Notes on social realism films

I will be displaying my notes on the following social realism films:

• Half Nelson
• Bullet Boy
• Fish Tank
• Sommers Town
• Ratcatcher
• Red Road
• Raining Stones
• Green Street

Half Nelson

year: 2006

Director: Ryan Flek

Writers: Ryan Flek, Anna Boden

Notes:

Bullet Boy

Bullet Boy, directed by Saul Dibb. (2004). Bullet boy focuses more on drama then it does realism however the representations are very well done. Bullet Boy is set in East London in a volatile neighbourhood. During the intro we see (again) our main protagonist Ricky. During the first seconds we see a small child in a cramped area in big clothes who uses a small torch to work out his surroundings, as the torch reaches the camera a ‘fade to white’ transition is used to jump to the next scene. We see Ricky again but this time in a police stations prison. Today is the day he is being released as he re-joins the outside world he notices nothing has changed. An all-out neighbourhood war still rages on. During the intro we see simple titles used, the actors names appear during the film is playing, music in the background, two long takes when showing our main protagonist and just like Fish Tank we are introduced to the main characters right from the start.

Fish Tank 

Fish Tank (2009) is a gritty social realist film directed by Andrea Arnold. The main storyline consists of our main protagonist (Mia, Age 15) an aggressive teen living on an Essex estate. She was kicked out of school and lives with her mother and her little sister. Mia’s life suddenly has a unique twist. Her mum has a new boyfriend who encourages her one interest. Dancing. The intro to this film is a good one to compare others to. It contains production logos, a reference to its funding, contains an establishing shot so its viewers can establish the films location along with a simple film title, no music at the start (only background noise such as cars rushing past). Finally the films first camera work is hand held. We can analyse this choice of camera work and are able to see that this movie is one that can offer a ‘slice of life’ and gives an excellent representation on those living in similar conditions.

Sommers Town 

Year: 2008

Director: Shane Meadows 

Writers: Paul Fraser

Ratcatcher

Year:1999

Director: Lynne Ramsay

Writers: Lynne Ramsay

Red Road

Red Road (2006). An unusual social realism film, I believe that the film also contains elements of mystery as well. The film was directed by Andrea Arnold, the same director as Fish Tank. You would expect to see some similar techniques used however the film plays at a completely different pace to Fish Tank. Our main protagonist, Jackie, is a CCTV operator. Every day she sees the same people, day in, day out. So when a man from her past whom she never wanted to see again she is compelled to confront him. During the intro to the film we see: productions titles, a reference to funding, background noise, simple titles and introduction to our main character. The norm as some would say however we do not get an establishing shot. However the audience can determine the location by acknowledging the actors

Raining Stones

Our second to last film is raining stones, (1993) directed by Ken Loach the film definitely plays on a comedy side along with its standard social realism. During the intro which some may find quite funny contains the usual, simple titles, music, an establishing shot, an introduction to our main protagonist Bob played by Bruce Jones. During the establishing shots, the camera is kept stable however not long after this the camera movements get quite drastic (during the scene where Bob is chasing a sheep) the actor’s names also pop up as the film runs in the back ground. One difference that is not easy to spot is that instead of using production logos, the film uses just the production title, this seems unusual however I personally feel that it gives the film a unique point where it can stand and remain different from others at the time.

Green Street

My final film is Green Street (2005). Directed by Lexi Alexander this film is one that half interests me and half loses me. The nasty crime and representation side is powerful and will always leave you wanting to know what will happen next. The side that loses me is the sport side. But this gives the film an advantage, it plays with aspects that you are not familiar with and can manipulate you making you think what it wants to you think. The films intro is short and unique, it has production logos just like the norm, along with music and an intro to its main characters, Matt Buckner and Pete Dunham. Each have a very different background but have many links within each other. The camera work at the start is hand held. This is because at the start we are shown an arguments between two groups who support different teams. The language used is gritty and gives you a real feel into what it would actually be like to be there. Overall its representations are very good and this film is by far my favourite of the five.