Some of the main occurring themes in this film include:
- Love & teenage infatuation.
- Drama.
- Typical teenage life.
- Relationships
The focus of the film are the 2 young characters and how their relationship escalates quickly from love to hate. It's a very relatable story highlighting common issues among teenagers. This film really gets inside the minds of 2 young teenagers and how their relationship overcomes issues. The title "Love me or leave me alone" summarises the main focus of the film, a rocky, back and forth relationship between 2 young teenagers. The directors primary aim, I think, is to show what a teenage relationship is like realistically and the problems that happen within them, such as arguing and boredom as the characters have no where to go.
I personally liked the short film as it's very different to most teenage romance films. This short film doesn't glamorize teenagers and relationships but instead shows them as realistic with real issues. It's a relatable story. The feelings and moods throughout are represented well and seem almost real. I really liked the lack of dialogue which really expressed tension and anger and it seemed as if the 2 characters wanted to break the silence but were too stubborn to do so. I think the film deals with the subject matter well and represents the themes accurately.
A technique that I found interesting within the film was the way the lighting was conveyed to show the mood. The lighting was sometimes harsh which worked well with the bitter looking winter day it was filmed on. The lighting outside was gritty and almost washed out which I think worked well with the anger the characters were showing. I also liked how the lighting changed to being dark and not that visible during the sex scene between the characters. I think this worked well as the scene itself was a dark subject and there was a real lack of emotion between the characters. If the light was bright it wouldn't have worked with the mood of the scene. I liked the lighting and I think the director used this approach as it almost spoke to you about the scene which worked well because there was often lack of dialogue to guide you into the scene.
Another technique that I liked was the camera angles/shots. My favourite shot was when the female character stormed off but hid around the corner of the buliding expecting the boy to follow. What I liked about the scene was the shot where you see her stood on the corner, wanting to look round the corner to see what her boyfriend was doing and if he'd chase after her. I liked the split screen effect here with the building as you could also see the male and see if he was actually going to follow her. The wide shot was really effective here as it showed you both sides of the story and built up suspense between the characters and us as viewers as we also wanted to see if the boy would leave or not. I think the director used this approach for a more dramatic build up and to really be a spectator to the story.
The films form in my opinion, relates to the content really well. I think this because the content of the film is quite dark and gritty which relates to the dark and harsh lighting throughout which conveys a certain tone and makes you empathise with the situation. The way the lighting changes throughout when the mood changes helps to narrate the story without using sound. In the end scene where the girl is writing a letter, the lighting is bright which symbolises her forgiveness to the boy. Another way the form relates to the content is through the type of shots included. For example, on the football pitch when they are arguing the shot is wide which I think can suggest the distance between the characters and how they need to separate themselves from the argument and take time to calm down. When the characters are close again the shots are more personal and intimate. I think this works well and shows the switch between love and hate although it seems like the characters aren't really that close. This films form relates to the content in many ways and these are a few observations I made. I think overall the film conveys meanings that aren't always obvious but when you pay attention to the form it becomes noticeable. I really enjoyed the film overall and thought it was an interesting way to tell a story of something rather typical.
