Ordinary People

In any case or situation, damage is something that one should not take lightly. It has the sheer power to ruin whatever it affects. Damage always revolves around some specific moment in a life. This is where it takes a gripping hold and always finds a way to loom over the conscience. The scary part is that whether physiological or physical, damage has a wide range of attack in the life of someone. From family to everyday life, nothing is safe. It does not matter what the capabilities of a person are, a life that is in pieces is not a thing one replaces with ease. Thanks to director Robert Redford along with writers Alvin Sargent and Nancy Dowd, anyone can see the power damage has on the life of a family. This team of storytellers illustrates the effect perfectly throughout the film Ordinary People. The movie exemplifies that damage can tear apart a family without even thinking twice.

Simply put films across the board fall apart without the foundational glue that is the technical side. These techniques or little touches add a creative layer essential to the filmmaking formula. One technique early on happens during the credits. This is usually where movies like to fill up with heart-thumping music to distract the viewer from the words on screen. Instead, this film chooses a plain black background on which the text goes by in utter silence. Along with separating from the norm of having music, this choice also forces the viewer to focus on the names that put together this piece of art. Another technique put to use in this movie also occurs early on. Specifically, this technique is the montage of peaceful nature shots after the first credits. This montage not only starts as a gentle introduction but also is a clever way to show the viewer the setting of the film. Shots of the surrounding environment give the viewer firm footing in terms of location so blindness is not a first reaction. A third technique obnoxiously present in the movie is the handling of the camera. From the very start of the film, it is extremely easy to notice the precise camera positioning in such a way these constantly moving shots are useless. The camera is also put in places where it can get everything it wants the viewer to see without turning. This mainly cuts down on the amount of times the viewer disconnects to the film thanks to the movement. A final technique in the movie is a simple yet effective one. It takes place in one of the adult get-togethers that the parents of Conrad like to visit. Throughout this social event, the use of really short cuts on the type of conversations these people have easily hints at their artificial nature and fake sensibility. The quick technique gives the viewer a sneak peak of the upper class the Jarret family associates itself with on a social level.

With the correct amount of skill, explanation is not something that a film always needs to integrate. This statement finds surprising amount of validity in the film Ordinary People. There is so many times in which a particular shot can say a thousand words. One of these cases happens when Conrad is in the car with a bunch of his friends. One would think there is nothing special to see here but there is a lot to harvest from it. The angle of the shot in the car displays all of the guys laughing and smiling except Conrad. He is nervously looking

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