1. Representation
Gender and Ethnicity
in Love Actually and Four Lions

2. Men in Four Lions

3. Women in Four Lions

4. Questions
• What do we learn about men from Four Lions?
• What do we learn about women?
• What words would you use to describe the male
and female representation used in Four Lions
• Why do you think they are represented this way?

5. Ethnicity in Four Lions

6. Your task
Make a positive/negative table for…
White British and Muslim British
Are there any blaring similarities or differences?
Positive
White British
Negative
White British
Positive
Muslim British
Negative
Muslim British

7. Terrorism in Four Lions
• Fill in the Venn Diagram which details the
similarities and differences between…
Jihadists in Mainstream Media
Vs.
Jihadists in Four Lions

9. Ponder Point
Many commentators have focused on one scene
in the film – that in which Omar talks to his wife
and his son after the accident with Faissal.
Do you think that the scene is a ‘mistake’ by
Morris or is it key to ‘humanising’
the characters? What does it
make the audience think about?

11. Ponder Point
Does laughing at the idiocies of the ‘terrorists’
mean that young Muslims are being demeaned
or does it mean that they are being ‘normalised’
and made less ‘other’?

15. Omar vs Barry
Ethnicity and Masculinity

16. Questions
• What is interesting about the ethnic
representation in Four Lions?
• What is the effect of these portrayals?
• Are they fair/unfair?
• Does it challenge, or confirm stereotypes?

17. Ponder Point
A lot of the comedy focuses on aspects of Islam
that most people in the UK don’t understand –
e.g. the promise of an afterlife for the suicide
bombers. Whereas the
stereotype circulated in much
of the UK tabloid press attempts
to oversimplify and present a
monolithic religious culture.

18. Men in Love Actually

19. Women in Love Actually

20. Questions
• What representations of women and men are
shown in Love Actually?
• How are they represented?
• Why are they represented this way?
• What effect does it have on the audience?

21. White Brits in Love Actually

22. Other ethnicities in Love Actually

23. Questions
• What is the predominant ethnicity represented in
Love Actually?
• Describe how it is represented with examples
• Are there any other ethnicities in the film?
• Describe how they are portrayed also
• What are the effects of such representations?

25. Question
Ideologies are values/messages or beliefs that a
media-maker is trying to get across.
What are the dominant ideologies in Love
Actually shown through representation?
Recap Link

26. Essay Question
Discuss how either gender OR ethnicity is
represented in both Four Lions and
Love Actually.