What struck me most in our discussion of "Northfork" is our preconceived ideas of angels. In the film, Irwin envisions angels as he would like to think of them--one is modeled after a flower, the other tea cups, etc. The childlike innocence and fantasticalness of these angels is revealed in how he perceives angels. At first, I found it hard to believe that angels were being presented in such an odd way. Normally I think of them as sort of ghost-like, perhaps with wings, or perhaps just ordinary looking humans in disguise. I definitely did not envision them as Irwin did--with fake hands, eccentric personalities or wearing wigs. The main point of this idea is that perhaps the filmmakers are making a statement that angels are beyond our comprehension and unknowable. They can be whatever you need them to be, depending on your situation. However, until you encounter one for yourself, there is no definitive way to describe an angel.
Additionally, the visual narrative compensates for the lack of actual narrative going on for me. At times, I found the story to be a little dull, and I was often frustrated with the men evacuating the town. They seemed to be evacuating the townspeople for primarily selfish reasons--to gain land--instead of actually looking out for their well-being. However, the images that we discussed, such as the coffin on the cars, the giant ark that the townsman built and the unearthed graves, helped drive the narrative along. The images alone revealed the story--people were leaving their homes and being forced to take things that are supposed to find eternal rest. The images conveyed a sense of immediacy and lack of permanence. So, even though the movie was lacking in dialogue or an intriguing plot-line, the visual images made up for it.
No comments:
Post a Comment