This documentary primarily explores the tragic fate of those on the receiving end of a car crash as a result of reckless driving specifically under the influence - when you're underage.
This dives into the accidental passing of victims of DUI's, from both the victims' families perspective and the perpetrators of such crimes. We see perpetrators expressing regret and remorse over their recklessness and irresponsibility, wishing they could 'take it back.' We also see grieving family members mourning after what they lost - even 5 years later.
The film ends with the mother dolefully remarking that she'll 'never get over it.' This provokes a sympathetic and remorseful reaction from the viewer, as it appeals to the audience's emotions; asking for empathy. This is particularly seen in the grieving mother's facial expressions.
The opening shot immediately establishes the tone of the documentary; grim and somber. A youthful girl is positioned next to a tombstone, the setting being a cemetery. The tombstone and the girl are the focus of the shot: they take centre frame. The lighting is slightly low-key to convey this heavily morose atmosphere. The still nature of the shot further adds to this unsettling mood.
The screen then fades to black, with the dynamic sentence "we make choices" appearing onscreen. This coupled with the previous shot adjoins to deliver a powerful emotional impact on the viewer, forcing the audience to think about the choices they make.
It then cuts to a shot of a lone figure walking in an abandoned area which looks to be some sort of stadium. Despite the fresh bright paint on the tracks contrasting with the evergreen grass, the shot does convey a sense of isolation and bleakness. Perhaps it is the sole subject who takes centre composition, or the dusk time of the day, or the low-key lighting of the shot, but it does not emit a sense of joy. This is confirmed by the following shot which dips into black again to inform the viewer: "that impact[...]". We then see a close-up of what seems to be the perpetrator of the crime, with instances of regret overcoming his facial expressions for the viewer to see. This confuses the audience in a sense, since it provokes some empathy from the watcher on the perpetrator's behalf too, puzzling the viewer as they do not know which side to pick. Viewers often like a clear division of wrong and right; when you empathise with the 'good side' and the 'opposition' you are put in an uncomfortable but insightful position, instead of quickly jumping to the defence of who you may deem wrong - this happens to "people all around us [...]" as the dip-to-black transition states. The transition is especially catchy because of the strong visual contrast between the black background and the white font. The film then cuts to another retrospective interview with the mother where she is seen in a medium-close-up displaying depressive dispirited facial expressions and a slumped body posture. This suggests loss of hope and lack of enthusiasm, which seems fitting. The operatic score builds to a crescendo as the mother begins commenting. The girl from the opening shot appears to empathise with the perpetrator, claiming with a furrowed expression that "it could happen to anyone." We then see the figure from the abandoned stadium sat down next to a rock, which is an unusual position as it obstructs the view of the sorrowed teenager although it can be argued that it is used to symbolise his inaccessibility following the tragedy.
The dialogue throughout the film is quite introspective and reflective, speaking almost exclusively in the past tense. The nostalgic dialogue is often accompanied by grandiose, melancholic yet hopeful background music to represent the loss experienced by every person in the documentary but to an extent - note that as devastating as the death is, this is not a post-event discussion where the traumatised relatives release their emotional heartbreak, but rather at a point where the loss is still painful but no longer overwhelming or all-consuming. The characters are at a point where they are on their way to be at peace with what happened. One character vulnerably remarks that "dying is the easy way out, since the ones left are the one's who don't feel good."
The editing is quite slow-paced in the sense that there are a lot of long takes that linger over the characters' expression, showcasing their inner troubles to the viewer, prompting us to reach an understanding of their grief. This is especially evident with the shots of the mother. The continuity editing is carefully calculated to alternate between shots of the mother, sister, friend, and perpetrator in unravelling the events of the night of the victim's unfortunate death. Every character in the film is in agreement - even the perpetrator of the crime - very clearly taking a stern and disapproving stance on reckless driving and driving while intoxicated. This is reinforced by the constant transitions between frames with text condemning the act, demanding the audience to think thoroughly about their choices, hence the title of the documentary which summarises the content of the film, while still maintaining a certain vagueness that intrigues the viewer.
The camera also makes use of close-ups on the mother to display her emotional distress and state. Through the framing we can see her still-present disturbance over the accident that took what was dearest to her. The speaking characters are equally represented in terms of gender, with two women and two males speaking alternately. All speaking characters appear to be of Caucasian descent as they are mostly relatives of the victim, who was Caucasian himself.
Overall the documentary explores the pain left behind as a result of a loss, and the people affected by it, after a tragic drunk driving accident. The film starts off in a gloomy mood which seems to stay the same throughout, ending with a grim note: "[I'll] never get over it..."
This really makes us think about the horrific consequences a simple decision can result in and how long it takes to recover from it. The font used in the transitions in my opinion lacked credibility and is unlikely to have a successful persuasive effect due to how bland and inappropriate it is. However, I liked how the film despite taking a stance against reckless driving, still manages to objectively offer multiple perspectives on the same event; from the victim's family to the actual offender and how their sentiments and thoughts align after the accident, despite the opposite being true beforehand. This really demonstrates the 'impact of a choice'.
We intend to use a similar technique in our production.
(500-750 words)
This dives into the accidental passing of victims of DUI's, from both the victims' families perspective and the perpetrators of such crimes. We see perpetrators expressing regret and remorse over their recklessness and irresponsibility, wishing they could 'take it back.' We also see grieving family members mourning after what they lost - even 5 years later.
The film ends with the mother dolefully remarking that she'll 'never get over it.' This provokes a sympathetic and remorseful reaction from the viewer, as it appeals to the audience's emotions; asking for empathy. This is particularly seen in the grieving mother's facial expressions.
The opening shot immediately establishes the tone of the documentary; grim and somber. A youthful girl is positioned next to a tombstone, the setting being a cemetery. The tombstone and the girl are the focus of the shot: they take centre frame. The lighting is slightly low-key to convey this heavily morose atmosphere. The still nature of the shot further adds to this unsettling mood.
The screen then fades to black, with the dynamic sentence "we make choices" appearing onscreen. This coupled with the previous shot adjoins to deliver a powerful emotional impact on the viewer, forcing the audience to think about the choices they make.
It then cuts to a shot of a lone figure walking in an abandoned area which looks to be some sort of stadium. Despite the fresh bright paint on the tracks contrasting with the evergreen grass, the shot does convey a sense of isolation and bleakness. Perhaps it is the sole subject who takes centre composition, or the dusk time of the day, or the low-key lighting of the shot, but it does not emit a sense of joy. This is confirmed by the following shot which dips into black again to inform the viewer: "that impact[...]". We then see a close-up of what seems to be the perpetrator of the crime, with instances of regret overcoming his facial expressions for the viewer to see. This confuses the audience in a sense, since it provokes some empathy from the watcher on the perpetrator's behalf too, puzzling the viewer as they do not know which side to pick. Viewers often like a clear division of wrong and right; when you empathise with the 'good side' and the 'opposition' you are put in an uncomfortable but insightful position, instead of quickly jumping to the defence of who you may deem wrong - this happens to "people all around us [...]" as the dip-to-black transition states. The transition is especially catchy because of the strong visual contrast between the black background and the white font. The film then cuts to another retrospective interview with the mother where she is seen in a medium-close-up displaying depressive dispirited facial expressions and a slumped body posture. This suggests loss of hope and lack of enthusiasm, which seems fitting. The operatic score builds to a crescendo as the mother begins commenting. The girl from the opening shot appears to empathise with the perpetrator, claiming with a furrowed expression that "it could happen to anyone." We then see the figure from the abandoned stadium sat down next to a rock, which is an unusual position as it obstructs the view of the sorrowed teenager although it can be argued that it is used to symbolise his inaccessibility following the tragedy.
The dialogue throughout the film is quite introspective and reflective, speaking almost exclusively in the past tense. The nostalgic dialogue is often accompanied by grandiose, melancholic yet hopeful background music to represent the loss experienced by every person in the documentary but to an extent - note that as devastating as the death is, this is not a post-event discussion where the traumatised relatives release their emotional heartbreak, but rather at a point where the loss is still painful but no longer overwhelming or all-consuming. The characters are at a point where they are on their way to be at peace with what happened. One character vulnerably remarks that "dying is the easy way out, since the ones left are the one's who don't feel good."
The editing is quite slow-paced in the sense that there are a lot of long takes that linger over the characters' expression, showcasing their inner troubles to the viewer, prompting us to reach an understanding of their grief. This is especially evident with the shots of the mother. The continuity editing is carefully calculated to alternate between shots of the mother, sister, friend, and perpetrator in unravelling the events of the night of the victim's unfortunate death. Every character in the film is in agreement - even the perpetrator of the crime - very clearly taking a stern and disapproving stance on reckless driving and driving while intoxicated. This is reinforced by the constant transitions between frames with text condemning the act, demanding the audience to think thoroughly about their choices, hence the title of the documentary which summarises the content of the film, while still maintaining a certain vagueness that intrigues the viewer.
The camera also makes use of close-ups on the mother to display her emotional distress and state. Through the framing we can see her still-present disturbance over the accident that took what was dearest to her. The speaking characters are equally represented in terms of gender, with two women and two males speaking alternately. All speaking characters appear to be of Caucasian descent as they are mostly relatives of the victim, who was Caucasian himself.
Overall the documentary explores the pain left behind as a result of a loss, and the people affected by it, after a tragic drunk driving accident. The film starts off in a gloomy mood which seems to stay the same throughout, ending with a grim note: "[I'll] never get over it..."
This really makes us think about the horrific consequences a simple decision can result in and how long it takes to recover from it. The font used in the transitions in my opinion lacked credibility and is unlikely to have a successful persuasive effect due to how bland and inappropriate it is. However, I liked how the film despite taking a stance against reckless driving, still manages to objectively offer multiple perspectives on the same event; from the victim's family to the actual offender and how their sentiments and thoughts align after the accident, despite the opposite being true beforehand. This really demonstrates the 'impact of a choice'.
We intend to use a similar technique in our production.
(500-750 words)
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