Directed By: Andrea Arnold
Starring: Kaite Jarvis, Michael Fassbender, Kierston Wareing.
Viewed: 25th January 2012
Plot Synopsis:
Mia (Katie Jarvis) is a rebellious, 15 year-old
girl who wants to pursue a career in dancing, however, she is very caught up
with her ill-tempered mother (Kieran Wareing) and sister, and has no friends.
She falls in love with her mother’s new boyfriend, Connor (Michael Fassbender),
and tries to win him over, she eventually does. Mia then discovers that Michael
already has a partner and a child, and is having an affair with her and her
mother, and so kidnaps is child, breaking the relationship. She then runs away
from home.
Review:
This is
just what you would expect from a social realism film; there are a lot of
handheld shots going on, usually an over-the-shoulder shot, when walking.
There's very little (if any) non-diegetic sound, and pretty much all the
lightning seems ambient, which really helps drive the realism aspect home. Whilst
this move makes good use of all kinds of shots, it seems very proud of its
close-ups, we get a little bit too familiar with a lot of these people’s faces
than I would have liked, but, technically speaking, it’s rather well-done.
Great example of a British social realism film - however generically speaking it does challenge the usual expectation of the male protagonist. Social realism has focused on issues of masculinity and challenges faced by working class men - an interesting take on females from a deprived area - some disturbing scenes!
ReplyDeleteOnce I got over the initial shock of the film style, I started to focus on the cinematography which was brilliant. The lighting, being mainly ambient and natural gave the whole film a very gritty edge which was reiterated by the story line.
ReplyDeleteThe script was subtle and realistic, with believable characters and as the film progressed, I was very aware of the developing relationship between Connor and Mia which was fantastically acted by Michael Fassbender and Katie Jarvis. Although at times there was almost an ‘East enders’ air about the film, there were some really beautiful scenes, for example the trip to the countryside which could almost have belonged in a film of a more mainstream genre.