Little Children, 2006 Dir. Todd Field.
This film, follows a character called Sarah (Winslet) who's in a stressful and loveless marriage with her husband Richard. Sarah, usually taking her daughter to the park on a daily basis feels like an outsider, as nobody within suburbia obviously never have any marital problems, nor any problems at all. This creates a contrast between Sarah and the other mothers. Sarah is constantly in a day dream when she visits this park, her daughter is constantly craving attention when swinging from the swings 'mommy look at me,' but it's apparent Sarah is dreaming of another life, something better than she has here.
When house-husband Brad enters the park, she is first to snap out of this day dream and notice him. Brad and Sarah quickly identify themselves as the outcasts from the other parents, they're different to any other parents and begin a sexually charged, fun friendship which soon turns into a fun affair.
Ultimately, they decide to run away together, they come up with a plan and a meeting time and agree to bring their children however, when Sarah's little girl begins screaming and unsettled, it's time Sarah realises this affair her and Brad are having, is no fun anymore. She realises they are not children anymore and she has to grow up, and returns to normal life.
This film has brilliant and raw acting, combined with the explicit pros and cons of an affair makes it a brilliant thought provoking drama. The side storyline of Ronnie McGorvey, releases ambiguity into the film, with the question is he a paedophile or not? Field, also releases the feelings of Ronnie suffering from the Oedipus complex keeps the audience on the end of their seats craving more from this brutal and explicit drama. I love the idea of ambiguity within a film, as i feel this is the most powerful and thought provoking element you can put within a film, it challenges the audiences thoughts and also makes the audience become creative with what they have just seen, thinking possible endings surrounding the film as their own opinions and thoughts on the ambiguous ending, is all they have got to ensure they have a closed ending as it's obvious how much audiences love a closed ending, however i love the idea of creating something abrupt, thought provoking and cleaver.
The Burning Plain, 2008 Dir. Guillermo Arriaga
This is also another Drama which has strongly inspired me. The film follows one main character Sylvia, remember her painful past of watching her mother have an affair with a Mexican man. Compelled with anger and frustration she takes action on this which results in the murder of her mother and the man she was having an affair in.
Sylvia is made to remember her past as her daughter is made to track her down as her dad has fallen ill, Sylvia is an abrupt character using sex to feel wanted, loved and to repress her dark past with a meaningless thrill.
Arriaga uses a strong non-liniar narrative to explain the torcher Sylvia is experiencing trying to escape from her past, it becomes clear at the end of the film Marina (the young teenager within the film) later in life changes her name to Sylvia and the non-liniar narrative structure and story line all become clear.
What I love about this film, is the ambiguity and stregnth of the characters. The characters are all so strong, however trapped within a hostile enviroment whether it be work or home. I also love how the director has connected has connected and identified mother and daughter as being women striving to find true love, resulting to them only being able to find love in Mexicans. It creates a warming feeling knowing they found love within the most different and looked down at humans, and I also loved how the director suggested this power of love between Sylivia's mother and her Mexivan lover by choosing for her daughter to explode their caravan, where they both feel completley free.
The use of lighting the director uses within this film, I also feel is pure brilliance, the darkness constantly surrounding Sylivia becomes lighter and lighter as she begins to accept what she did as a child, resulting in finding herself and not running anymore, the bright light signifying heaven, she's finally free.
Revolutionary Road, 2008, Dir. Sam Mendes
This is another film which has inspired my idea.
The film follows April and Frank who moved to suburbia in hopes of a happy, stress free, 'perfect' life. I am fascinated by the idea of suburbia and how storylines of how characters bury their emotions and their past.
The film just basically focuses on how trapped suburbia has made then, and also how suburbia has made them mentally and physically into different people they once were when they first met eachother. These where the factors which made them fall in love with eachother, they where completley different people, since then suburbia has changed them into people, they dont even realise themselves.
April falls pregnaunt which makes their plans come to a hault with their fantasy about escaping from this place as they realise it is definatley not for them as a couple, the baby within this film is a constant reminder of how compressed and trapped April feels within this society and culture, and by Frank telling her not to abort their child, represses her even further.
Eventually, in the final highly emotional climax of the film, she decides to defy all of suburban culture as she decides to abort the child with her DIY abortion kit. This was such a powerful scene for, as she comes downstairs, she looks out of the living room window and the reflection of the blue sky and birds flying is reflected within her face and it's apparent, she finally feels free. She has escaped this repressive and restrictive lifestyle which she has been forced to live in. There is a long shot from behind April looking out of the window, with a big, red blood stain on her skirt, instead of panicing and rushing for the phone, I feel she has realised she can only be free in a different place, and she is not going to be able to escape it. She can rebel against the society and culture, however she is always going to be stuck.
This is my favorite film, as the character performance is as strong ever, through the intense and strong powerful confrontational argunments the couples suffer about just makes this film so brilliant. Mendes constantly uses certain cinematography and mise-en-scene to signify the emotions and the types of life's Frank and April lead. I also love the way this story does not have a happy and conclusive ending, April dies and there is a voice over from their neighbour commenting of what a 'weired' and 'strange couple they where,' it creates such a strong and abrupt ending for the audience have enganged so emotionally within this couple it is a very emotionally charged film.
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