Moonlight (2016) Barry Jenkins
I have briefly discussed this film on my blog before, but it can't possibly be talked about too much. This film is most definitely in my top favorites and is markedly so within the past decade. It is about the life of main character Chiron, a young black boy in war on drugs era Miami as he grows up and into his identity with the support of the people who raised him. The representation, art direction, and overall story line is phenomenal. It also fits in with common themes to the one I plan to represent through my own film, focusing on intersectional identities and communities and how they navigate through life with these in mind.Film Opening
The film begins with a blank screen, with music playing as the production company's logo appears (A24) before we see a man pulling his car up onto the side of a road in an area that looks quite rundown, and there aren't many people outside apart from when we see the camera pan as the first man in the scene closes his car door and approaches two other men across the road. The camera follows him and as the conversation can be heard more clearly it is apparent that there is a drug deal going on. The camera consistently circles the three men as they interact with each other in a seemingly continuous shot that really gives the feeling of chaos in drug addiction and the sale of drugs as the only means to get by in a community where the residents are underprivileged (and how these communities tend to also overwhelmingly consist of minorities), but also establishes the setting and that there's a connection between the three, the first man starts conversation with the man selling drugs - they may be friends or know each other in some fashion- and the older man is trying to buy off of the second man. With this scene opening, though we are not yet introduced to the main character, we are introduced to what kind of setting this young boy will be growing up in and how this affects what he learns about himself.
Roma (2018) Alfonso Cuarón
Roma follows the story of Cleo, one of the two domestic workers who help Antonio and Sofia take care of their four children in 1970s Mexico City. Here, complications suddenly arise when Antonio runs away with another woman and Sofia finds herself pregnant. Sofia plans a much needed vacation to clear her head and create a tighter bond with her family, and invites Cleo along. This film has some really amazing representation, and is full of beautiful symbolism, shot in a unique fashion for a modern film set in the decade of the 70s.Film Opening Credits
In the first three minutes are so, the opening scene is just the opening credits. However, despite these being just the credits there is still much to unpack and digest, despite this one, still shot throughout the entire opening. For about one minute of it, there is no sound, only a black and white image of floor tiles as the credits begin. After this, we begin to hear the sounds of something being mopped up, and then we see waves of water getting brushed across the floor. Since the water is consistent throughout this scene, it is fair to believe that water will be an important symbol within this piece, both as a symbol of Cleo's household duties and to foreshadow events that will take place later on. Not only this, but in the movie poster we see yet again more water from a beach behind the family embracing each other. The use of water here is a common motif throughout the rest of the film. Then we see the reflection of an airplane flying slowly by, being framed by two large buildings in the reflection in the puddle. The plane possibly represents the transitional changes in her life, and this contrast of water being mopped as a chore and a plane flying up above can suggest that there is a mundane tone to this film; it quite literally reflects a world that Cleo doesn't, and may never know as a domestic worker. Finally, the choice for a black and white filter for shooting this piece truly emphasizes the rawness of this film, that it will truly show what normal, every day people really experience with the human condition.
Call Me by Your Name (2017) Luca Guadagnino
Film Opening
Right in the beginning, the film lets the audience know when and where this story is taking place with text saying "1983" that then transitions to "Somewhere in Northern Italy". The scene is set in Elio's bedroom, with another girl laying on a set of yellow bedsheets as she's looking at him pull on a red shirt and immediately there are a lot of symbolic mise-en-scene elements throughout their clothing. It's the summer, they're young and passionate and Elio is seen wearing this shirt throughout the rest of this scene, even when he meets the intern (and we know there is going to be romance involved). Their attention is then drawn to his window, where they look out to see his dad greeting another man, his intern. Elio is called to help Oliver carry his bags into Elio's room, where he will be staying. He is wearing a blue button up shirt with khaki pants, professional attire that helps give off the idea that he is there for work purposes. Throughout, there are a lot of interactive shots that never keep one shot boring, but it flows really nicely. The idea that they both start off as total strangers sharing a room, each having their own things that their summer will consist of, to the fact that we know this is a love story between the two keeps the viewers engaged, wanting to see the events that unfold that make this true.
How do I plan to stick to the conventions similar between these films, and how do I plan to challenge them?
Firstly, I want to have my film opening include as much representation and diversity similar to the themes of these three exceptional examples. They include themes of race, ethnicity, sexuality, poverty, and so many issues that come along with these minority identities that I want to make sure is accurate to the story I am presenting. I want to raise awareness, but also represent them correctly and in a positive light - or simply put, as human beings just trying to navigate life just like the rest of us. I also want to keep the art direction engaging, whether through symbolism, introducing the main characters, setting, themes, and plot. I want to create something as beautiful as these examples, visually, audibly, artistically, symbolically and so much more. When something beautiful is created where a certain group of people see themselves in it promotes acceptance and self love to an amazing standard, something everybody deserves to have. That said, I do also want to bring awareness to the struggles these communities face simply for just being themselves. It's vital that these stories are heard, because the lack of coverage is affecting and even taking away lives, and promotes hatred for the things people don't understand. Through this, I want people to learn and expand their minds out of the little bubble their mentalities have trapped them in for so long. So in this way, I will be sticking to the overarching definition of the drama genre, where I introduce a character and present possible upcoming struggles as they navigate life, and how they resolve them.
I plan to challenge conventions additionally through representation. Often times, these particular minorities are underrepresented in media, whether that be through minimal representation, politically incorrect representation, or being shown as background characters as an excuse for directors to earn brownie points without actually having to develop a story for these characters and make them alive and human. I want to bring them to the forefront, to bring a name and a life and a story to these people, and to make real life stories heard through fictional and engaging means. The entire purpose it to make them alive and human.
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