About A Girl
The short film was directed by Brian Percival. In 2001, the year of release, it won the BAFTA Award for Best Short Film. This great accolade however was not the only award ‘About A Girl’ won, other awards include TCM Classic Shorts Award at London Film Festival as well as Best British Short at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Jury Price at the Raindance Film Festival. ‘About A Girl’ is Brian Percival’s only short film. Brian is much more widely known for his involvement in directing TV adverts and TV series. Some of his TV successes include ‘The Ruby In The Smoke’ and ‘ShakespeaRe-Told, Much Ado About Nothing’. He won many prestigious awards for his short film and his product was even included in the ‘Cinema16’ DVD, which is a yearly archive containing the best short films from that particular year.
In the opening scene, the protagonist is silhouetted and is dancing and singing ‘Stronger’, by Britney Spears. This song foreshadows later events of how the young girl has had to grow stronger to overcome a major problem in her life. This immediately sets the tone for the rest of the short and makes the audience aware that this young girls life is not necessarily happy. The lighting used in order to gain a silhouette is used to give the character a scene of mystery. This builds audience intrigue. Then the short cuts to the main character walking along side a canal, the mise-en-scene in the scene gives the character regional identity and also comments on her class and status. This is achieved by the setting she is in. Walking along side disused old factories provides the basis for assuming she is in an area struck by endemic poverty, this area is in fact in Manchester. This lack of activity and dull surroundings comments on her class and status as well, when linked with her costume. She is wearing loops in her ears, which in recent years has been a symbol of being a ‘chav’ or someone without social etiquette and often without money. These combined elements give the young girl a representation that is unfavourable. Her manner, which is shown by the short sentences and quick, shifting editing, also provides a base for the audience to be less empathetic because the character could be seen as confrontational. At this moment in the short film the character could be seen as stereotypical representation of a ‘chav’ because of her costume, regional identity and manner however this is not stereotypical, as the audience has already seen that the young girl does have aspirations, something that stereotypically badly behaved children do not have. This aspiration is to be a singer.
The scene cuts to the young girl with her mother and sibling. She is seen using a scratch card. This is another prop used to add to the feeling of endemic poverty. Some ideologies could also be taken from this scene. Some people from a religious stance would say that gambling is wrong, especially if children are being ignored for it, however some more liberalists would say that it is a parents right to do something they enjoy. Yet this action is clearly not for enjoyment it is for desperate want to have some money and get out of the endemic poverty they are in. In noticing this it could be seen that the ideologies applied here are both wrong as they assume the gambling is done as a hobby. There is still many audience members who would argue that gambling for whatever purpose is money and time wasted, which inevitably should be going towards looking after the children.
The girl then starts to talk about her father and it becomes clear that much of the girls wants could be fore filled by the father if he gave his child some of his time. The scene outside the pub can produce many ideologies. One is that the father should not leave a child outside alone because it is unsafe, however an authoritarian ideology is that the girl must be outside because being underage and in a pub is illegal. The majority of audience members would see this action as neglect because the father is spending time with his friends and not his daughter, however it can be seen that the father does have some parental instincts as he provide her with food and drinks, yet even these are not nutritional. Ideologies could be stuck up about the coke and crisps he gets for the young girl. Nutritionist would say that junk food is bad for children and should only be given as a treat, many social services would argue that parents are responsible for providing balanced, healthy meals, yet some other people within childcare would say that some food is better than no food. All these ideologies do not paint the picture of a good father and as we can see in this short film both parents are painted as villains.
The young girl is seen with her friends singing on the bus, this is the first time the audience sees her as child. This is then followed by her talking about her fantasy of becoming a pop star and that she writes the music. She comments on the fact that she has not got a piano because her mum does not have the money. This is the first sign of the girl not being as mature as her confidents eludes to being, this is mainly because she blames her mother for everything she does not have. However in her saying that her mother spends her money on cigarettes and cheap larger yet again is a comment on her mother’s parenting.
After this her stories speed up and gradually the young girls surroundings are more revealed making her smaller, which is metaphorical of the young girl beginning to open up. She again talks about her mother and father arguing and the young girl agreeing with her father. It is again over money and being denied things. This time it is about a dog. The conversations quickens until she tells the audience that the dog died and was thrown in the canal. The camera is raised to a high angle to show the canal where the dog had been disposed. This method of removing the dog is very harsh and unsympathetic again questioning the mother’s morals and values.
The girl then throws a bag into the canal as the bag unravels it shows the shocking event that had just taken place. The young girl had thrown what would be perceived as her dead baby into the canal. This event is extremely shocking and raises many ideologies. A religious ideology is that all people who die should have a proper burial, some others in religious positions would say that the girl should not of had a baby at that age, out of wedlock. This scene no matter what the ideology causes the large majority of audience members to wholly disagree with the way in which the girl has reacted to having a baby and simply disposing of it. This also causes the audience to see how naïve the girl actually is and that possibly it is wrong to believe anything she has said, especially about her parents as her parenting is much more flawed.
Gasman
The director of the short is Lynne Ramsay. She is from Glasgow herself and so her depiction of the suburbs will be very informed. She was awarded the ‘Cannes Prix Du Jury’ prise for ‘Gasman’, ‘Small Death’ and ‘Kill The Day’. She is arguably best known for her feature films ‘Ratcatcher’ and ‘Movern Callar’. ‘Ratcatcher’ was her debut feature film and won critical acclaim and a large batch of awards. These awards include ‘The Carl Foreman Award for Newcomer in British Film’ at the 2000 BAFTA Awards. She is currently working on a new feature film called ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’.
Within the short film many different ideologies and moral dilemmas are confronted and challenged. These challenges are immediate from the start. In the opening sequence the audience does not see anyone in full view. Many of the shots are of legs and arms. This challenges the usual conventions of a short film, as the usual structure is to be introduced to the setting, locations, some kind of problem and the main character(s), dilemma or predicament. This is a deliberate ploy by the director as it builds the audiences’ intrigue, which in turn keeps the audience watching. Stereotyping is used heavily in the opening sequence mainly to present the time period to the audience. The film set in the 70’s/80’s and so generic shots such as bored children waiting to go out and the father getting ready slowly as the mother is helping him and his children rather than getting ready herself. This presents the audience with a challenge of the ‘old fashioned’ ideology that women should serve men. This is challenged by a more feminist ideology that men and women are equal. This inequality is shown to establish the time period of the piece but more importantly is a reflection of the feministic view taken by the director. The montage of arms and legs is a series of shot that are not sustained for any length of time however the shot of the young girl putting her tights on is longer than the rest. This highlights that the character may be shown soon as well as underlining her importance to the story. The short uses intertextuality of ‘The Wizard Of Oz’. This intertexuality is metaphorical for ‘the grass is always greener’, which alludes to the families financial difficulties. The line ‘no place like home’ is repeated many times and foregrounds that something is going to change her view of home forever. The girl chooses to wear red shoes, like ‘Dorothy’ rather than black shoes this colour is a symbol for passion and is also a statement colour. This statement colour is a motif of young children and their carefree attitude. This is used as a juxtaposition to later events.
The main character is finally reveals and she is fuzzy, easily antagonized and temperamental. Firstly the arms are forced into the air, with a disobedient resistance and then the high angle looks down on the young girl. This yet again reinforces that bad events will soon follow. The putting on of the dress is a character code and shows that the family is abrupt and aggressive, which is an effect of huge pressures and burdens. The burdens are taken out of the children. This sparks many audience members to have a moral opposition to these actions, as the children are nor their because they chose to be and that whatever problem parents have children should not be punished for being children. This is a moral and slightly religious ideology that is completely disregarded by the family, in particular by the mother. This presents the mother very unfavourably, however her actions are explained by the discovery of the father second family.
The mother and her son have an immediately obvious distance and therefore and issue with the father. This could show how both of thee characters know of his adultery and second family or for his possible frailties as a father. This is hugely significant in the case of the boy because a religious ideology would say that fathers are very close to their sons and they are their responsibility yet a binary opposition to this is that the gender of off spring does not dictate the relationship they will have. This distance is also shown by the fact that the young girl is ‘daddy’s little girl’, a very stereotypical view of fathers and daughters. This closeness also show how the girl may well be ignorant to the fathers misdemeanors. The shot of the mother in the window, is usually one of happiness and joy, which is a stereotypical motif of housewives used in many films however this shot is used to convey very different feelings. The shot rather shows her concern and the reflection in the glass is used to mask the character, which is metaphorical of the masking of her feelings. Within the home settings many technical elements are combined to foreground the harrowing and harsh events to come. One of these is the diegetic sound of the toy car scraping on the sugar/salt. This is a harsh unpleasant sound, which juxtaposes against the happy Christmas song. The lighting inside the house is blue, which provides a grime, dull appearance to the house, metaphorical of bad feelings and dark secrets.
The first action outside the house is a wide shot of the road, with the characters at the top of the frame, this along with the dull, overcast weather and the low angle give a bleak impression their home. The characters are silhouetted, which could lead to the feeling of misplaced hope. The boy straggles behind, which shows his alienation and separation from his sister and father, whom are very close. The slow tracking shot on the railway tracks presents a hopelessness from the situation, The characters’ regional identity is shown by the lack of workmen on the train tracks, highlighting the endemic poverty of the area. The pinhole camera effect used present an old fashioned feel to the shot. The mise-en-scene gives a quaint, nostalgic feel. The lighting present Glasgow as heavenly and the place to be because it is illuminated. This is a religious metaphor because heaven is full of light much like Glasgow. This also shows the distance between the suburbs and the inner city. The proxemics in the shot gives the impression of closeness. The railway tracks push the audience towards looking at the protagonists. The buildings are shown to be smaller than the characters and so gives them a moment of triumph. The wind in the girl’s hair gives a calm and peaceful moment for the father and his daughter. This a hugely important shot as it establishes that within the turmoil of the family there are moments of joy and of peace, however the son is disconnected from this, yet again reinforcing that moments are scarce and not perfect.
The movement of the father out of the frame leaves the two children alone, this is symbolic of the father consistently leaving his family, in particular his children stranded and unprotected. This could be seen by some to be neglect on the father’s part. It shows how he cannot be a good father to both sets of children. The little excerpt of slow motion when the girl steps forward presents a moment of realization and daunt. The shot and reverse shot of the two girls looking at each other shows how the children are sizing each other up. This leads towards conflict between siblings, sibling rivalry, favouritism and jealousy.
The father then goes to touch his lover’s face she turns away in rejection. The close up of the piece of hair is symbolic of his loss and how fragile his relationship is. Her expression is defensive and questioning, this is due to the raises eyebrows. The expression is between bitterness and disappointment, there is some distain in the shot.
The young girl is still in the same frame as when we left her. It shows how she is taking in what has just happened and that she is slightly apprehensive. She is weary of here new siblings. She senses competition and so runs up to be close to here father, this is the start of a power struggle between the two girls. The boys are happy to amuse themselves whereas the girls want to talk more. This shows how the director is imposing the view that girls are more mature than boys, however the director also challenges this with later events. The talking is also present in order to show how the two girls are trying to figure out each other’s motives. The high angle when the newly found sister touches her dress shows an attempt of closeness. The holding of hands show a moment where the girls could be friends and get on. The diegetic sounds show a feelings of joy and carelessness, this is yet another juxtaposition to what will happen later.
The father walks in to the song, ‘Where’s your daddy gone?’ his expression is very bleak, the girls walk in next very close to their father, yet again showing their close-knit relationship to their father and temporary strong bond between the sisters. The boys walk in sluggishly afterwars, showing their detachment from their sisters, their father and the whole situation. There is a maturity in the boys’ actions, as they know that throughout the Christmas party they will need to amuse themselves, the girls are much more naïve in this respect. The panning shot follows the father walking over towards his friends. The father proceeds to drink away his sorrows. The resorting to drink is also a sign of endemic poverty. The only help available is through a glass, rather than social services. Some audience members may question the father morals, as his children should be his solace not a beer.
During the fathers time with his friends the girl play together, whereas the newly discovered brother is in the bottom of the frame alone and isolated. This gives him a further mysterious identity because the audience do not know his name, his personality and it is symbolic of the fact no one knows how he feels, not even his father. The prop of a very old, bare Christmas tree is another little reminder of the endemic poverty that surrounds the children. The tree is a point of comparison between it and the son. The tree is in a poor condition and yet manages to look better than the son. This steers the audience towards feeling sympathetic and labeling the father as neglectful. There is a dramatic irony because the two girls are still uninitiated, they do not know what is going on however the father knows and the audience does too. The audience is therefore initiated, the irony is found within the joy of the girls. The father Christmas is playing with one of the girls and not the other, this is a mirror of what their father does everyday. The canted angle tells us that the order is starting to break down and that chaos will soon ensue. The father Christmas is dancing with a provocative rock and roll, sexual move however this is not present to the character as sordid it rather more represents the character as enjoying the party and his drink. The way an 1970’s audience would view his actions is very far removed fore the audience reaction nowadays. The camera is mimicking the drunken body movements and as it continues the children start to be more and more uncontrolled. The lack of control builds up tension within the scene.
The father is nonchalant with a cigarette in his mouth and it shows how he is not really bothered about where his children are or what they are doing because he is at ease and that is all that matters. Yet the father now has to pick up his daughter from his relationship with his lover. The slow motion in the shot show how the other daughter can see what is happening and has finally worked out that the girl she has joyfully played with is her sister. This technique was use when the girls first met at the train tracks. The scene quick changes pace with the girl pulling the others hair, the control and balance has been lost. The men gathered around the table find the spat humourous whereas the father is still acting rather nonchalantly. His beer is still more important. The characters are forced out of the frame and the resulting promexics shows the distance that has grown, very quickly, between the father and his daughter. The father reaches for another cigarette but the packet is empty, this empty packet spells the end of his solace and he now only has himself to look to. This is his moment of realisation. They must leave the party as soon as possible.
There is an appearance versus reality battle outside as they are walking in a link however this is no to be united, rather more to be constricted and separated to prevent fighting. The holding of hands has changes from the peaceful, friendly manner in which they walked to the party, into an aggressive, deceptive way of hurting each other. The friends are now enemies. The father notices the confrontation and so tries to be attentive to both children by picking them up. This is not a moment of happiness for anyone, least of all the father. This outcome could be symbolic of the father’s rightful comeuppance. The darkness of the scene is metaphorical of the feelings being felt. There is also fog, which adds to the sense of confusion and difficulty as the characters cannot understand or see emotionally. The silhouettes and the lines of the track s are almost symbolic of their fates, to be separated. The girl is still angry with her new sister for wanting her father’s attention and so looks to throw a rock at her but does not. This is a moment of acquiescence and growth, showing that she has grown in maturity and possibly in acceptance.
The Most Beautiful Man In The World
Writer/Director: Alicia Duffy
Producer: Hugh Welchman
Production Company: Break Thru Films & UK Film Council
Alicia Duffy the director of ‘The Most Beautiful Man In The World’ has gained a huge reputation due to the BAFTA nomination in 2003 for Best Short Film as well as being a part of the official Cannes Film festival selection also in 2003. This success has allowed Alicia to direct her first full-length feature film, ‘All The Good Children’, made in 2009. This debut feature was selected for Cannes’ Directors fortnight selection. These triumphs at Cannes are a sign of Alicia Duffy’s prestige within both the short and feature film world.
Within the short film there is an obvious issue of neglect. This can lead to an ideology that the mother should take better care of her child, as the mother should and could be giving the child more attention rather than being on the phone and interacting with others instead, conversely some people would argue that the child may possibly choose to isolate herself from her mother by having the television on so loudly therefore is being entertained and so is not being neglected. There is a view that the mother needs the support from a father, whom is absent within the home. This is conveyed by the fact that the father figure is not present for a long time and is in the places of freedom. Wearing no shirt and being one with nature liberates the father. This freedom and liberation shows his lack of support in the normal struggles of everyday life, obviously felt by the mother. The mother character is disempowered by not being shown fully. Whilst some sets of people would say that just because times are tough doesn’t mean a mother should give up and not try. Themes that can spin-off and attach to issues and ideologies is imprisonment vs. freedom and inclusion vs. exclusion.
Imprisonment vs. freedom is a theme that is vividly conveyed throughout the juxtaposed scene inside and outside. The long shot of the girl laying down on the carpet shows her isolation and that she is trapped because the mise-en-scene of the dull colours and dark lighting causes the room seem smaller and therefore are is restrictive. Then she goes to the window to look out, this window is symbolic of her barrier from freedom. The off camera diagetic sound of the mother talking on the phone is a soft voice that says, ‘no no it doesn’t matter,’ this saddened and almost sulky dialogue gives this scene a repressive feel, which mirrors the girls feelings. These feelings are alleviated when the girl is outside. This is apparent with the use of the long shot of the girl riding the bike, there is a large amount of space and the light is much brighter than inside and therefore is symbolic of her new found freedom. The diagetic sound of the bell on the bike provides connotations of youth and happiness. The mother in the short all the way up through until the one of the last close up shots is not seen in full. The use of only sections of her body being shown gives her no identity and so the audience is easily manipulated into having less compassion for her. The lack of facial shots detaches the audience from the character, this makes the mother almost absent within the short film and could be metaphorical of the her neglect of her child, as she is there in person but not in spirit.
Within the film there is a shot that shows the child level with the dog, this represents the child’s status, she is equal with the dog. This further enhances the feelings of neglect as this shot shows the daughter is as equally important as the dog. This shot also gives the connotations that the dog is more important to the girl than her mother because she is in closer proxemics of the dog, showing a companionship. The dog is an important tool in building the child’s character, when she is inside the dog is with her and when she is outside it is also there, this presents the dog as her only friend and the only person she can trust.
The most striking part of this film is the action outside the home, mainly because of the male character but also because of the complete juxtaposition from inside the house. This film is reliant of the audience being able to read the film language. A very crude reading of the male figure is that he is a paedophile because he does not say anything and the lack of clothing alludes to sexual intentions. The director intends this reading as she could be making a statement about how people are very quick to judge and assume the worst. However this reading is very simplistic and the director has used the film language to show a much more complex male father figure. One piece of evidence for the male figure to be her father or at least someone that the girl knows is the use of the bug. This prop is used effectively by the action that the male uses. The taking of the bug from by her neck is very similar to the classic coin behind the ear trick; this cross over of stereotypical actions of a father is used to establish the male as the girl’s father. Yet the male character is far from stereotypical. The following shot shows the bug in the young girl’s hand, this presents a sense that all that matter at that moment in her life is the bug and her father was the one to give her it. This wonder at the bug is very surreal as it shows the girl’s naivety at even the most normal and often disliked part of nature. This wonder with nature is linked to sensuality within the piece. The brushing of the grass and panning shots conjures up smells of newly cut grass and warmth on the skin from the sun along with the bright colours and sounds of the wind and the wildlife. All of these senses and experiences being recalled by the audience leads to the scene being very celebratory and euphoric, which is in stark contrast to inside. However with all these senses being appealed to sensuality and possibly sexuality is released and therefore the male could be seen as a paedophile, however his actions are not typical of someone doing wrong, this is because he does not run away when he is seen by the mother and when the girl runs away the camera cuts to a close up where the father figure turns his head with a look of anguish. This anguish shows there is pain in the girl leaving, which demonstrates that the girl is of huge importance and that the bond is not sexual but is nurturing and caring. Therefore yet again the audiences that read the film language can see that the male is not simply a paedophile and that he is instead a father that loves his daughter and the daughter is completely stimulated intellectually when she is with him.
This film could be seen as not being very realistic if the male character is a paedophile purely because of one shot. The close up of the mother, the first time the audience see her face, is when she catches her daughter out in the field with a topless man. She does not run to get her does not show any worry or fear, this concretely concludes that the male is not a danger or a stranger, because the whole film has a high sense of verisimilitude and so it is clear to see that this reaction would not be used if the male was a paedophile.
The film could trigger some viewers to construct a very strong view on single mothers and the absent fathers, this is because the only time the audience is show the father is outside of the home in a very euphoric environment where everyone concerned is completely contented whereas the action involving the mother is boring, mundane and oppressive. This is making a statement that the father is only willing to be involved when times are fun and easy but not want to help out when it might be harder or carry responsibility.
All in all this film is an extremely complex one using micro elements to convey and combat macro meaning and ideologies that surround the themes and issues. The film is reliant on the audience interpreting the media rather than simply watching and taking the surface meaning. The film uses sensuality very effectively to trigger the debate about who the male is and is he a danger or a friend. The short also presents the mother as someone who is very neglectful and yet still creates a small amount of empathy. A hugely interesting message given by this film is that the mother is a villain because she is neglectful but the male could easily be a villain but seems to take better care of the girl, this is where the ideologies and the theories on who the male is have real conflict. The ideologies in this film are not simply binary oppositions and so the film has a level of complexity as it has conflict in views throughout.
