Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy and Into The Wild, by Sean Penn

582 Words2 Pages

In Sean Penn’s film Into the Wild the importance of understanding ones sense of identity is expressed through the character Christopher McCandless, the protagonist of the story. He vanishes from his mainstream life and ventures alone to the great Alaskan wilderness, we emphasis with him as he journeys for the search of freedom and happiness. Through representations of panning camera shots and verbal expressions throughout, the responder can easily relate to Chris’s revelations and views on society. He decides, “I need a new name” and graffiti’s “Alexander Supertramp, July 1990” on a public bathroom mirror in thick red lipstick when leaving his former life. The symbol of the mirror and extreme close up shot reflects Alex’s new identity, refocussing not only his reinvention of his name but also his freedom and a sense of self-discovery. Penn amplifies the diegetic sounds of crunching on snow, chipping of wood, or banging of a stick against the mattress, throughout the whole movie, creating a dramatic effect on the responder by exemplifying Chris’s senses and understanding of self disco...

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