The opening scene from the 2014 film, American Sniper, which depicts a U.S soldier with his sights set on a young Iraqi boy and his cloaked mother, both of whom appear to be carrying an explosive device.
Whilst 18th to 20th century orientalism was defined as a constituted depiction of the orient by the occident, 21st century orientalism is visible in the most dominant form of discourse in the west- film. By normalizing the image of the Middle East as a primitive, war-torn land run by anti-western terrorists, American Sniper justifies the U.S’s problematic foreign policy and constant occupation of foreign lands. The soldier, who is scarred and torn by the horrors he faced during the war, places himself as the victim of this hegemonic situation to the American people.

The scene ends with the boy and his mother both being shot by the sniper as they throw the explosive device towards a convoy of other soldiers.