28/02/2014
English: Conversation: Short Films
Teacher: Audrey RossWe discussed about these movies:
1.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBhjDgmGrXg
Comedic story of an eccentric Tokyo convenience store worker whose obsession for neatness leads to a sudden change
Film Analysis - Short Film "Right Place"
This is a short film which I decided to look into as research for my psychoanalytical study, it concerns a young man with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) working at a small supermarket. The film focuses on his condition as it renders him unable to leave anything out of place or unordered and shows various quick shots of him constantly checking and rearranging shelves, even if customers are in his way. This also leads him to follow a few customers rearranging the shelves as they go along, such as making sure every item is facing outwards and is a set distance apart from each other and appears tidy. This continues until he comes across a female shoplifter in which he grabs the item she was about to try and steal and places it back on the shelf and sets about in rearranging the shelf it's on, then when he turns to reprimand the woman he notices the woman has socks that are uneven so without even thinking he kneels down to straighten them out to make them both the same height. This event leads him to be slammed against a wall by his supervisor in which even as he is being yelled at he cannot stop himself from straightening his bosses glasses as they are slipping down his face, which ends in him being fired and forced to look for work elsewhere, and he ends up seeing an advert for a bonesetter at a museum which could actually make use of his obsessive tendencies.
The film focuses heavily on the characters obsession to keep things ordered and perfect, his obsessive drive to try and control his environment and keep it in order. This is shown constantly thought he quickly edited close up shots of the man rearranging shelves and items within the supermarket, and shots of his face reveal his annoyance when things are taken out of place and are not properly replaced. His obsessive drive also leads him to perform actions that would be considered socially abnormal such as him almost instinctively reaching down to adjust someones socks if they were uneven, and also even when he is being punished his obsession takes over his actions as he adjust his bosses glasses for him. The film also uses a non diegetic music soundtrack that seems very rhythmic and is timed well with the quick close ups while the character indulges in his obsession, although the music does seem clunky and doesn't really fit well with the setting of the film even though it does fit with the character as the music seems very ordered and repeats itself.
2.)
This is an English translation of the lirics:
To have a good start
Into this jolly new day
And to wake myself up
I have a coffee
An arabica
Black and spicy
I get on my parka
Now I'm ready to go
Where are you going
My loved one cries
"Let's have a kava, I just got up"
Being ahead of time
And a bit rushed
I change my mind and have another coffee
At 8:15
One has to admit
The offices are empty and you get easily bored
But I stay calm
I know how to adapt
Before they get there
I have time to drink another coffee
The day starts
Everybody can work at least until
It's time for a coffee break
My secretary comes in
"I have made it the way you like it"
Damn, just had one
But now that you've prepared some
A business dinner
Not far from the road
The weather's great but I'm a bit stressed out
My colleagues have a great time
"You're so cool René!"
"Have another cigar and a coffee"
Once we're finished
My collegues worn out
I call a taxi
But I would like to jump
I run all over Paris
Then I see a coffee bar
I order a decaf
But re-caffeined
I arrive at the office
My secretary reproaches me
"You're a bit late; I was starting to get worried!"
Oh! I throw her out the window
She was asking for it
Anyway, I got to go home
But first a coffee
Waiting for the subway
I get mobbed
A small old woman says to me
"Do you know what time it is?"
Hey, I hit her in the face and push her onto the platform
I rush home and I get myself a ... can you guess?!
"Daddy, daddy,
I'm the best student in my class!"
Honey, what's up!!
Now stop annoying me!!
How stupid this kid is!!
And now he's starting to cry!!
I lock myself up in the kitchen!!
There's still a bit of coffee!!
It's been a while that I've locked myself up
I'm all alone in my kittchen and I drink coffee
I had better sleep
The police are going to arrest me
So I hide under a bank and I have another coffee
