THE RETURN
Type or word-process this paper: 5-7 pages, 12pt New Times Roman font-Double Spaced!
Completing this assignment will fulfill your critical review paper this semester. You should provide creative, thoughtful responses to your viewing of the film. DO NOT retell the story, plot, or character motivations.
Treat this paper like a thesis paper: put your main idea about the film upfront. After you define your thesis (the big idea(s) guiding the film) and set up your analysis, answer the questions below in relation to your thesis.
The questions should provide you with structure.
ANSWER QUESTION 1. Then answer 2 of the next three questions.
ANSWER THIS QUESTION:
1. Identify and analyze one KEY SCENE in the film. What about that scene conveys the main ideas or themes addressed in the film? Choose a scene that can be talked about as defining the overall theme of the film.
If you need to refer to other complementary or analogous scenes that help set up the KEY SCENE, that's fine-but don't lose focus of the KEY SCENE you have chosen. Also, analyze at least one important shot in that particular scene and the cinematic components that help you understand the themes or ideas better (compositional elements, editing, sound/music).
DON NOT USE THE ENDING OF THIS FILM FOR THIS QUESTION.
ANSWER TWO OF THE FOLLOWING THREE:
2. Discuss why this film is titled "The Return". Give at least TWO reasons why this might be the reason for this film. You'll want to analyze TWO specific scenes to bolster your argument. PLEASE DO NOT USE THE KEY SCENE FROM QUESTION 1 IN YOUR ANSWER.
3. Analyze director Andrei Zvygiantsev's use of compositional elements in this film. That means you'll want to discuss how he frames shots, uses of color, uses lighting, uses camera movement, and any other compositional elements you feel are being utilized to convey meaning. Please discuss TWO scenes in your analysis?
4. Analyze the function of the photographs at the end of this film. What do they mean? Why use these stills? Make sure you discuss the function of the photographs as a way of illuminating the ideas the filmmaker is expressing in context of the rest of the film. You should consider other scenes that may shed light on why the photographs are used.