winter's bone and captain fantastic





I will be comparing and contrasting the two films, ' Captain Fantastic' and 'Winter's Bone'. Winter's bone is a 2010 Indie film, written and directed by Debra Granik, set in Ozark Mountain. It follows Ree Dolly a teenage girl who has to provide for her brothers and sisters as her father has gone missing and her mother has mental problems. Captain fantastic follows a father and his six kids who have rejected society and decided too live in the woods. It follows the family after their mum dies and they travel to her funeral.

One of the main themes that hit me when watching these two films was the rural settings. They both start with beautiful establishing shots of wildlife. This establishes the rural setting for both the films. Although captain fantastic does follow them outside of the forrest both films have settings that are rural to modern America.

The main difference between the two films is the colour. Winter's bone, being set in Missouri which is  typically a colder place so therefore the colours are washed out and blue. Where as Captain Fantastic, which is set in Washington and New Mexico, has a more colourful tone. Every part of each film matches the setting. In winter's bone most characters wear blue or black clothes which creates a dark washed out tone and also matches the tone of the movie, being bleak and sad. Similarly the costumes in captain fantastic are a lot more colourful which also matches the tone of captain fantastic which is happier and more upbeat.


There is a sense of disconnect in both films. In Winter's Bone, as its set in a rural area there is a disconnect from the outside world. This is made clear when Ree goes into central towns an looks very out of place through costume and lighting. This is also clear in captain fantastic by the unknowing this of the outside world by the kids. They always tend to be un aware of customs and seem so out of place also through costume. The kids tends to wear really weird and unnatural clothes. This further makes them stand out.


One key difference that I've seen between the two films is the use of dialogue. The dialogue in Winter's Bone is always very bleak and dull. This seems to reflect the mood of the film, being harsh and gritty. This is done similarly in Captain Fantastic in the sense that the quick snappy and usually funny dialogue reflects the mood and tone of the film.

Comments

  1. Coulsdon A Level Film and Media10 December 2017 at 15:54

    Ben you have a great opening where you rightfully follow protocol and mention the years of production and the Directors names.Letting us know the form of the Director or other above the line crew would help to contextualise.

    Remember CCCEO.

    ReplyDelete

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