RESEARCH - The Arrival

The Arrival - (2016) - Daniel Montanarini

Narrative: The inciting action would be when the woman is asked whether she wants to have a Decaf Coffee or regular. Of course usually this wouldn't be such a pressing matter, but like any good film everything said is relevant and for the plot. There is no actual conversation it is all a monologue in her head which I really loved. It was like Ryd Cooks short film 'Single to London' that can be found on his web page. The idea of having the simplicity of an internal monologue is just genius. The film is essentially about a woman who's waiting for the father of her unborn child to turn up so that she can tell him the news - followed by the idea that she would like an abortion... Yes such a simple narrative yet so so so gripping!

Genre: Drama

Representation:  It shows the representation of  a single woman and how she must cope with the idea of pregnancy. She states in the film that she doesn't even remember his eye colour.. but then she does. So it shows the fragility of young age and relationships along with the complexities of how to deal with them. Clearly it is a representation of a young female perspective because it is from her thought stream.

Audience: We are positioned from a camera angle far away watching from afar - as if people watching, as if other customers at the cafe. However, at the same time we are listening to her internal thoughts and feelings which means we are placed intrusively right inside her head and thoughts. We can't even assume anything as everything is being told to us. 

Micro Elements: The way the lighting is on one side of her face gives the scene a slight chill. I really like the view of her through the frosty window and want to use a window shot in my film . The slow zoom in allows us to slowly join the character without feeling intrusive to her or her thoughts. Her acting is fantastic and I would say this is very important if one is filming a silent film with a monologue over the top. The lighting is also used to take us to different scenes and emotions without the character even leaving the room. I like the idea of lighting to show emotion.

What did I like?

As I've said above I just love the internal monologue - it grips you and you feel intrusive but in such an inviting way. The monologue is friendly and welcoming as well as it's clear she is worrying. As well as this I love the way the start of the film begins. Having a shot through the cold glass window gives the viewer chills and excitement. When the door closes we too feel like we have entered the cafe maybe this suggests that now we are invited into her internal monologue. It also gives the view of a frosty mind - a frosty clouded dilemma that our character needs to tackle. The Actress's acting is also amazing she shows true dedication to the part and makes it realistic to watch. I also like the buzzing diegetic sound of the cafe in the background it makes you intrigued as to what people are thinking when you can't hear it. 

What didn't I like? 

I felt that when the waiter was clearing up her mess, it was irrelevant. I had been advised that you only put in crucial bits of footage and I just thought this made the film slightly drag. I understand perhaps it shows nerves - however it seemed to be a part of the film that was unnecessary. I also didn't like the lack of shots. As it's more focused on the voice in her head I think a variety of shots would've kept the viewer intrigued and alert during the time they are viewing the film.

What can I take from this?

I'd love to take the idea of the monologue from this film as well as being artistically appealing I'd say that it also will allow for ease in filming and editing. Or not even a monologue but just have the voice over the film, it would mean I could get more into my story without having to film everything ... like you can see here. Being my first film I don't want to make life too difficult for myself so this way in the filming process I won't have to have anyone learning lines. I won't have to worry so much about takes and lining up shots for my flashbacks because silent acting is a lot easier to merge and edit than also aligning the lines. I'd also like to take the setting of a cafe from this film as I feel it's a perfect situation where any events can take place. In a cafe you have people from all walks of life and I believe this makes for a superb film.