Wasp vs. Soft - Comparison & Analysis
https://vimeo.com/108906081 - Wasp (2003)
https://vimeo.com/19705053 - Soft (2007)
https://vimeo.com/108906081 - Wasp (2003)
https://vimeo.com/19705053 - Soft (2007)
Wasp and Soft are both short films that illustrate a specific group of people in society, they show the consequences of their action in both positive and negative aspects. Both directors designed these films in such a way that audiences may relate to them in some way, whether they have been in these situations or if they are part of such a group themselves. The films are meant to resonate and create a deeper form of meaning through just their few minutes in the spotlight.
Wasp is a 23 minute long short directed by Andrea Arnold. The genre of the film is ‘social-realism’, this genre demonstrates a specific group of people and creates a story around their stereotypical lifestyles. The director tried to tell the story from her point of view since she has had first hand experience in this particular group, as this is the way that she grew up. The story of a single mother looking after her children is one that has been told many times before, however, Arnold tells in it a way that we thought we had never seen. The theme of a parental bond is wavered in front of the audience, however it isn’t until the end scene where we make our decision as to whether or not she did right by her kids. The story has a romantic outline in which the female protagonist, bare footed and tired, makes her best attempt to have a night out. The occasional romantic moments (if they can even be called that) are heavily contrasted by the children hidden sorrow, one that slowly creeps in and makes you question the protagonists skill as a mother. The plot focuses mainly on the mother and the children, the underlying purpose of the film is to make you question the mother and whether or not it can be classed as a form of higher neglect, to an extent that some would call abuse. However, it is easy to see by the end that the neglect she supposedly inflicts is unintentional and all that she does throughout the film is through love and care for her children.
Soft is a 14 minute long short directed by Simon Ellis. The genre of the film is drama and shows the story of a gang, a boy and his father. The narrative portrays the fears of a man that he has built up inside him. Facing fears that we never thought we would have to ever deal with is quite a relatable subject which the film plays off of. The story as a whole is quite realistic and portrays what may happen in reality. The key themes dispersed through the film are fear, aggression and defence. The typical ‘school bully’ as we all know them is challenged and exemplified in this film. A boisterous group of teens lay their terms of the land and act as though they are invincible, however the young protagonist brings down the leader, literally, with a cricket bat. The film is best praised for it’s use of an establishing shot which is replicated as the final shot of the film. It helps show in a sense that know progress has been made and that the characters are all just going on about their normal lives again. The establishing in film is quite a unique and important type of shot which allows the audience to absorb and realise the in environment. This can be good for setting up a contextual view of the film in which no dialogue of text is necessary, from the establishing shot, the audience can grasp exactly where the film takes place and what kind of characters are going to be in the film, also what themes are going to be displayed.
Both films have certain aspects that overlap, such as the fact that they both try to portray a specific section of society and the way in which people deal with them. The affect of both these films leads the audience to think a little while longer after the film is already finished. A look at the way in which people think certain behaviours are acceptable opens up our minds as an audience to think about other people in situations of hardship or distress. For example, most of us don’t directly relate to being in the same situation as the mother in Wasp however we can feel empathetic after we’ve watched the film since it is structured in a way where you doubt the mother at first and then begin to see the reality behind her struggle. Similarly, in Soft, a gang who seems to be dominant in a way goes over the line, turning an innocent child who refused to fight into a violent force whose intentions are not to hurt but to offend and leave a long lasting effect on those who bully him and his father. A struggle for control and power are shown across both films and show perhaps a situation that both directors spawned their idea from. The films are used to create meaning with audience, by helping them to realise that so much stress and heartache goes on around us that we aren’t even aware of. However, some may think that the films are in place to blame us for not paying attention or being able to help, but rather the films are an outlet for the directors to express their anxiety and emotion about certain groups of people in our society. Our society is dictated in such a way that if people aren’t our own (in the same groups as we are) we deem them irrelevant to ‘our’ own situation.
Wasp is a 23 minute long short directed by Andrea Arnold. The genre of the film is ‘social-realism’, this genre demonstrates a specific group of people and creates a story around their stereotypical lifestyles. The director tried to tell the story from her point of view since she has had first hand experience in this particular group, as this is the way that she grew up. The story of a single mother looking after her children is one that has been told many times before, however, Arnold tells in it a way that we thought we had never seen. The theme of a parental bond is wavered in front of the audience, however it isn’t until the end scene where we make our decision as to whether or not she did right by her kids. The story has a romantic outline in which the female protagonist, bare footed and tired, makes her best attempt to have a night out. The occasional romantic moments (if they can even be called that) are heavily contrasted by the children hidden sorrow, one that slowly creeps in and makes you question the protagonists skill as a mother. The plot focuses mainly on the mother and the children, the underlying purpose of the film is to make you question the mother and whether or not it can be classed as a form of higher neglect, to an extent that some would call abuse. However, it is easy to see by the end that the neglect she supposedly inflicts is unintentional and all that she does throughout the film is through love and care for her children.
Soft is a 14 minute long short directed by Simon Ellis. The genre of the film is drama and shows the story of a gang, a boy and his father. The narrative portrays the fears of a man that he has built up inside him. Facing fears that we never thought we would have to ever deal with is quite a relatable subject which the film plays off of. The story as a whole is quite realistic and portrays what may happen in reality. The key themes dispersed through the film are fear, aggression and defence. The typical ‘school bully’ as we all know them is challenged and exemplified in this film. A boisterous group of teens lay their terms of the land and act as though they are invincible, however the young protagonist brings down the leader, literally, with a cricket bat. The film is best praised for it’s use of an establishing shot which is replicated as the final shot of the film. It helps show in a sense that know progress has been made and that the characters are all just going on about their normal lives again. The establishing in film is quite a unique and important type of shot which allows the audience to absorb and realise the in environment. This can be good for setting up a contextual view of the film in which no dialogue of text is necessary, from the establishing shot, the audience can grasp exactly where the film takes place and what kind of characters are going to be in the film, also what themes are going to be displayed.
Both films have certain aspects that overlap, such as the fact that they both try to portray a specific section of society and the way in which people deal with them. The affect of both these films leads the audience to think a little while longer after the film is already finished. A look at the way in which people think certain behaviours are acceptable opens up our minds as an audience to think about other people in situations of hardship or distress. For example, most of us don’t directly relate to being in the same situation as the mother in Wasp however we can feel empathetic after we’ve watched the film since it is structured in a way where you doubt the mother at first and then begin to see the reality behind her struggle. Similarly, in Soft, a gang who seems to be dominant in a way goes over the line, turning an innocent child who refused to fight into a violent force whose intentions are not to hurt but to offend and leave a long lasting effect on those who bully him and his father. A struggle for control and power are shown across both films and show perhaps a situation that both directors spawned their idea from. The films are used to create meaning with audience, by helping them to realise that so much stress and heartache goes on around us that we aren’t even aware of. However, some may think that the films are in place to blame us for not paying attention or being able to help, but rather the films are an outlet for the directors to express their anxiety and emotion about certain groups of people in our society. Our society is dictated in such a way that if people aren’t our own (in the same groups as we are) we deem them irrelevant to ‘our’ own situation.
That is a fantastic relaxed and yet confident piece of writing VV, if you had made some reference to theories in there in terms of structure it would have been excellent. you continue to impress me. which theories could you have used?
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