Argo, Orient Yourself!

Argo is problematic on many counts. The film opens with a cartoon historical overview which gives context to the hatred most Iranians feel towards the Shah and points out American complicity in the 1953 coup that overthrew democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. The closing shot is a lineup of Star Wars action figures and toys in the bedroom of Mendez's son. This bracketing is noteworthy because it reflects Affleck's desire to come across as credible by acknowledging the American involvement in 1953 while also playing to his action-fantasy childhood memories of the time (I also grew up collecting action figures in suburbia and my bedroom looked quite similar to the one in Argo).