Santina's Film Blog

Meshes in the Afternoon - Maya Deren  How does the film put the viewers in the perspective of the main character? Maya Deren uses many types of shots that puts the viewer in the main character’s point of view in the “Meshes in the Afternoon” short film. Her identity is unknown for the majority of the film, until it is revealed half way through. The camera varies from a first to a third person point of view through jump cuts, mostly, and the audience also seem to get inside of her brain at one point, where they can appreciate the world through her eyes, specifically, but changes to the second version/body of the woman where she sees herself sleeping on a couch – which could be simulating a third person perspective. This means that the audience is watching the woman from her own perspective in spite of being in a different body. The camera also moves when it is from the woman’s point of view, also when she analyses her environment. But it feels shaky for the viewer when the camera be...

  No Country for Old Men - Questions to consider - Do you find the ending of the film to be satisfying? - How were you expecting the film to end? - Why do you feel the Coen Brothers decided to have their main protagonist killed offscreen , and then avoid a final climax between Sheriff Bell and Chigurh? (Consider the effect on the audience in terms of expectations, etc...) - Who represents the force of good in the film? What does the film’s ending suggest about the battle between good and evil?  The ending of the "No Country for Old Men" film is definitely anticlimactic and unsatisfying. From the beginning, due to the build up and quality of the film, the audience is expecting a good resolution and/or a worthy battle that would end with (at least) one of the main characters achieving their goal. A spectator about to watch an old west film is likely to have certain expectations for the plot and the outcome due to the stereotypes of the genre. It is expected to end with a battle...

Captain Fantastic: Issues and Ideologies. (Pt. I) The film Captain Fantastic discusses many issues and ideologies that are very well justified through the character’s beliefs. The way the children are being educated may be the main disagreement between Ben and the rest of the family. Ben, as a father of six without their mother, believes that the state education is not fit enough to make his children learn about survival and how to think by themselves. Throughout the film, the audience is generally encouraged to side with Ben, as they see the result of very intellectual and strong children from his educational methods. The kitchen scene of Ben and his sister alongside her husband demonstrates that, in spite of his extreme methods, his children are intellectually smart and that is something that the state education would never be able to achieve.  Ben and his sister have two different points of view about how to educate their children: she believes that kids should not be training a...

 How does David Lynch use film techniques to portray ordinary life as nightmarish? The viewers of "The Grandmother", a short film directed by David Lynch in 2009, have had different opinions on the film. Some viewers consider it as a great cinematographic piece that could be one of the best ever created, while others see it as complete nonsense with no meaning behind it whatsoever. In this film, Lynch tells the story of a couple who have a child after getting married, a son who they don't really want who ends up growing up in an abusive environment. One day he finds himself in a dark, sinister room, where he plants a seed that grows up to be his grandmother.  David Lynch's short film could belong to the surreal cinema that presents an aesthetically intriguing world while speaking (not literally) about different morbid topics. He uses no dialogue in this mix of live action with animation to show the child's point of view, who sees life from an exaggerated perspecti...

Characteristics of the Western genre - Cowboys. - Criminals. - Wilderness/ Dessert landscapes. - An illegal matter (such as stealing or killing). - Themes of honour and pride.  - Revenge. - American history. - A tavern.  - Alcohol. - Horses.  - Gangs.  - The colour palette (warm colours). - Props such as guns and other weapons.  - Action.  - Heroism. - Villain.  - Costumes.  - Gunfight. - Costumes.