Brightness vs Darkness

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For my post I wanted to talk about the importance of the mise en scene for In Th Fade. When we saw Nuri and Katja together at the beginning it was like a home made film. It was bright and even though we saw them get married in a prison, it was still set in a very happy tone. The walls were bright, it wasn’t gloomy and the music help set this happily ever after of a family they created after their dark past. But when her husband and son die from the bomb, the colors scheme changes instantly. It’s almost constantly raining, her appearance becomes very lethargic looking and we see how emotionally drained and vulnerable she becomes from everyone telling her what everyone thought her husband still was. The mise en scene is very important with help setting the tone of the environment and characters and letting us know when something is important. This film did a great job transitioning and meshing together that emotion and environment to the characters.

 

 

If you were in a relationship marked by tragedy, what would you do?

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I decided to analyze the transit ending. They use of that first hug in the beginning of the clip definitely sets the mood towards how people think of them and also in general what society thinks of when they see. The clip with the use of the subtitles and also his firsthand analysis of his encounter with his friend, it is a in depth analysis of how people feel towards each other. For example, how he embraces his question, watches her when she sleeps determines how long ago these two met. The transition from them meeting to eventually Getting his travel documents definitely shifted the mood of the couple. The camera makes the boy seem so much bigger than the woman. It’s an interesting sequence because it seems like he is getting his lfie together, but she decides to figure out her own life.

The use of the camera, with the medium size shots of their waist to their head display how they are trying to get by in this life with this type of connection. What the camera shots do is imply a sense of hope and uncertainty for the story. Reflecting outside of a window, watching the water and activity, the boy wonders about his outside life without this “connection”. He wants an answer, so once he realizes the ship, she sailed off in exploded, he couldn’t believe. The next shot that appears Is him in the shop. His posture in his seat, with the empty chair across from him, displays how he’s stuck with this feeling, and the transition leaves us with the decision of what he or you would do in the circumstance.

Real Struggles

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The movie Joy is overall a large eye-opening experience for anyone, like me, who does not fully understand the world of sex trafficking. Of course, the majority of us have heard of sex trafficking but it is more common than not for individuals to not understand the scary and life-threatening world that it is.  For me, this movie changed my whole understanding and perspective of the safe trafficking industry. The moment that really spoke to me and made me realize what horror this industry is was the scene I show above. This particular scene shows that many of these women who “sign up” for this in fact really do not know what they are getting into when they agree to move to another country “for a better life”. Many people are so desperate to go to places like Europe to make more money to help out families they left behind in their homeland that they become such an easy target for sex traffickers to take advantage of. Through this scene, we are able to see the blindness that goes along with it because Precious is stating that this is not the job she thought she would be doing here. I think this movie serves as a good learning tool for people who don’t understand the full circumstances surrounding sex trafficking and can be used to educate many.

Attempted Understanding

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This scene is when Joy’s “boyfriend” at the time took her to see this women who is working with some sort of organization towards resolving the sex trade. Joy is expressing her concerns about not being allowed to stay in Germany if she where to give more information. She expresses how she is worried that they will be sent back to their home countries where they will be in a lot of danger for themselves, their families, their madame’s families, and the Juju Priest. It’s hard for these two Germans to understand the situation Joy is in and actually be able to help her.

During this scene I recognized the camera angles as trying to help tell the story. Joy is trying to explain what could potentially happen and is trying to find a way to get help without getting anyone hurt. The camera is held from behind or to the side of Joy when she is talking in order to accentuate that this is about her. The two Germans are seen trying to understand by being shown from an angle behind Joy like in the still above. They also do the same thing with Joy’s “boyfriend” as he is listening and trying to understand what a Juju Priest is.

I think this scene is all about trying to understand the culture in which Joy and this industry has come from. Later in the film when Joy’s “boyfriend” offers her money to come live with him and pay off her debt, he still doesn’t understand that it is not that easy and she has other people to worry about.

Alone in a Field of White

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These two images both showcase being lost and isolated in various forms.  Although the penguin in the top clip chose to walk away from his pack, he is still lost and destined for an unfortunate future as the researchers are not allowed to help him.  The researchers in the bottom clip are simulated being lost and caught in a storm that is not their choice. I think being lost is a common theme in this movie as most the people interviewed or talked about felt lost before they came to Antarctica and didn’t really have a home.  Some people were sneaking into other countries in sewer pipes even.

The scene with the penguin helps reveal why the researchers are there, there is a great unknown as to why some animals act the way that they do and why this animal would just get up and leave, a question many would ask why these researchers left their life to go to Antarctica.  These two shots also use varying camera angles that contrast the two pieces and feelings of being lost. In the first clip with the penguin they use a close up of the penguin when he is with the pack followed by very wide and long shots as he is walking into the abyss. With the researchers on the bottom there isn’t a big wide shot like the penguin that shows they are truly lost.  There are some wide shots but the frame is generally crowded and you don’t get the same feeling as the penguin alone with the backdrop of mountains.  This could be because the researchers are not truly alone.

Freedom Means I’m Free Right?

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In this clip, Joy has paid her debt to her madame and is now free. She is given her passport symbolizing her freedom from the madame and will no longer be a prostitute. However, there is still a problem, Joy does not have a visa. Therefore, she cannot stay and work legally in Germany. This presents a problem because Joy needs to make money in order to take care of her and her daughter. However, one way to make money without having a visa is to become a madame. In this clip the madames at the party are encouraging Joy to become a madame. They paint being a madame as a source of income and independence, telling Joy that if she becomes a madame she will be able to make money and would not have to be subservient to a man who would spend her money. It is because of this that Joy entertains the idea of becoming a madame. She even goes to a place where madames can buy girls. This demonstrates that even when a woman is “free” from the cycle of prostitution and sex trafficking she is never truly free because the circumstances that she faces after leaving give her very few if any options to make a living other than continue selling herself or becoming the one who sells other girls and either way the cycle continues.

Stuck Between Two Worlds

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This film from the scene where Joy is watching her daughter play on the playground shows the struggle of being stuck between two worlds, the world of being a prostitute in Germany and the life that she used to have when she lived in Nigeria. Joy is currently on the outside of the fence because she is stuck in the world of being a prostitute in order to pay off her debt and earn money. However, there is this part of her that misses what she has had to give up in order to have a better life than she did in Nigeria, such as her daughter and not being able to return to Nigeria for the fear that she might be deported because she does not have a visa. This can be related as a common theme for immigrants because they are stuck with having to adapt and immigrate into a new country but there is a longing to maintain their identity from their country of origin. I think that Joy may not like the job as a prostitute however she understands that because of where she comes from this is something that she must do in order to have a better life, pay off her debt and help her family.