of magic tricks which helped her win over the hearts of customers signing into the motel along with her modeling as well.

To keep the movie in one flow and make it more realistic, interesting and a sort of comedy as well for the viewers, along with the motif, there was a transition shown over the major characters of the film to come up on the ending of the film. The transition of the major characters in the film is very encouraging and eye-catching. The first example of the connection of the motif with transition throughout the film was the change in the main protagonist in the film, Jasmin which depicted the biggest transition as she was keen in weathering her sorrows and difficulties which she faced after her husband left her and found happiness in little things around her.

She was able to be happy herself and make others in the motel with her kind and industrious personality. The second main character, Brenda, was at the beginning of the film, a strict and hostile manager of the motel in which Jasmin entered as a foreigner and Brenda’s harsh attitude was in extreme with Jasmin due to her inability to speak proper English and the threat that she may exploit the culture of the motel with that of Germany. But Brenda transformed eventually and she and Jasmin were bonded in a strong friendship.

This applies to Brenda’s family as well including her children who started loving Jasmin. This also induced more customers line up into the motel and happiness spread into the then called ‘wasteland’. With the final transition of the Hollywood-set painter Rudi, Brenda’s father, daughter and all nearby friends in the film; this shows that the element of transition in the main characters of the