Textual Analysis

The Most Beautiful Man In The World

Notes:

• Girl seems more grown up than her actual age


• Location - derelict
  
  
• Extremely well shot, good quality

• Place they live says a lot about the man - he has had to travel to get there


• Girl has an awkward relationship with her mum

• The man almost teaches her (through the bug shots) whereas the mum doesn't

Sound and Editing

• House - the sound is muffled and almost trapped


• Outside - the sound is crisp, clear and fresh representing freedom
  
  
  
• When the girl comes back inside the door slam represents hard and cold sounds
  
  
• Through the TV at the end, a man with kids can be heard representing a father figure


• The fading in the beginning opening shots represents boredom, routine and repetetiveness


• Also shown through the long cuts in the house which represents the feeling of her being trapped

Camera

• Most shots are spatious but confined at the same time


• This is also shown through the framing - trapped feeling



• Outside - more spatious - girl seems more free and childlike


• The first shot seems claustophobic and comotosed


• Mum shot seems very confrontational

• Girl running - shutter angle changed to make it sharper


• Door like prison bars


• Girl sat on steps - looks directly at camera


• The TV acts as almost like a spotlight


• Second shot helps reinforce the passing of time


• Timelessness to existance



• Third shot is just like the first but with more distance



• Playing outside - low angle which acts as a high status for the girl
  
  

Misc-en-scene

• Her clothes gives the impression that she is older than she is


• Earings show this as well and they are similar to her mums


• As if her mum models her - too controlling, she needs freedom (outside)


• The clash of furniture could suggest that they are porr or of low class system


• The curtain behind her head shot - she becomes half transparent - half out of the apartment


• The house is on the end, mimicing the girl constantly living on the edge



• The sound transition from water to dog raises tension


• First shot of the man is matched to the first shot of the girl - viusl symatry
  
  
• The film encourages us to reflect on what questions we should be asking ourselves


• 'With shorts, you have to tell quite big things with tiny gestures. Small moments collectively add up to something greater' - Alicia Duffy
  
  
  Analysis
  
  The Most Beautiful Man in The World is a short film which was written and directed by Alicia Duffy in 2002. The film won a number of awards, including the Golden Palm Best Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival and the TCM prize at the London film Festival. It depicts what happens on a hot day in a derelict location when a young girl is suffering from boredom, and raises the issues of child neglect, and family divides.
  
  The first shot fades into an image of the girl, who is pressed up against a radiator, yawning. From just this first shot, which lasts for a matter of seconds, the feeling of neglect enters the audience minds. The first impression of the girl is that she appears to look much older than she actually is. From my knowledge of the film, I would estimate that the girl is roughly seven years of age. However, in this shot, the film makers have deliberately tried to make her look at least twice her age. Her hair looks as if it is tied back, which reveal her earrings, which are uncommon for a girl of her age. However, it also gives an immediate impression of the parents, suggesting that they may not know how to manage, keep control and make the right decisions for their daughter of that age. This is exactly what the film aims to achieve, for the audience to question the parents of the girl, and how they play a part in the film, and her life. The fact that she is leaning up against the radiator also reinforces the theme of neglect, with little heat to comfort the girl, something that nobody wants to see. The girl is wearing unclean clothes, which also begs the question of the lack of parenting, and the clothes can be shown with the slow shot which gently moves up her body, in an unusual, almost sexual way, which could be almost uncomfortable for the audience to watch. The clip ends with the girl yawning, suggesting her tiredness and boredom; however it is muffled by the sounds of gunshots from the TV, something a child of that age should probably not be watching.
  
  The next few shots are faded in and out, and are used to re-enforce this feeling of loneliness and boredom that the young girl has obviously experienced on many occasions. She can be seen sleeping on the floor, in the middle of the day, and watching even more inappropriate television, two unconventional characteristics for a girl of that age. After the main title appears on screen, the footage appears to have gone back in time, showing the girl in the same position she was in, on the second shot. This is unusual for a short film of this length to do, as it can sometimes over complicate the narrative. However here, it is used to truly show the audience of the lack of routine and structure of a day in this girl’s life. A phone begins to ring, which automatically changes the monotone feel to the film that has already been portrayed, and almost acts as a glimmer of hope for the girl, which will probably change her dull day one way or another. However, a woman picks up, and in a lifeless, soft tone, says ‘hello, no, no, oh it doesn’t matter’, which totally crushes any sign of activity within the film, and of the girls life. The girl goes over to a window and pulls the see-through curtain over her head, dropping down below her waist. This appears as a sort of illusion created by the director, half of her human, half of her invisible, ghost like, not even there.
  
  The first sight of her playing is at the end of a dead end road, spinning in circles on a push bike. The crop field seen behind her appears as a barrier, stopping her from going any further, trapping her within this world of monotonous routine. She looks out into the distance, away from her house, giving the audience an idea of her desire for freedom, that turns out to be blocked by a fence, then a field, a bridge, and telephone lines which mimic spikes, not to be climbed over. The girl looks back at her home, which turns out to be the last one in the row, on the edge, not secure. After a brief moment of doubt, she walks up to the wooden fence, in oar of what she is looking at, and casually, almost playfully feels with her hand along the top of the fence and walks through the opening. To show this however, she walks out of shot, then when she re-appears she is on the other side, which gives a sense of mystery and illusion to the new world in which she enters.
  
  She then starts to play around, appearing much happier than previously which is matched by the light which is considerably brighter than the previous footage. She becomes more engaged with her surroundings playing with the long grass and dipping a stick into a lake. This gives the audience a sense of warmth and enjoyment, in contrast to the cold, detached emotion that was suppressed in the opening part of the film. She gets heavily distracted and suddenly realises that her dog is not with her, even though it has stood by her in every scene up till now, something could be wrong. The trickle of water in the pond fades into the whimpers of her dog. She goes over to her dog, who is being stroked by a shirtless man, and the camera slowly roles up his body to his face, in a sexual kind of way, similarly to the first shot of the girl.
  
  There has been a lot of confusion as to whether this man is related to the girl, often thought of as the father, or if he’s a complete stranger. The one piece of speech that could suggest that he is in fact, a stranger, is when the girl slowly and innocently says to him ‘that’s my doggy’. However, the man could be the girls dad in this situation, but maybe just does not see her often, and is perhaps divorced from her mum. The man looks down on her, then slowly and majestically reaches down to a bug that is on her shoulder. He carefully gets it off her, which, when seeing him as her dad, is a kind, fatherly act to do, but if viewed as a stranger, this can be seen as strange, worrying and paedophilic.
  
  There is an awkward silence, when, supposedly, the girls mother stands at the door of her house. The man sees her, and turns away, arrogantly, suggesting that they may be divorced parents, as the mother would most likely be more worried if her daughter was talking to a complete stranger. The girl starts running home, where her mother is waiting, she enters and the door slams shut behind her, without a word being said. Whoever the man was, the mother does not seem to explain the situation, or show any sort of affection to her daughter. The young girl sits on the stairs in a sulk, slowly turns towards the camera, as if asking for help in a child abuse advertisement, and then turns back. The film fades into black.
  
  
  About A Girl

• Made in 2001


• Directed By Brian Percival



• First Scene is very spatious


• Short scenes after that - non-linear


• Girl talking by the river - quick/ sharp shots


• When she looks back on things the shots and cuts are more relaxed and spatious. Time carrying on


• The girl feels NEGLECTED <-- key theme


• She wants better things in life - desire


• Her parents are divorced suggesting a split world for her - 2 parts of the film


• She seems to want more from life but has a lack of oppertunity


• Why didn't she have an abortion?


• Set in Manchester's industrial environment


• Lower class character


• Low lighting throughout


• Narrative - documentary style


• Mancunian accent is strong


• Closely packet housing, broken buildings - delapidation


• Intercut with scenes with her family or dad


• Her stories become more and more underlined by an uncomfortable structure


• Graffiti in background - steriotype of a run down area perhaps


• She wants contact and closeness with her dad however lacks it


• Shot outside pub - accentuates her loneliness


• On bus - warmer with friends

• Shopping trollies in canal - run down area


• Brian percival:


• City planner in Liverpool in the 80's


• Went to art school in London


• This was his first short film

Soft (2007)

Storyline:

A man gets home from work, shouts some complaints at Scott, his teen son who's upstairs, and heads to a mini-mart for a pint of milk. There he's accosted, harassed, and jeered by six youths in hooded sweatshirts, and he's punched by their leader, a budding sociopath in white. Dad walks home. The gang trails about a block behind. At home, Scott confesses he was in a fight today but didn't hit back. His father tells him that he must defend himself, then does nothing when the gang arrives in front of their home and starts hollering and throwing things.

Analysis:

Soft is a short film, written and directed by Simon Ellis and was made in 2007. The first shot of the film is of grainy imagery, most likely from that of a camera phone, running with other uniformed teenagers through a run down alley. This, accompanied with the shouts and screams heard in the background, give the audience an immediate impression of disorder. The action reaches an open, deserted area, where two fairly large boys, one dressed all in white, the other with his hood up, have another smaller boy held up against a fence. There are a number of other teenagers watching, with many of them recording what is happening, with their camera phones. The boy being held up makes no physical attempt to escape the situation, but can be seen trying to talk to the boys, however his words are lost amongst the shouts and screams of the others. All the other boys in the shot can be seen wearing hoodie's and hats on top of their school uniforms, in contrast to the boy being attacked, who is wearing just his uniform with no personal items of clothing. From the use of these costumes in the film, a clear distinction between groups is established.The action reaches a climax, when the boy being attacked gets viciously punched in the face three times by the boy dressed in white.

The film then cuts to an aerial shot of a standard street of rowed houses, which seems extremely quiet and spacious when compared to the loud, tight first sequence of the film, giving an indication that normality has resumed. A silver car neatly parks by the side of the road, and a man in a suit, carrying a briefcase exits. A micro element is used by the director here to help build the idea of disorder and bullying. The mans fairly posh car is the only one parked on the right hand side of the road, which is opposite three, fairly run down cars badly parked on the left, which helps to show his individuality and loneliness in the film. He starts opening the front door to his house, which makes his son 'Scott' change from going down the stairs, and quickly runs back up them, suggesting a unhealthy relationship between father and son. As the father walks in, he notices Scott's bags directly in front of him, making it uneasy for him to enter, as he shouts for him through the blaring of music coming from his sons room, he drops his briefcase. After picking it up and closing the door, he takes his suit jacket off and hangs it up scruffily on a coat hanger. Just from this few seconds of footage, it gives a clear insight into who this man is and the lack of control he holds within his household. He continues to shout for his son, whilst waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Scott eventually replies without showing himself, and his dad says 'can you move your bags please'. This whole exchange between the two seems extremely unhealthy, but also tedious, with the dad almost giving up and walking away into the kitchen.

He immediately walks over to the kettle and starts to make a cup of tea, however when he realizes that they have run out of milk, his routine quickly ends. He pokes his head round the corner and shouts up to Scott, 'you couldn't nip out and get us some milk could you mate?' He is predictably answered by the blare of music, and walks out of the house, kicking Scott's bags against the wall as he exits. At this point in the film, one starts to wonder where the mother fits into the family, and if there are other siblings. As he is walking out of his front garden, his neighbor, a fairly elderly man, is entering into his house. Him and Scott's dad exchange a pleasant 'hello' before he walks up the road. The film then begins to flick between the father walking to the shops, and a group of teenagers, many of them recognizable as the attackers at the start of the film, hanging around on a street corner. The clips of the teenagers are once again shown in the grainy, camera phone styled picture that the attack was shown in at the beginning of the film. One shot in this sequence shows the father walking towards the camera along the pavement. The shot is very powerful as hedges and bushes appear to bombard him on either side, giving the appearance of him being trapped and unable to escape, another deliberate effect created by director Simon Ellis. The teenagers can be seen loitering about outside a row of shops, causing mischief, scaring pedestrians, and beatboxing.

The two contrasting people meet outside the shop, with the dad trying his best not to pay them any attention. As he walks past them the boy in white, who appears to be the leader, creates a loud noise causing the dad to jump. The teenagers roar with laughter with the father turning around, laughing sarcastically. The group of youths act aggressively to this with the boy in white shouting 'what are you fucking laughing at?' The father slams the shop door shut and apologizes to the shop keeper, the gang shouting outside can still be heard. This gives the feeling of him being trapped with nowhere to escape, a reoccurring theme throughout the film. He buys some milk, with the shop keeper showing no emotion or compassion for the horrible situation he seems to be in. During the exchange the father repeatedly looks out of the window and tries to put on a brave face which clearly shows weakness. As he walks out of the shop the boy dressed in white blocks his way, staring straight at him, expressionless. The father tries to remain calm and says 'excuse me', and the boy, quite threateningly with his stare still fixed on him, moves out of the doorway and back onto the street.

The film once again goes back into the style of a camera phone, almost as if taken by one of the friends of the boy dressed in white. This amateur styled footage which the audience has seen so often now, really gives the sense of lack of authority, with the film almost 'running wild' just like the youths. The dad walks through the group, and as it looks like he's eventually free, the leader of the group shouts something rude at him. He stops in his tracks, turns round and asked what he said. The boy in white ever so aggressively leaps forward and shouts in his face 'you what mate?' causing the father to jump and drop his milk. As he reaches down to pick it up the boy kicks him in his face. The father quickly jumps up and begins to walk back home, with the boy in white showing off to the camera. The group then follow him back to his house, unknowingly to the dad, who is having flashbacks of the events that just occurred. As he walks into his house, he immediately looks in the mirror at himself, to see if any damage was done, he seems pretty shaken up by the whole experience. The son is waiting in the living room, and appears eagerly awaiting to tell his dad something. However, the dad walks into the living room, and straight out the other side into the kitchen, the son follows him and copies him in making a cup of tea. The son tries a few times to get his fathers attention but he does not succeed. The audience can now see that the son has a huge cut on his lip, and this character can immediately be linked to the opening shot of the film, the one getting beaten up.

When the father sees the damage done to his son, he tries to treat him, but tells him he should have stood up for himself more, however it seems as if the father is telling this to himself for the lack of 'fight' he put up moments before. This creates a bond between the two characters, despite the nasty events they have both been through. The son gets annoyed with the father showing a lack of sympathy however, and walks out and back into the living room, and on to the sofa. As the father is apologizing, the group of youths are seen outside the window, like something out of a horror film. The two spot them, and watch them while the boy in white sits on the fathers car and shouts abuse. When the son asks his father what he is going to do, the dad sits them both back on the sofa and says it will all be fine, and they will move on soon. The son doesn't agree with his tactics as the boy in white starts throwing stones at the window. The son keeps telling his dad to 'do something' however the dad just responds with 'he just wants a reaction'. Eventually Scott leaps up in an attempt to do something as various stones hit the window at the same time. However his dad jumps up after him, holds him back and closes the blinds.

Scott asks his dad 'are you scared' which triggers something off inside him. He finally realizes that something needs to be done, and walks over to the front door taking off his tie, however he does not exit. This then causes them both to have an argument with each other, with the dad failing to admit that he is in fact scared. As one of the teenagers is about to urinate through the letter box, Scott opens the door causing a dilemma for the dad who now has to seriously protect his son. He pushes his son back into the house, and goes outside himself. He makes an attempt to get the boy in white off his car, who retaliates and punches him in the stomach. He then dances for the camera. The son can now be soon, through the camera phone shot, run out of his house and smack the boy over the head with a cricket bat. He threatens the others who all run off. As the action calms down, the dad reaches his hand out to his son for the cricket bat, who drops it in front of him.