Textual Analysis Presentation

Film Clip Comparison

These two scenes from the two films I chose, We Need To Talk About Kevin, and Juno, are similar in the fact that they are discussing issues over the breakfast/dinner table. However, the two scenes have very different environments. For example, in We Need To Talk About Kevin the atmosphere is very cold and tense as it's so quiet that you can hear the clanking of cutlery. The difference in the film Juno is that the environment is made so that Juno and her father are closer together and the lighting shows a homely environment. In We Need To Talk About Kevin, the family are very separate from each other and Eva walks away from the table whereas in Juno, she comes closer to her father.

I chose these two scenes to compare as it shows the motherhood of the two mothers Eva and Juno. The scenes are different to society's outlook on pregnancy because above we can see that after Eva gives birth she's in a state of depression and doesn't want to hold her son, as seen in the picture above. This is the opposite of what she should be feeling after her birth to her son as her joy of seeing her son should counteract the pain of giving birth that is in the sub-conscious part of her brain. However, in Juno, Juno MacGuff feels the happiest during her pregnancy compared to after her birth when she first feels sadness because she has emotional attachments to the baby she has given up for adoption. She does however still share the same bond with Paulie Bleeker (seen above) as she did when she was pregnant with his child. I think the reason why their relationship continue to blossom is that they share the same grief of giving their baby up for adoption. Between the two films, both mothers didn't want to see their child after both. 

These two images show the point at which the main female characters from my films, Juno and Eva, are at either their highest or lowest point. The image above shows Juno in hospital with Paulie some hours after her birth. She said that she didn't want to see the baby as she knew it would be hard to give it away. 

Debate - Culture Eats Itself (GROUP WORK)

The idea that culture eats itself means that there are no new ideas. The films have become more formulaic, as they have followed other films down to the detail. Film producers don't want to take risks as they want to gain back the money that they spent on the film. Two films that we would like to compare are:

• American Pie (1999) - The film about rebellious teenagers has inspired other popular films that we've heard of today such as Superbad and Inbetweeners.

• Django (1966) - The film about a rebellious cowboy seeking revenge has the plot that has inspired many other films such as Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds.

For : Proves that even after max 50 years the directors are referring back to old movies to establish with new technology or remakes to reach new modern audience. Even Romeo & Juliet wasn't the original love story.

Against : Independent films don't copy each other as much as hollywood films do as independent films are more controversial and radical. 

Film Festivals

Independent films often get celebrated and film distributors often bid on them to make it into a bigger film. London Film Festival celebrates independent films and showcases their Talents. Independent films give hollywood actors credibility so thats why big actors move away from hollywood and expand their horizons.

Other examples:

                                 Cannes in France                Sundance in America

Analysis of Children and Men

Genre (MACRO):

These images are mainly based on the film 'Children of Men', as based on the stereotypical features of a dystopian environment, 'Children of Men' fits it. Such as the corrupt views that have been stipulated by the government and the breakdown of human life. Leo would be an action hero because he is a protagonist with a quest to save Kee and her baby. However at the end of the film he cannot live on any longer and dies leaving the mystery of whether the human race is saved or not. Kee is a damsel in distress as she is in need of help and is rescued by Leo. Miriam could be considered as a battle axe women as she is a domineering, brash and brazen woman. Jasper could be considered as a bit of a mad scientist because he is very eccentric in his ways and he looks after the younger people that he knows.Children of Men is a thriller because of the suspense and action like war and terrorism. An example of this would be that there are police in armour patrolling the streets daily. This causes conflict and disagreement which is generally associated with this genre. However it is also a sci-fi as it is set in the future dystopian society of 2027. Examples would be a pill to take your own life and for it to be illegal to not attend fertility tests in this futuristic setting. There is also a slight change in technology within this film such as the speedometer in the bottom right hand side of the windshield.The end of the film it is left on a cliffhanger as to whether Kee reached was rescued by the Human Project or not. It keeps the audience interested up to the end and are left unsatisfied with the outcome - although they are also left to think up their own ending.

We Need To Talk About Kevin Textual Analysis

The story isn't told in chronological order as there is a mix of past and present throughout the film. However, as the film goes on, we piece together clues as to why Kevin did what he did and why he's the way he is. The final scene ends with Eva hearing about the high school massacre and the shock on her face when she finds out her sons the killer. What makes her more distraught is that she sees all the young dead bodies and realises that she is partially responsible for their deaths. The film should tell about the horrors of pregnancy, however the real horror is after Eva gives birth to Kevin. The two main characters in this film are Kevin, played by Ezra Miller, and Eva, played by Tilda Swinton. Eva struggles with motherhood and her only strength to keep trying is the need to please her husband and the father of her children, Franklin. However, the only time when her love becomes unconditional is when she sticks by her son even though he has brutally murdered 9 people. She shows that even though she didn't show any love throughout the times when it mattered most. She did try to show a young Kevin love but motherhood didn't come easy to her. Eva also has to struggle with containing her hate towards her son around Franklin who is ignorant to how estranged their son is. This frustrates her and leads her into a state of depression as she feels nothing can make the relationship between her and her son better. She is blamed for the acts that her son did, in which she shares the blame herself. Kevin is the other main character in We Need To Talk About Kevin. Kevin's lack of sympathy for mother makes this story. Ezra Miller plays the satanic child who even though his struggling mother tries to give him the love she could give, but he is not accepting of her love. He channels his hate for his mother to fool his ignorant dad. In the end he easily murders 9 people that he knows for reasons that are hard to understand, for he is a psychological killer. He has no remorse for his victims and he sheds no light as to why he did what he did.The acts that are seen in the film affect the audience by shocking them and leaving them wondering why Kevin has turned out the way he has. We also wonder why Eva lacks so much in motherhood and why she is so deterred to get help. 

Juno Textual Analysis

The story is told over four seasons, starting in autumn when Juno, a 16-year-old high-school junior in Minnesota, discovers she's pregnant after one event in a chair with her best friend, Bleeker. The whole idea plays on the fact that 'it all began with a chair' and it all ended with a chair. The final scene with Juno and bleeker ends in the summer, which could be a message that they have overcome nature to shine once again. The main characters of this film are Juno MacGuff, played by Ellen Page, and Paulie Bleeker, played by Michael Cera. They are two teenagers who along with growing up, have to face the problem of a teenage pregnancy. Juno, who is faced with a teenage pregnancy, makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn child. That decision is to have the baby but give it up for adoption. However when her chosen couple faces flaws in their relationship and a divorce is settled, Juno finds that months into her pregnancy her perfect idea isn't going to plan. On top of this she has to face the struggles of a teenagers life.I think that Juno acts like an adult and in fact feels a strong pull toward Mark Loring, the husband in the couple who are set to adopt Juno’s baby. But then she runs around doing childish things like setting up furniture on Paulie’s front lawn, eating Red Vines, and using a hamburger phone. The other main character is Paulie Bleeker, and although he's a quiet and unnoticable character I would say that he is one of the protagonists because of his involved with Juno and how their relationship progresses is shown in the film. He struggles to realise the amount of problems that Juno has to deal with and why she acts mean towards him. By the end of the film Juno realises that her relationship with Paulie Bleeker is strong enough to overcome the heartbreak of giving up their baby. She also realises that a maternal love doesn't have to be with a biological mother. The scene ends with Juno singing a song with Paulie about their unconditional love.