The West has a long-standing history of viewing the “other” or the “oriental” as something primitive, dirty, and not equal to themselves. Hollywood, being the epitome of all things West, is not too far in making it distinctly clear (or murky) how it views all that is not part of the “western culture”. So it does not come as a surprise that Netflix’s Cobra Kai is taking a similar route.
The Yellow-Bloody-Filter in Cobra Kai
The “yellow filter” as popularly known amongst the audience, has become a norm in Hollywood when it comes to showcasing countries like Mexico, India, other Southeast Asian countries, or countries from the Midwest. A yellowish tone is used when such countries are shown on the screen to depict tropical or dry climates. But after so many years, it has become a stereotype to showcase countries the west views as primitive and filled with poverty and crime.
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In the latest season of Cobra Kai, one of the show’s main characters, Miguel Diaz is shown to be in Mexico. Diaz is there in search of his father, and the whole setting is saturated with the inevitable yellow filter. The kick of it is that the yellow filter appears only when the character is within Mexican boundaries. As soon as the character is back on American soil, the filter becomes non-existent.
This filter is basically Hollywood’s perception of the countries they view as the “other”. Directors since time immemorial, have used these different filters to depict different countries. India is shown in a bleak yellow filter, while Mexico is a strong yellow, and the Middle East is a dusty brown filter. This just goes on to show the stereotype Hollywood has been pushing on its audience for so long.
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Now, with time, some people are finally talking about how this finally needs to go. And how Hollywood needs to step back from showing such culturally rich countries as nothing more than ugly, dirty, and savage.
When a cinematographer or director decides to use a yellow filter in scenes that take place in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia, their intention is to create a space that would make their intended viewers, who are primarily white, associate these places with poverty, and crime. The whole idea is to show how they are primitive when compared to the west, despite their rich cultural background.
Blue to the Yellow to the Blue
In contrast, while America itself does not have any filters on, countries like those of Eastern Europe are shown in light blue filters. Blue, which is taken as the opposite of yellow, depicts futuristic and modernized, progressive societies. Movies like The Wolf of Wall Street had a subtle blue filter to show the wealth and modernity of New York City. Similarly, movies like Twilight, and The Bourne Identity made similar changes in tone when dealing with American or European countries.
Cobra Kai would not be the first to have the yellow filter while showing Mexico. One of the most popular TV shows to have been ever made, Breaking Bad was mocked for its ‘Mexico filter’ whenever a scene was taking place south of the border. And it’s not just TV, movies like the Chris Hemsworth starrer Extraction or the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, while depicting countries like Bangladesh and India, made use of such similar effects.
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It needs to be pointed out that the behind the scene footage of movies showcasing “other” countries has a much clearer picture than the actual movies. Netflix’s official page before the release of the hit movie Extraction released this behind the scene footage, with clear blue skies. But the actual movie scenes are saturated in murky yellows. And this is just one such instance, there are many more similar happenstances. Maybe it’s finally time that we move away from this.
Now, in the 21st century, audiences are finally speaking up about this stereotype we have been following for so long. Is it not time to finally step out of this trope that has been plaguing Hollywood for so many decades? Maybe it’s time we say goodbye to the idea of white supremacy, and along with it, the yellow filter!
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