Recurring Themes
In the majority of Famuyiwa’s films, friendship plays a central role to the characters’ development and progression throughout the film. In The Wood, the male bonding between the three childhood friends is the main focus of the film. Commenting on the lack of male bonding depictions in African American Films, Famuyiwa says, “So just in general, if it's a man in the film, he's gotta be tough, he's gotta be carrying a gun, he's gotta be saving the world, and you rarely get to see that. But especially if you're talking about African American films. You never see that. I mean, you see the opposite, with Black women bonding, but you've never seen that for men.” Although The Wood was not revolutionary in its depiction of African American male bonding, it did provide audiences with an angle and message in cinema seldom seen elsewhere.
Additionally, thus far, nearly all of Famuyiwa’s feature films have dealt with the institution of marriage in one form or another. Oftentimes, marriage in Famuyiwa’s films coincides with race relations and the evolution of relationships that must grow and mature to accommodate each character’s specific needs and dreams.
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Famous quotes related to recurring themes:
“America is the world’s living myth. There’s no sense of wrong when you kill an American or blame America for some local disaster. This is our function, to be character types, to embody recurring themes that people can use to comfort themselves, justify themselves and so on. We’re here to accommodate. Whatever people need, we provide. A myth is a useful thing.”
—Don Delillo (b. 1926)