Theme of Poverty in "Joy Luck Club" (Movie Review Sample)

Film Review 4 - Joy Luck Club
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Instructor’s Name
Date
Introduction
Movies are exciting, especially during leisure time. Some have educative lessons. We will review Joy Luck Club, which has a more profound meaning due to the storyline of the eight primary characters. This article will discuss all the aspects learned in class concerning the movie. There will also be other crucial points like the significance and primary focus. Finally, I will give an insight into my thoughts on the film.
Thematic Elements in the Film
The first one is dysfunctional families. We can see this with how Wu Tsing's second wife ensures that An Mie's mother gets raped. The aftermath was catastrophic since society rejected her despite understanding her condition.
Poverty is also part of the thematic elements in the film. June explains using her mother's quote, "she was going to Chung Hi to meet the man who was supposed to be her husband" (Wang, 1993 00:12:00-00:13:53). On her journey, she had two twins, which she later abandoned because of her condition. It shows that she did not have enough resources to care for them. There is also an instance of discrimination. It is evident how women were being treated with no respect. The worst part is that other women could also get involved in the act of mistreating their fellow women.
The Fictional and Dramatic Events
The scene that shows fiction is when June learns that her mother's abandoned babies are alive. She gets the news that "the babies, you know, two babies. We all thought that the babies had died. Two babies that you mother live on the roadside in wartime, it is a miracle, but we found them" (Wang, 1993 00:14:40-00:15:03) What makes it to be fictional is that it is less expected that abandoned kids can survive. The woman expressing this is also shocked by the news. A dramatic event is when all June's aunties expect her to behave the same as her mother, yet she has her perspectives.
The Visual Design, Cinematography, and Special Visual Effects
In visual designs, there is an outstanding balance, contrast, scale, visual hierarchy, and gestalt. These properties have ensured that the viewers enjoy the movie and the visuals. For cinematography, the editor chooses the right lenses and lighting for proper illumination. The camera filters are also on point despite the shooting decades ago. There are also some visual effects, especially when a person talks and they are not on display at that particular time.
Describe the camera angles and different shots used.
The filmmakers used different camera shot angles that allowed one to understand the storyline quickly. For instance, they used different shot angles, including powerful medium, wide, long, complete, and cowboy shots, to take the film in a way that represents a 3d format. Apart from this, there was medium close-up, close-up, extreme close-up, and establishing shots. All of these ensured the images appeared in real life. Because of this, the film has viewing points from any angle whatsoever.
Compare and contrast the differences between the costumes worn in China versus those in the United States.
As expected, there had to be a difference in the costume design for China and the United States. The reason is that each side has a home culture they adhere to. For instance, in the U.S., most actors were in suits, while those from China had simple sarees.
Who is the protagonist(s) of the film?
Even though there are up to eight narrators in the story, Jing-Mei is a valid candidate to be a protagonist. The reason is that he is somehow involved in all the scenarios.
What does the feather represent?
As the feather falls, the narrator explains, “This feather might look worthless, but it comes from the fur and carries with it all my good intentions” (Wang, 1993 00:02:37-00:02:47). From this understanding, the falling feather symbolizes what a mother has to offer her children as an extinguished sign of hope or expectations.
Thought of the Movie
There is a way each of the characters explains their thoughts in a unique manner that ca