Pieces of April, directed by Peter Hedges solidified my love for filmmaking.
Especially in its final 10 minutes.
The movie’s simplicity was beautiful — a girl preparing Thanksgiving dinner for her family that she hadn’t seen in a while. It goes through her day of preparation and her family’s journey to her flat in the city. I had never seen awkwardness portrayed so beautifully. How there is kindness, earnesty and honesty in awkwardness. The character’s day was very niche and specific, however I still found it deeply moving. It felt like I was reading someone’s diary, where they were pouring their heart out.
At the end of the movie, the director used snapshots of the dinner, like literally freeze frames. I had never seen that technique used in a movie. It made me cry so much. It felt like we physically documented that special day of the main character. I didn’t know that such a simple choice in film making could amplify huge nostalgic emotions. It made me want to use unconventional cinematography techniques to make regular day in the life stories feel larger than life.
I think films have the ability to intensely move people to the point of discovering new found empathy for different groups of people or lives. If done right, the combination of visual and audio allows people to emotionally connect with stories that they haven’t experienced themselves. I think radical social and political change heavily relies on individuals to open their minds and extend their empathy to those who aren’t directly associated with them. Films can show an entire person’s life in 2 hours and make you feel like you have lived their experience, which essentially can bridge the gap of disconnect between two completely different people. There is a saying that if you spend enough time with anyone, you will love them… maybe two hours can be enough?
Broccolini_roots 