Dirty Pretty Things - Review

Dirty Pretty Things Review

Director: Stephen Frears

Writer: Steven Knight

Dirty Pretty Things is a film based in England. The film is about Okwe (Chiwetel Ejlofor) who is a Nigerian immigrant who is illegally in the country. Okwe is living a hard life and is struggling to get by and due to this has to do various job, during the night he is a hotel receptionist and during the day he practises some medicine because he has a doctors degree, but this is a very strange medical practise. Throughout the film Okwe has had to flee Immigration officers. Okwe discovers that his Boss Juan (Sergi Lòpez) is in charge of an illegal scheme in which surgeries take place to remove an inner e.g. liver and sold for their freedom into the country. Juan offers Okwe a deal to be the surgeon to get his immigration papers and to be a free man, the choice stood.

From the onset of the film you are introduced to Okwe’s hectic lifestyle not truly understand what is happening but you understand that he has many jobs and some are better than others. The skies and dark and lost through out most of the film in a way, this expresses in my opinion about Okwe in the beginning because he is staying with Senay (Audrey Tautou) who is a maid at the hotel he has his night shift for, but he only has the sofa it is not permanent so it makes him look very venerable and quite lost like the skies at the time of this. 

I feel the genres for this film would be firstly Crime due to the whole nature of this film being about the illegal happenings which are occurring within the hotel and why they are doing them e.g. to provide immunity into London for immigrants they have hired within the hotel. Secondly in a very unclassified way reality is one of the genre because i believe that many events like this occur around the world and that is a strange thing to think about when you watch this film because you would think that this is all fictional but people do crazy things for money and this is evident in this film. I found this quite eye opening due to the reality of many of the things happening in this film including the part when the sewing shop owner forces Senay to give him oral sex, this was shocking but many business owners feel they over power all and can do what they want whenever but Senay stands up showing a theme of strength which i found quite commendable.

The themes in my opinion in this film varied due to the film’s content and characters. The main themes i felt were courage due to Okwe in his last scene flipping the tables in the plot, i don't think many saw what what about to happen and that scene showed courage from all involved because any slip up would have ended horribly. Freedom was defiantly a main theme in this film due to really the whole plot and narrative, the main part in the film that hinted freedom was the lengths to which people would go to get it, trading a liver for your freedom just so someone can get more money and you risking your life, the sense in that? but this is how far and even further many would go. Finally i can see a subtle sense of romance from the first time Okwe and Senay clutched eyes in the hotel lobby, the romance is subtle due to the blindness of Okwe not realising that Senay had strong feeling but he never saw it until the ending were it becomes evident and thats truly when you sit down in your chair and say finally. The themes played a big part in this film and all of them truly made this film the best it could be which was gripping, enjoyable and hard hitting which all worked so well together. 

I found that the performances throughout this whole film were outstanding due to their connection with the character and the troubles in which they have been through and in some cases are still going through. You are able to connect to each character and see how each of them provide the same enthusiasm into their performances. Each character sold themselves like they were that person this was due to the well captured costumes which helped to relate to each characters personality, for example Okwe went from down stressed in a coat and trousers to very dapper in his desk uniform, showing how the person he is does everything so he can provide, live and try to become a free human being due to his illegal residency in London.Throughout however you do see various changes to each character, in my opinion i see a change in Okwe that really does open up his eyes and makes him think about what he is doing and how it could affect him, however he never loses sight of his goal and never loses his dignity as a very professional surgeon who is not one for taking brutal orders. You can also see Senay change throughout in a very different way you see her becoming much more cautious and actually more venerable and the film goes on which is strange as you see her in the beginning as quite a well put together strong girl which through situations gets knocked down slightly but at the end she is back and more determined than ever.

In my opinion i think both Okwe and Senay’s performances were truly outstanding due to the nature in which there characters are involved because they are both secretly liking each other and slightly hinting ever so often but in the end you see the true love between both of them which is really the bit that i think many were hit by as you never truly knew if the moment would come but in the end it arrives and it makes you happy as they are both happy now. They are free.

The sounds throughout the film were quite hard hitting and powerful which truly made you be able to connect to every aspect of the scene the emotion, the suspense, the clarity etc. In the beginning the sound seemed to be quite relaxed and set back showing how in the beginning all the problems that were soon to come were not in sight and that they were all allowed to be just them for that moment in time. As the film progresses the music seems to begin to match up with each event that is happening in the film, showing that the director wants you to truly grip the piece and see how each event with the music makes you feel. I find this very clever and enjoyed being able to listen to the sound and see how it fit with each scenario. Overall i felt however the sound could be lost in certain parts which meant that you didn't grip the full scene in depth but overall i felt the sound was well positioned.

Throughout the film the shot sizes showed various different aspects which lead you to the final outcome which in my opinion was the heart inside the toilet, i felt this because this shot was the part when everything soon became clear to Okwe that the hotel was not all that it seemed and that is when everything seems to go wrong. The heart shot really showed him holding the lifeline in his hand and not knowing what to do, really this is like most of the characters in this film because they all had a grip on their lifeline but they were unable to act as they were unable e.g. illegal citizens. i felt that overall this film was well captured due to the clever and technical camera angling which made it easy to see the things they wanted you to see but then keep the things which were soon to come out in the dark, which i felt was very clever.

Overall i truly enjoyed this film due to the message being put across, which were hard to understand in the beginning but by the end you were able to understand the situation of each of the character and to see in a way how each aspect of the film influenced them. Freedom was achieved in a way that was unclear in the beginning but by the end you knew the lengths people would go and what award it brought them in the end, Okwe being able to see his daughter again the moment he never saw his future having, incredible.

My Chosen Film-The Fault In Our Stars

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Director: Josh Boone

Writer's: Scott Neustadter, Michael H H Weber, John Green (Novel)

Plot Summary 

This is a remarkable story of two people Hazel and Augustus who fall in love in a rare story. Hazel battling cancer and Augustus who is now clear as the story deepens the love and connection shown is unconditional. They travel to Amsterdam to meet a writer who in the ends turns out to be nothing as they expected but while they are there the connection grows stronger but that would be the best it would be. When they come home everything changes but you find out it will always be okay. Okay.

My Evaluation

This film truly touched me because I've had a family member in the same situation as both Hazel and Augustus and it was a hard film to watch but you do get a sense of fulfilment and hope in this film which makes you see the film for the beauty that it is. Throughout the film the performances were outstanding, there emotions and actions saw you through tears, laughter and just focus, not taking your eyes of the screen. This opened my eyes so much to see that they are still young and they know they haven't got long so they do what they enjoy with each other and it seems to forget about the fatal ending at the end of the path for them. The lighting throughout seems to differ from sun rolling on the ground to dark covered skies with no emotion. The sounds in this film are truly fitting the 'not about Angels' birdy was incredible because it showed the scene when Hazel is leaving Augustus's funeral and it truly touches your heart. The genre for this film was a mixture of romance and adventure because of the love between Hazel and Gus but also the adventure they both went on and going on is truly inspiring and sad at the same time knowing they don't have a lot of time. The theme I thought was courage because of their strength to love in the circumstances and to forget about the troubles and just be them, however also deception due to Gus holding back the news that his cancer is back and he hasn't got long was the shock that you expected but never truly wanted.

I truly enjoyed this film and the power it had over me. The moments captured and the feelings felt were ever so amazing and truly let you just listen and watch the film letting the world go by you but in this moment you are with them on their journey. Incredible.

Foreign Chosen Film- Les Choristes(The Chorus)

LES CHORISTES(THE CHORUS)

Director: Christophe Barrateir

Writer's: Christophe Barrateir, Philippe Lopes-Curval

Plot Summary

This story is about a boarding school called Fond de l'Etang full of troubled boys which is located in the French countryside. The school is run by M.Rachin who is obsessed with dicipline who uses the word's 'action-reaction' as a way to sort the children out. When M.Clément Mathieu arrives he starts to take a different approach to 'action-reaction' instead of dicipline he starts a choir among the students this is when you start to see a true difference in some of the troubled students. M. Clément Mathieu seems to focus on two individuals for different reasons, Pépinot (lacks guidance and focus,waits for his father every Saturday but he never comes) like a son and Pierre Morhange who's voice is remarkable and his face which is described as the devil with the face of an angel. This story is truly touching and even though it is subtitled you understand every moment and emotion of it.

My Evaluation

This film although being in French truly touched me in an emotional way due to the sounds being absolutely outstanding and also the characters in the film. I believe that in this film the subtitles really became second nature as you followed it so closely and understood every event that was happening which I found incredible. Each characters performance and costumes in a way matched them and their personalities which was quite outstanding to see. The lighting throughout seem grey until Clément Mathieu meets Pierre Morhange mother when the light seems to brighten just a tad seeing that something is changing in him. Also when the music works incredibly well it seems to lighten as Mathieu was a failed musician so to see this all working makes me feel a sense of pride for him. The genre in this film was in a way comedy due to the nature of some of the scenes and saying but also musical as it is about the pathway for the music and what has got to be done for it to succeed, which I found astonishing. The themes were compassion and determination because I felt that throughout this film all of the students in the end show compassion for Mathieu and what he has achieved which really touched me, the part that truly made me feel proud was all of the students showing determination to help firstly Mathieu get him dream but in a way theirs.

I truly enjoyed this film for the fabulous music which really is empowering and amazing just to listen to but also the story and what it has made you feel which I found amazing when it is in a whole other language.

UK Chosen Film-Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS

Director: Mark Herman

Writer's: John Boyne (novel), Mark Herman (screenplay)

Plot Summary 

This story is set in World War II. In my opinion I think this story is about Bruno the young son of SS Commander Father looking past the divide and just seeing Shmuel for what he was, a person that needed a friend. The family relocates to the countryside so his father can take over the prison camp. Throughout the film you see the family become divided due to the father becoming only focused on the camp and not caring about the family. In the end Bruno leaves thinking he has found a place where he can play but soon things turn to the worst thing imaginable.

My Evaluation

I really got taken in by this film due to the subtle yet amazing performances from all. Each performance fully grasped your attention and made you believe that you were there and having to go through the same experiences and pain they were going through. I think the genre was mainly historical as it was a story set in the time of Hitler and you could truly see the power he had over people from the start much like Bruno's sister who begins to hand Hitler posters up in her room, showing that he is making an influence. It was also a thriller because of the story line and plot, the power of each emotion in the final scene really touched me and it made you think what times must have been like and really how times have changed over the years. The themes really surround themselves around death due to the nature of this film, the destruction of the Jews in the 'showers' and really the destruction on the family. The lighting went from very light to subtle to very dark at the end when the skies open and let down in a way the tears of each person that has lost family, and it that moment it was right because someone had been lost and no one could do anything about it. Sounds throughout worked well with each of the scenes which made you grasp the scene and enjoy it just a little more.

Although the themes and film was quite hard hitting I truly enjoyed every aspect of the film the message its was putting across to just how wrong those times where as Bruno shows it isn't about what you are you a still a person and should be treated like one, not an animal.

Fish Tank Review

FISH TANK REVIEW

Director: Andrea Arnold 

Writer: Andrea Arnold 

Fish Tank is a film which is based in England, this film is a story of a 15 year old girl called Mia (Katie Jarvis) who has a passion for dance and the freedom in which she gets when she is alone in her abandoned apartment listening to music expressing herself. It seems that when her mum Joanne (Kierston Wareing) brings home her new boyfriend Connor (Michael Fassbender) who seems to create a father figure in Tyler’s (Rebecca Griffiths) eyes and a new interest for Mia the young and inexperienced teen.

From the onset of the film you get a feel for the environment that Mia has grown up in, the cloudy and dark skies in a way express the way that she is trapped in and there is no gaps to escape the life she is leading. The most powerful shot in this film would have to be when she is in the abandoned apartment and the camera slowly captures her silhouette and the view showing quite a desolate and uncared for land, which in a way is like her family at the onset when the house is unclean and all there relationships are dysfunctional for example Joanne abandons the kids to have a party for her friends leaving the children with nothing and she doesn't give a care in the world, but as the film goes on you see it all change like the weather throughout.

Each performance from Fish Tank was exceptional to the small roles of the dancers to Mia’s performance which won over me from the beginning when you see what many have to grow up in but they make it home, in a way the reality that many people in poverty in England have to live in but you forget because the advertisement for help is focused around Africa but in fact there are a large amount in the UK that have to live in poverty and some even starve and we forget most of this hardship. Mia’s performance is a true example of many teens in the UK today and also Taylor’s character because when she is smoking and drinking you firstly find it shocking but in fact the age that many teens start drinking and smoking in the UK is decreasing rapidly which is scary to imagine, when you are a teen yourself it opens your eyes, the performances really help you to grasp this in your minds.

In my opinion i think both Katie and Michael’s performances are truly outstanding due to the nature in which there characters are involved and the passion that they both secretly hint to each other until the end when all the walls get knocked down to uncover a scary thought. The part that shocked me the most is finally realising that Mia was only 15 years old while Connor was a lot older it truly made me sit back in my seat and question what just happened. 

Throughout all the characters you see a change due to either Connor’s presence in a women’s run household or the environment around them which influences many of these traits. Tyler changes in a way that is surprising before she is drinking and smoking not giving a ‘Fuck’ but then as the story progresses you see her in a way she should be seen…as a child, this is truly seen when Connor comes into the father role, she finds comfort in him and he is like a father to them both when on both separate occasions he shows care by taking them to bed and covering them with the blanket to keep them warm showing compassion, which both of the girls have never seemed to have. That is clear when Mia is passed out on the bed from drink and he mom is saying they can just move her not worried about her safety or health just wanted to push her to the side so they can have sex, showing no compassion. Joanna’s character/performance is both breathtaking due to the nature of the mother figure which is more like the ignorant child, but you see a change when she is left by Connor, in a way the daughters all connect in a passion of music and dance which is the first time you really see the family come together which i found very powerful. Mia’s performance was overall breathe taking and clever, you see her character develop from a brutal daughter that took no shit from no one when you see her head butt the girl in the beginning that in a way makes you already have an opinion about her and what she really is but you really never understand what she is like, the care and sorrow she had towards the end but also the addiction and turmoil. 

The genre that this film portrays is in a way drama because you see each and every moment that Mia has to go through and the dramas which influenced her to do the certain things she did. An example of this would be her getting provoked before she head butt the girl creating drama which didn't need to occur but that is the way she has been brought up, to stand up for herself and take no shit from nobody or you just wouldn't survive. War could also be a genre no in the historical sense but in the mental war going on inside of her to do with her feelings that are battling away in her mind, also the battle when she is on the edge of the water edge and Connor’s daughter is stranded in the middle of the water she could have just left her but instead she saves her and you see her eyes truly open to the fact that she doesn't want to become what her path would probably be in her position of where she lives but instead she beats destiny and breaks the locks that have been holding her down, just like the horse.

I felt the theme for this film would be Women vs Nature/Herself because throughout Fish Tank you see Mia battling with her surroundings and the nature of the people around her but also herself as he doesn't know what to do with herself with the dancing, with Connor or with her expression, so overall you see the true battle that goes on inside of her and at the end you see the battle show when she captures Connor’s daughter and tries to take her as her own to show the pain that he has caused her that she thinks her deserves now but she finally discovers that no one deserves revenge and that what is to happen will, her leaving is a good example of that.

The sounds throughout the film were powerful because they truly connected with the various things which were going on in the film, in the beginning when Mia was dancing in the apartment you hear the grit of the song and the harshness but as her dancing and passion exceeds you hear the music become sweeter and tasteful that truly connects with the moment in time. My favourite moment which i felt connected well with both the music and the dance was the part when Mia is showing Conner her dance for the audition, you can see that she wants it in her eyes and also to impress Connor and this is done by the soft and subtle moves but also the song choice which was the one Connor had recommended to Mia so all there things connected quite well in my opinion. Overall the music is much like the weather in the film, from the beginning it is dark and quite hard hitting but as the story develops and the purpose changes it becomes but lighter and softer which could represent Mia now having Connor in her life but also reaching the realisation that she may get out of this place and not have a hesitation to look back.

The weather i felt connected much like the sounds because from the mise-en-scene at the onset you see the grey and covered skies with no gaps but as Mia leaves you see the crisp blue skies and the sun shining through showing how it is going to be better now and there is no good looking back to the dark times but travel on to her bright future.

My favourite bit of narrative on scene would have to be the relationship between the horse, Mia and the balloon, this is because of the clever and covered up meaning of this whole film. I truly didn't realise the connection until the end of the film when it truly hit me and made me truly appreciate the films title and content connection. At the beginning you see Mia try and free the horse from the chains which were keeping it there and the hold it had over it, but as the story develops you see the horse become weaker and the fight be released from it representing that it was getting closer to becoming free and go anywhere not just stay in one place for the rest of its life which represents Mia being stuck where she is having no future never getting free but as she develops over time you see her fight to leave e.g. learning to dance meeting the boy who says they could go to Wales together thats when you see the break be lifted. As Mia goes to see the horse and finds out that it had to be put down you firstly believe that it is really sad but then you see it represents Mia she is now free from this place she is getting away and finally is free and that is the most powerful narrative of a story i have come across and it truly made me smile learning that she is out of there, free just like the balloon floating away into the distance no chains holding it down, it was finally free.

Overall i truly loved this film and the messages that were unclear at the beginning  but which became apparent in the end, my favourite scene from this film was the part where she doesn't even look back to her old life she looks forwards to her new future and the things which she is yet to achieve and can leave the part and the people behind but always having them close to her heart.

Things to include in a review

Things to include in a review

• Genre
• Theme
• Narrative
• Mise-en-scene
• Camera angles
• Shot sizes
• Performance
• Sound
• Protagonist
• Director
• Cast
• Producer

Film Title	Director	Year of Production

Sequences