The whole plot of the movie is revolving around social
context and we can see why it’s so important to the movie from the very first
scene. After a research I found that the story plot is placed in a Christian
County happening in in the Ozark hills of Missouri, an area known for being
very rural and remote. These are conditions which allow for the making of
methamphetamines. Although the production of meth is never shown, it’s
constantly 'referred' to throughout the movie. Moreover, this rural area helps
the viewer understand why Ree Dolly has such a hard time feeding and looking
after her family and adds to the reality of the film. Also as the movie was
produced in the US by an independent producer displays many differences when
compared to most American movies. It concentrates more on character
development, especially Jennifer Lawrence’s character making her a very dynamic
character and although it lacks the Hollywood glamour and special effects, the
incredible and real acting of the characters makes the movie unique.
From the beginning of the film ,starting with an
establishment shot we see the dull and cold atmosphere of the surrounding with
the low key natural lighting, foreshadowing how the whole film will look like
and the idea of realism which we don’t see very often in the movies. When the
camera moves to the next shot the diegetic sound of squeaking from the
trampoline its mixed with the non-diegetic sound of the song Missouri Waltz, in
the lyrics we see a lullaby about 'the times long ago' when everything was
better, the 'dreams' and how the 'moon was shining high' before, an illusion
contrasting with that harsh reality we are shown. Furthermore when the children
are on the trampoline we only hear the diegetic sound of metal and the jumping
but no laughing or talking as if they are part of the dull surrounding, they
are playing without having fun, as everyone around them are surviving but not
really living.
In the following scene ,the camera is hand held, making the
scene very real and creating an atmosphere for the audience as they are part of
that moment, we can see Ree’s little sister, over ‘bars’ how she is taking out
and hugging kittens. That’s a very innocent and contrasting image for the hard
life they have, she is still very young and is able to smile and show affection
towards the kittens, where as if the kittens were the only thing that could
save Ree’s family she would skin them the same way she did the squirrel, as she
has seen the dark side of life, being the only adult and also the parental figure
in their family. We see the deprivation of the area and can make assumptions of
what will happen later on just by the first 90 seconds of the movie, due to the
mise-en-scene as the way the characters dress, the way they talk and the things
they do. We never see the children play with other children ,or play in a way
that most children would e.g. even when Sonny is playing with his skateboard he
can’t really use it because of the dirt and the uneven terrain, althought he
looks almost normal doing so ,as if the
place they are at simply have different rules on how to live compared to the
rest of the world.
Then as the song (the non-diegetic sound) is about to end we
see Ree dressing her little sisters doll ,showing she is the one caring in
every situation, when something has to be done she is the one to take care of
it .Then the image of branches appears/fades in with the sun above, however the
whole picture looks grey , the lighting being natural low key ,and the branches
themselves looking like a grid ,representing the many dangers and challenges Ree
has to overcome to save the house and her family, or the idea of the secrets
the whole community is keeping from her.
No comments:
Post a Comment