F

642 Words2 Pages

Context: Later in the film, Boris is drafted to go to war directly before Veronika’s birthday. They are unable to properly say goodbye to one another before Boris leaves (though they both try). Briefly after Veronika is unable to say goodbye, the lives of both Veronika and Boris have completely changed. In Moscow, air raids have plagued the city. Veronika’s home has been destroyed and her parents killed, she has been raped by Boris’s brother, and she settles for a life she is unhappy with all while Boris is at war. This part of the film is dark, depressing, and violent. Scene: Again, to fully address specific element utilized within the film, it is important to analyze a specific scene. In a particular scene within this part, Moscow is suffering from sporadic air raids. Prior to the scene, Veronika is with her parents when the warning sirens go off. She is instructed by her parents to go to the subway to take shelter while they stay behinds and protect the home. As the scene opens, Veronika is leaving the subway when she is passed by numerous fire trucks. She quickly follows them to her home which she finds destroyed. It is inferred that her parent had died in the attack. Camera Work: This is one of the most important scenes within the film.The camera work in this scene is quite delicate and revealing. Again, it is utilized to tell viewers the story and to help guide viewers to certain symbols and emotions. The scene opens with a medium shot in which viewers watch Veronika leave the subways. Instead of the camera zooming into Veronika, Veronika walks closer to the camera creating a medium distance detail shot. This technique conveys that Veronika is freely moving in a multidimensional plane instead of standard right and left. The ... ... middle of paper ... ...muted with shadows. This conveys that society was overall facing hardships due to the war. In contrast to the beginning of the film, there is a clear definition between prewar Russian and war inflicted Russia. When Veronika approaches the apartment, the lighting of the set is extremely dark which hint to viewers the something bad has occurred. As Veronika runs through the ruins of her home in search from her parents, her face becomes dirty. This is extremely symbolic. Veronika’s innocence and happiness have become tainted and stained with death and warfare. The darkness of the set corresponds directly to the message of the film and of Veronika’s emotions. This scene highlights the deterioration of Veronika’s life and of Russian society. Until the third distinct division of the film, shadows, dark lighting and high contrast convey a sense of terror, pain, and hatred.

Open Document