Short Film Analysis no.1 - Curfew

Curfew 

(Shawn Christensen, 2012)

The film starts with the opening sequence being a tracking shot of a red bathroom floor, followed by a close-up shot of a red telephone on the same floor. From the start of the film, the very first impression you get is that something bad is happening within the scene, especially as the connotations of the colour red represent danger. Therefore, this imagery and cinematography paired with the non diegetic opera music heard in the background of the shot creates an eerie and unsettling mood within the shot for the audiences, especially considering that the situation that is about to be presented juxtaposes completely the calm and almost happy music. The sequence then cuts between the objects in the bathroom using close-ups to help heighten the environment that the main character of Richie is in-showing razor blades and used cigarettes. The scene then cuts to a high angle shot of Richie in his bath after having cut himself quite badly, presenting Richie as being a hopeless and extremely unhappy person from the very start of the film. The uses of the colour scheme of red contrasted with the stark white of the bathtub create an almost clinical impression of the scene, perhaps therefore heightening the discomfort and anxiety surrounding the position Richie has put himself in for the audience. The high angle shot of Richie also creates a vulnerable impression of the character for audiences, therefore creating a bond with his character in terms of wanting him to get better or find something to help him in his time of need.    

The scene also cuts between Richie and his sister speaking on the phone to him, creating a binary opposite of him and his sister Maggie from the very start. This is seen through the mise-en-scene of the environment in which both characters are in- Richie being in a run-down bathroom sitting in a bath covered with blood, and his sister seen in a New York high-rise overlooking the city. The aesthetics of both shots also juxtapose one another, with the environment at his sister's having a very blue/green tone to it, contrasting the stark white and red of Richie's own bathroom. However, the trickle of red lights seen in the background of the shot from the cars on the street do give an impression to the audience that although his sister may not be in the same kind of trouble Richie is, there is still something wrong and dangerous lurking within his sister's life which is the cause of her trouble and call to Richie for help. 

The introductory scene of the film then ends with a medium close-up of Richie's face listening to his sister. The positioning of the shot to have the bathtub as a white background connotes to the audience the sense of hope that being with his niece is going to give him later on in the film-white has connotations of hopefulness and innocence, therefore showing how perhaps this introduction to Sophia is going to lead him down a path less towards darkness but to something a bit better. The diegetic sound of his sisters voice through the phone and the dialogue used, especially 'I know you're not doing anything important', shows a complete juxtaposition again to the two siblings, as well as heightening the sympathy we feel towards Richie's character as we can see he's doing something very life-changing and dangerous.   

The film then continues to when both Sophia and Richie first meet one another in the building's lobby area. The medium shots used of the both the characters helps to focus on them as characters and the story and narrative that follows them, rather than the environment around them. This amplifies the importance of the narrative of both the characters, as what is about to unfold will impact them significantly. As well as this, both shots show a binary opposition of each character, especially through their mise-en-scene of clothing. Richie's very dull and dark clothing, as well as his sickly pale face and cigarette hanging lifelessly out of his mouth creates connotations of someone going through a very dark time in their life, and reflects the dark situation Richie feels trapped in, as well as possibly reflecting the past mistakes and behaviours he's done that make his character's persona so dark. This is completely contrasted with Sophia and her mix of different colours within her costume as well as her face having a lot more colour and life to it than that of Richie's. This presents the child-like innocence of Sophia and how she has a sense of life to her that hasn't been touched with anything like that of Richie's- through drugs and bad decisions. This scene however, is one of the only few scenes that has major high-key lighting in it, which could reflect the sense of hope and fresh start that this pairing will bring -for Richie, Sophia will become a very important lifeline in his life.

The scene is then followed by a sequence at a bowling alley. It starts off with a medium long shot of the two characters sitting opposite one another. This further highlights the binary opposition between the two characters and how different they are, as well as showing the detachment of the characters and how they know little about one another-they come from two different worlds. The low-key lighting also amplifies the tension and awkwardness of the scene and how both characters don't really know how to get along in an easy way. The colourful tv screens in the background and high-key lighting on the bowling alley behind the characters could also possibly reflect how eventually moving forward in the narrative, things will get easy for them both- reflective of not just their immediate and current situation, but also there long term situations that things will get better.   

 
The sequence is then then edited to take on a slowed-down effect in which the diegetic sound is fazed out into the background and the surroundings become less focused and slower. The scene then cuts to a medium close-up of Richie smoking a cigarette and watching a man with a bowling ball and seemingly pull out a package from within it. The slow motion effect that this scene has presents it as having a fantasy and dream like energy which not only amplifies the feeling that Richie himself feels isolated around him and that his only focus really reverts to the thought of drugs, but it also creates the impression that Richie could be seen as an unreliable narrator in which we're seeing things from his view and that he might not be completely lucid in the start of the film as we don't know if he is just creating this situation in his head, out of desire. 

Following the scene at the bowling alley, Richie then takes Sophia to go and pick something up and they end up at an Egyptian themed building. The mise-en-scene of the setting creates contradictory messages, as, on one hand it's presented in low-key lighting and therefore seeming very run down and neglected, but on another hand, the implications of the Pharaoh statues and Egyptian aesthetic connotes a sense of royalty and power of the building. The use of the Pharaohs and the medium shots of the decorations on the wall could possibly reflect the life of Richie -with Pharaohs being part of an ancient civilisation which is no longer around could mirror that once in Richie's past, he was apart of something important or purposeful, but thats no longer there for him and is a thing of the past.   

The scene then cuts to a long shot of Sophia down the hallway, creating connotations of vulnerability as she's presented as seeming very small. The low-key lighting used as well amplifies this sense of anxiety surrounding the safety of Sofia and whether or not she's in potential danger, especially considering where she is. The close-up shot of her face, and the characters performance in which she starts to cry presents her as being someone the audience feels sympathy towards and a need to almost protect her from this environment. This also changes our feelings towards Richie's character as well, as he's left her alone in a hallway in a building she's never been to before, and therefore shows this lack of responsibility of the character. 

The film then continues on to show that Richie was in fact getting flip books to show Sofia that he had told her about previously. This explains to the audience that there is more to Richie's character than a drug addict who feels as though his life is becoming hopeless, instead he shows a complexity in which he isn't that easily readable. The film then gets to the scene where the two characters are sitting side-by-side back at the bowling alley eating. The medium shot of the characters throughout the interaction creates a natural flow of conversation in which the camera almost acts as a window directly into the characters lives. This natural and easy flowing interaction juxtaposes that of the previous one they had at the start, showing how the two characters are connecting as the film progresses.  

The next scene is one of the most significant scenes in understanding Richie's character and the relationship he has with his niece and the potential impact. The sequence starts with the two talking about the 'accident' in which Richie dropped Sofia as a baby, and then continues to Sofia getting up and start dancing to her favourite song. There are long shots used within the dance sequence to show Sofia dancing along the alley. This shows the childlike innocence of Sophia and her character, with her seeing the happiness and joy in most things. The high-key lighting and variety of colour focused on in the bowling alleys setting highlights this fun and bright innocence that she possess. As well as this, her mise-en-scene positioning of being side-on to the camera and the very robotic movements she makes when dancing almost mirrors that of a flip book character, in which the focus is on her in the shot with neat geometry of the positioning. 

The sequence then cuts between Sophia dancing as well as others in the bowling alley, and then Richie's reaction to it. The quick editing and transitions from one view of Richie to the next creates a sense of chaos and confusion coming from Richie's character. The narrative of having everyone dancing apart from Richie also emphasises the feeling of isolation felt by Richie, and the thoughts that someone who is feeling very low in life has, when looking at people around them- they believe that everyone else is having a better time than they are in that moment and that they see a happiness which ones self doesn't, amplifying the feeling of being left out. The medium and close-up camera shots of Richie during this scene, as well as having the camera with variety of perspectives also creates a feeling of entrapment for Richie's character, as he's surrounded by the eyes of the audience as well as the dancers around him.

The scene between Richie and Maggie towards the end of the film using wholly medium close-ups of the characters puts the focus on them and the narrative rather than the environment around them. This is perhaps reflective of the ideology that we must look at people and focus on them when understanding whats going on with their lives, as both Richie and Maggie are going through different difficult situations in which neither truly know about. The close-ups also make the scene feel more personal which heightens the drama felt within the story Richie is telling. This also connects the two characters together more than before, as each character is presented similarly and presents them less as a binary opposite like at the start, and more like two people both struggling but with different problems. 

The film then ends with Richie back in his bathroom with high angle shots of his sitting on his bath and then being inside it. The brings the audience back to the discomfort and anxiety that was felt before at the start of the film, however, unlike the start, we know more about Richie's character and what he's been through and how he feels about the world, which not only makes him seem more vulnerable and makes us more sympathetic but it also creates a tension where we don't want anything bad to happen to him and are willing him to get out of the bath. This is further heightened by the the diegetic sound of the phone ringing and then Richie unplugging it, making the silence that follows extremely disconcerting and uneasy. The motif of the colour red is seen throughout the entirety of the film and reflects the unhappiness and grave state of mind Richie is in. The colour follows him throughout most of the first part of the film and contrasts the blue aesthetic of most of the settings, showing how that feeling is always following him. Therefore the scenes in the bathroom are where the most red is seen, with the phone, blood and floor which evokes the most nervousness and apprehension from the audience, as it is where Richie is most at risk. 

The final shot of the film is a medium shot of Richie in the bath after eventually picking up the phone and his sister being on the other line. The colour palette changes from this angle to where red is no longer the most focused colour but rather white and the darker background of the wall. This connotes the idea that Maggie calling Richie to come and look after Sophia is a moment of hope for Richie's future, and that his niece Sophia is almost like a lifeline to him. The ending of the film is also cyclical in narrative, with Richie being saved from potential death by his sisters phone call.