In the film ‘Lars and the Real Girl, the director Craig Gillespie reveals Lar’s healing process but also challenges the idea of normality through the distinctively different character of Lars and the people who surround him. Lars is a slightly deluded 27-year-old who lives in his bother Gus’s garage. Lar's healing process is portrayed through the use of film techniques such as design, editing, camera work and acting. The audience witnesses Lars before Bianca and the change in Lar’s character during and after Bianca, which help him to heal and develop as a character. Through the use of acting, lighting and camera …show more content…
work and contrast, the director Craig Gillespie is able shows lars before Bianca.
At the start of the movie, the audience can see evidence of what could be a society accepted mental disorder. This strongly correlates to Lars isolated nature in the film. The camera positions itself throughout the film as Lar’s looking out of the window onto the world which signifies his imprisonment and the barrier between him and the rest of the world. The director further demonstrates Lars Isolation through the film technique of lighting. The lighting in the garage (Lar’s home) is grey, muted tones and dim which set the mood and helps characterise Lars contrasty in Gus (his brother) and Karin’s (Gus’s Wife) home where the lighting is warm and inviting. Even when forced to socialize at a dinner with Karin and Gus, it is evident to the audience through his body language that he is uncomfortable and even struggles to make conversation with his own brother. In the opening scenes of the movie, Lars is presented with a real flower to present to a real girl, which he throws away. In contrast, when Bianca is presented with fake flowers he embraces the concept “‘There not real so they last forever…. ‘isn’t that great?”. When comparing these scenes, it’s evident that Lars is also closer to Bianca than a ‘real girl’. As well as reinforcing the …show more content…
fact Lars has insecurities about losing people, the audience clearly sees the longing Lars has to connect with people which he meets whilst upholding his insecurities through using Bianca as an emotional fulfilment. In the film, Lar wears multiple layers of clothes to protect himself from being touched and he reveals to this Dr Dagmar ““It does not feel good…It hurts…Like a burn… So you don't let people touch you… because I have all these layers”. For example, in one particular visit to the doctor’s office, the director shows Lar extreme reaction to being gently touched on the neck by Dr Dagmar. Through film techniques, Gillespie is able to show Lars secluded nature and his inability to socialize. Through the use of lighting, camera shots and dialogue, Gillespie is effectively able to show Lar’s healing as a result of Bianca.
Lar’s persona changes dramatically when he purchases a lifelike and anatomically correct sex doll Bianca, this can be seen through a number of changes. Over the duration of Lars healing process the lighting in film changes showing that Lars is beginning to change and become a more socially competent. For example, when Bianca arrives the lighting in garage changes and becomes warmer signifying a change in Lars. The director uses a mid-shot of lars in the garage when Bianca arrive to show the change in lighting. In the film; it is evident that Bianca gives Lar’s confidence which he wasn’t able to find with Gus or people at his work. An example of this is the change in lars can be seen through his change in appearance. Before presenting Bianca to Gus and Karin the director shows his change through different mid-shots of lars making himself look presentable. Throughout the film, Lars removes layers of his clothing which is symbolic of his healing process and his ability to open up. An example of this is he also initiates contact with Margo after bowling, Lars goes to the extent of taking off his gloves to shake hands with Margo. The director uses a close-up of the Margo and Lar’s hands to show the significance of this moment and the significance it has in Lars healing process. The Community gathering where the neighbours discuss what to do about Lars
new phase shows the individual quirk of Lars and his community. The director does this through the character of Ms Gruner, although Lar’s quirk is extensive, Ms Gruner reveals the quirks of the community “Sally, your cousin puts dresses on his cats Hazel, your nephew gave all his money to a UFO club “. Through this particular scene, Gillespie is able to challenge the idea of normality and makes the audience ask themselves what is normal and is Lars really that different. Through the use of camera techniques, the dialogue the director shows lars gradually emotional detachment from Bianca. After coming home from work Lars’s gets upset about not being able seeing Bianca without having to look at a schedule “Call it girlfriend I shouldn't have (check) the schedule to see her”. The argument shows that Lars and Bianca's relationship is deaerating and Lars is becoming more independent. Gillespie focuses the camera on Miss Gruner and Karin for the dramatic effect this because it makes argument sounds worst and emphasises that Lars is letting go or trying to, Gillespie also does this to capture their reaction “They never fight”. In the doctor's office, lars reveals that Bianca didn’t accept his marriage proposal, “I asked her to marry me last week… She said no”. As Bianca is not real lars controls her thoughts and he expresses himself through Bianca it’s Lar saying no, he is detaching from Bianca. In the film, the director uses a mid-shot of Gus’s and Karin’s living room which is dark to foreshadow Bianca’s death. Gillespie uses a handheld camera to shows Lars distress and Karin’s and Gus confusions when lars finds her unconscious. Lar violently shakes Bianca in an attempt to try and wake her up, before Karin suggests calling 911. ( ) Gus and Karin are worried about the effects Bianca’s death will have on Lars. Dr Dagmar points out that Lars controls Bianca and he insinuated that Bianca was dying “She's dying” although he is still emotionally attached to Bianca and grieves for her as if she was human, Bianca dying is his attempt to move on and try start relationship with a real girl. At the end of the film, we see the start of Lar’s and Margo relationship this is seen when Lars invites Margo to “”to take a walk?”.
Besides an initial voiceover narration introducing Ray Kinsella (Kevin Cosner), his beloved wife Annie (Amy Madigan), and their young daughter Karin, this is the first scene in Field of Dreams, released in 1989 and directed by Phil Alden. The voice-over establishes the expectation of the film as being a sensible story about a loving couple trying to run a family farm in Iowa, and the subsequent scene (pictured above) quickly deconstructs that expectation. While working in his field one night, Ray hears a voice whispering “If you build it, he will come.” From then on, there are no more misconceptions about Field of Dreams being anything but an unapologetic fantasy in which an Iowa farmer mows down his fields to build a baseball diamond where
However, these thoughts are not always true all the time. Sometimes Hollywood makes films to show the audience the truth contained in the movie. In the movie “Girl, Interrupted,” the filmmakers have balanced the grim realism of the book with audience-pleasing elements of entertainment in order to make the film more comfortable. The graphic representation of mental illness makes audiences feel its realities, while the use of attractive actresses captures the attention of the audiences and makes it easier to relate to the story.
Dagmar Berman does the work with Lars and collaborates to create a very dynamic helping relationship. Dagmar takes the position of an appreciative ally and stands with Lar being ever curious and attentive to how she could give further support (Madsen, 2007). Dagmar’s stance is evidenced by her support of Lars’ belief that Bianca is real by her animated interactions with Bianca, agreement to treat Bianca for low blood pressure, and attendance at her funeral. Dagmar’s curiosity is evidenced through the discoveries of Lars’ dislike of being touched, anxiety surrounding Karin’s pregnancy, and fear of maternal death. Dagmar’s support for Lars and stance as appreciative ally is evidenced in her
For my final essay, I have chosen the movie “Fatal Attraction”, and I will focus on Alex Forrest and her mental disorder. Borderline Personality was displayed in the movie and Alex had almost every symptom of this disorder. Throughout this essay, I will be discussing Alex’s characteristics, intelligence, motivation, stress, social influences and/ or personality theories, treatment, and if the depiction of the disorder and treatment is consistent with what was discussed and read in the course.
Sex, love, depression, guilt, trust, all are topics presented in this remarkably well written and performed drama. The Flick, a 2014 Pulitzer Prize winning drama by Annie Baker, serves to provide a social commentary which will leave the audience deep in thought well after the curtain closes. Emporia State Universities Production of this masterpiece was a masterpiece in itself, from the stunningly genuine portrayal of the characters of Avery and Rose, to the realism found within the set, every aspect of the production was superb.
The Bad and The Beautiful (1952) and State and Main (2000) are films within films that unmask Hollywood Cinema as a dream factory and expose the grotesque, veneer hidden by the luxury of stars. The Bad and the Beautiful, directed by Vincent Minnelli, is a black and white film narrated in flashback form. The films theatrical nature requires more close-ups than wide-screen shots to capture the character’s psychological turmoil. For example, Fred and Jonathan’s car ride is captured in a close-up to signify their friendship; however their relationship deteriorates after Jonathan’s deceit. While the camera zooms out, Fred stands alone motionless. Here, Fred is captured from a distance at eye-level and he becomes ostracized by the film industry and
Lars and the Real Girl was an independent film about a young man named Lars who lived a quiet stable life until he was struck with such severe mental illness that the whole community rallied to support him on his mission to recovery. Lars was a great example of a man who had suffered from early attachment loss and childhood trauma that manifested into psychological dysfunction.
The movie “Girl, Interrupted” is about a young woman named Susanna who attempts suicide and consequently checks in to a mental hospital called Claymore. When she gets there she’s diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. There she meets many people but mainly focuses on Lisa, a proud sociopath, and Daisy, an implied incest victim who seems to have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Susanna leaves Claymore with Lisa to go see Daisy and after Daisy’s suicide she returns to Claymore where she is later released.
When it came time to pick a stage of development, I chose the stage of middle childhood. The movie that best depicted this stage of development to me was the 1991 movie “My Girl”. In this movie, you see a 11-year-old girl named Vada Sultenfuss going through a lot of psychosocial and cognitive changes in her life. She has grown up without her mother due to instant death when being born and she blames herself for her mother’s passing. Her dad is very absent in the upbringing of Vada, as he focuses most of his time and energy into his work as a mortician. Vada is surrounded by death due to the fact that they live in the house where her father constructs his business which is why her view on death is demented. When her dad becomes involved
Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac (2013) sparked controversy even before its stateside release during a matinee screening of Disney’s Frozen (Buck/Lee, 2013) in Tampa, Florida. The usual routine began as the projectionist prepared to screen the film: the lights of the cinema began to dim, the projection screen turned black, and the usual filler of cartoons and trailers started rolling. And then something unusual happened. According to one unsuspecting grandmother, “They put in the filler, it looked like Steamboat Willie, the old Mickey Mouse cartoon, and then all of a sudden it goes into this other scene” (Guardian, “Nymphomaniac Trailer”). This “other scene” was the red-band teaser for Nymphomaniac, described by Julie Miller of Vanity Fair as “the most graphic movie preview of all time—thanks in part to visuals of former child star Shia LaBeouf nude and engaged in multiple sexual activities” (Vanity Fair, “Explicit Sex Film”). Miller’s description of the trailer, however, is mostly incorrect. Very little do we see of LaBeouf’s character in the red-band trailer, neither “nude” nor engaged in the act of sex. Instead we catch various clips of Young Joe, performed by Stacy Martin, who is at one point seen fully nude and whose vagina is superimposed against the film’s title (stylized as NYMPH()MANIAC) at the start of the teaser. Despite his intentions in line with the Puzzy Power movement, von Trier’s male gaze complicates his presentation of female sexuality in Nymphomaniac. The logic behind the metanarrative of the film suggests that Joe’s (Charlotte Gainsbourg) salvation is ultimately afforded by male characters, most explicitly through Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård), Jerôme (Shia LaBeouf), and “K” (Jamie Bell). Although Nymphomaniac ask...
On Saturday July 29th, 2017, I was able to catch one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a while, Girls Trip. I was able to view the movie with four of three of friends of mines at the Regal Moorestown Mall Stadium 12 & RPX, located in Moorestown, New Jersey. My experience started with the aromas of popcorn. I am one of those type who has to have popcorn with lots of butter while enjoying a movie. After I purchased my popcorn and bottled water I was ready to enjoy this night with my friends. However, I wasn’t the one who purchased the tickets so the seats choices where horrible. They were floor level, on the very far right and third row. Still trying to make the best out of it I reclined my see as far back as possible so my neck would bother me the during the movie. The theater was packed, mostly with women.
I have chosen to review the film Boyhood written by Richard Linklater that took twelve years to film. In the movie Boyhood, it illustrates the life of a boy named Mason Jr. through the many stages of his childhood to adolescence to becoming an adult. The movie follows Mason Jr.’s life through his years of kindergarten, middle school, high school, and to college. Through these milestones in his life encounters society with socialization, culture and norms that are exhibited through his family, friends, and others. With factors of social classes, and gender that influence Mason Jr. as he grows and fits into the society that is formed. From the events and milestones in Boyhood, it is able to show human behaviour in society from our
The film Teenage is based upon the different youth subcultures that began to form and become acknowledged throughout the twentieth century. I believe this film does a good job of reflecting some of the key concepts we have discussed in lectures thus far. According to Epstein, the term alienation can be defined as the different ways in which a person can be estranged from society as a whole, or individual parts of a society such as peers (Epstein 4). Alienation in Teenage was created by the lack of trust between the generations. The youth felt that they had been betrayed by their elders because they promoted joining the war effort so heavily, and so many young men died overseas due to this representation. This caused a great deal of tension between the generations, leading to the adolescents feeling alienated.
“Entertainment has to come hand in hand with a little bit of medicine, some people go to the movies to be reminded that everything’s okay. I don’t make those kinds of movies. That, to me, is a lie. Everything’s not okay.” - David Fincher. David Fincher is the director that I am choosing to homage for a number of reasons. I personally find his movies to be some of the deepest, most well made, and beautiful films in recent memory. However it is Fincher’s take on story telling and filmmaking in general that causes me to admire his films so much. This quote exemplifies that, and is something that I whole-heartedly agree with. I am and have always been extremely opinionated and open about my views on the world and I believe that artists have a responsibility to do what they can with their art to help improve the culture that they are helping to create. In this paper I will try to outline exactly how Fincher creates the masterpieces that he does and what I can take from that and apply to my films.
The Prestige is a movie about magicians that turn into enemies when a magician’s wife dies in an accident on stage. Angier’s wife dies when she is doing a trick with him and another magician Borden. Borden is possibly the one that caused her death depending on the kind of knot he tied for the trick. Throughout the movie we see several different parts of what we have seen or read in the recent chapters. Anywhere from love and attraction to aggression to the law; this movie seemed to have it all.