(For reference, the movie filmed inside the actual movie will be referred to as FF for, “fake film”)
The film Ararat refers to the Armenian Holocaust, in which the Turkish allegedly planned the destruction of the Armenian people. As one would assume, the film has a dark and dreary mood to it throughout. This movie contains the characters filming a movie, which sets up for a parallelism between the timeline in the movie and the real time situation.
There are three main groups of setting in the movie. The obvious is the real present day world which is shot in normal lighting with mostly blue and green colors in the shot. The film that the characters are shooting is portrayed as if an over acted movie, with more contrast and sharp color, this is most likely done so a person watching the movie can clearly distinguish what is real, and what is a movie. The third reality is an ongoing reference back to Gorky’s home, back when he was alive and painting a picture of him and his mother. In these shots, the light source shines masterfully through the window and lights up the entire room, with shadows all over from the varied contents of his home. These shots were generally much brighter with a yellow tinge due to the sunlight, this all around beige look helped create a sense of the past, again helping the viewer distinguish where they were in the story. By this clever use of lighting and color the viewer is able to follow 3 ongoing story lines at the same time.
Actors, when appearing in FF, over acted grossly with really stressed pronunciation and facial expressions. This bogus depicture of reality, is put in place to make the real world seem more real. When watching the real world you feel more of a connection because it seems much more real.
A theme present in the movie is denial. The Turkish denial of the genocide is discussed as something you only hear about in life, until later when the Turkish actor playing the Turkish General in FF explains that he himself doesn't believe that the genocide occurred. The movie is full of connections, connections that one may not pick up right away. The connection between Raffi’s father’s death and Gorky’s, the connection between the customs officer and his son, who is dating the Turkish actor.
The camera, like most other elements of the movie, moves different in FF than in the real time. In FF, the camera follows the characters in their every movement, like a normal movie would do when all importance rests on that character. Since the actual movie was made well, with plans to make the movie feel real and put the viewer in that reality, the camera in the real world has much less movement. It would focus on two characters in a hallway and not move with them, staying stationary creating a real environment in which people move in the natural way, and the camera is only there to document it.
The depressing mood that surrounds the subject of the genocide is represented through faded colors such as blue and green. The whole repetitive topic of illegal drugs helps the sorrow of the movie, and the loss of innocence that comes with it. In the shots where Raffi is getting interrogated, the silence and awkwardness of the situation, helped by the camera repeatedly switching back the Raffi’s nervous expression, lets the viewer feel nervous and guilty, just as they should. You are actually tricked into feeling the emotion and feeling general worry for the character, which is exactly what a good film maker sets out to do.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
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