I chose to look at this film as I wanted to vary the place of origin of the films I looked into. This film was made in America and contained a dark sort of humor that I would possibly like to look into when writing my own screen play.

Narrative

The film starts with an enigma, and a shocking one at that. You are introduced to the protagonist when they are in their most vulnerable state which has an effect of the relationship between the audience and what you think of the characters. Its a sense of dramatic irony in that the audience knows that Richie has tried to kill himself and the only reason he didn’t was because the phone rang, but his niece and sister are completely unaware. This is almost a metaphor for the meaning and value of family, linking to the meaning and effect. You could also argue the point of view narrative for the same reasons I have mentioned already.

This film definately follows the journey narrative overall as you are following the life of the protagonist, Richie through his mental health journey. In terms of theory I dont really think it follows any theory in particular as it doesnt end in the same place it starts, it ends up with richie being in a much better and happier position so it is not quite a three act structure. Also there is no real climax or event that disrupts the lives of the characters in any way, unless you consider Richie being asked to babysit his niece the event.

Meaning and Effect

This film is incredibly meaningful in so many ways and you can tell that this was the intention of this film from the start. I would say that the main meaning is that family is incredibly important and you should forgive people because it has a big impact on your life as well as theirs. The meaning is very important because it makes the film relatable which means the audience can align with the characters, this being especially difficult to achieve in a short film. You are routing for all the characters in the film and you just want the best for them because of the fact they are relatable to almost everyone in some way. Family is a very important theme in this film. I would say that the family importance theme is shown through the relationship between Richie and his niece as it seems so pure and true. Also there is a big age gap but not big enough that they don’t have a common language as such so they talk to each other like two adults or two children depending on how you look at it. This relationship that they have despite not knowing each other and having a huge age gap is very good and as if they have always known each other which just demonstrates the strength of family to the audience.

Cinematography

As the film starts with an enigma the beginning of the film is crucial in terms of cinematography. The first shot is a tracking shot along a wire of some sort but we don’t know what it is leading to. We then see a red telephone which later becomes a symbol or motif in the film in my opinion. There is then a cut to a shallow depth of field, extreme close up of some bloody cigarette butts and a bloody razor blade, this indicating to the audience something bad has happened even before you have met the main protagonist. This builds tension and makes you concerned for the character from the off creating an instant alignment. There is also a motif or red throughout the film which focuses the audiences eye on certain things.

Another distinguishing moment in the film is when Richie and his niece first meet and there is a series of shot reverse shots of their faces just looking at each other in a disappointed way. This brings in the comedic element of the film. This film really does have a dark humour to it, the fact the the phone ringing prevented him from killing himself being the big one. Throughout the film there are also lots POV shots of what Richie is seeing and experiencing in the rough state that he is in, especially at the bowling ally when he is seeing everyone dancing and you’re not sure whether its real or in his head. Here there is also the use of dolly shots and panning shots to show the long lines of people dancing which indicates that it is probably in his head because not that many people would be doing the same thing in such an orchestrated way. There are also lots of slow zooms into the characters faces when something emotional is happening or they are saying something important.

How will this influence my screenplay?

This film was very influential and I really liked the dark humor, this being something that I would quite like to incorporate into my screenplay. I would also like to incorporate the comedic shot sequences that are included in this film and the simple yet effective dialogue. Over all this film was very tasteful and funny as well as emotional and eye opening.