Kylas Film Journal

 In the film “Everything Everywhere All At Once” many different elements that are the reality of many people’s lives. It explores cultural identity’s, gender roles, mental health, and more. All of the themes in this film were very important and held a lot of symbolism. There is a huge amount of deep meaning inside of a film full of other dimensions and ‘what if’s’.      The film dives into cultural identity, it shows the struggle of an immigrant family balancing traditional values of the modern American family, like two different worlds going on at once. It explores gender roles with stereotypes, especially by showing the expectations for woman, who they are told they should be with, and the complexity behind this. When it comes to mental health the film showed what it’s like to live with anxiety and a constant flow of many different thoughts that are all going on at once. The film doesn’t shy away from the chaos of the mind, it uses the multiverse concept as a metap...

 In the film “13th” the director brings awareness to the ugliness of the United States. The message of the 13th is communicated through a combination of powerful interviews with activists, scholars, and politicians all with different view points. There are data visuals and historical footage of the overlooked racism in our world. Watching 13th makes you think deeply about the roots of racial injustice and how the criminal justice system has been used as a tool of oppression. The combination of factual evidence and personal testimony makes the message of the film clear and makes viewers reflect on the roles within the economy.          Throughout the film many different figures are interviewed, there are interviews coming from individuals who have been personally been hurt by the cruel criminal justice system, to interviews coming from people who at some point were part of the problem. This really goes to show different point of views. The editing of th...

After researching auteurs, it is definitely clear to see that Jordan Peele is a great example of one! An auteur is a filmmaker that has their own very distinct style or vision that shines in all of their films. They make every one of their films have a special, personal touch, it is a signature in knowing the film must belong to them. Jordan Peele is considered an auteur because of his unique blend of horror, comedy, and sharp storytelling that belongs to him. His movies “Get out”, “Us”, and “Nope” all have this special touch that you can spot from a mile away.      “Get out”, “Us”, and “Nope”, all belonging to Jordan Peele all have a very specific story telling style. In all three films the plot is not completely uncovered until the third act. They start off pretty confusing, and as it goes along small things are hinting at symbolizing the big plot that is uncovered in the third act. All three films start with almost a sneak peak from the past before a director liable, a...

   Moonlight is not just a film, but a powerful journey into identity, self discovery, and stereo-types. The film takes a deep dive into the struggles of Chiron through his sexuality, family, and community. The themes of the film help to guide us through everything. The film splits Chirons life into three parts- Little, Chiron, and Black and does more than just show time passing by. This structure helps the audience to connect on a deeper level with all of Chirons struggles at every stage, making his journey feel real and personal. It like we are right there with him navigating those moments of life with him.    The structure of this story is very important in the storytelling of the film. It shapes a connection between the audience and our main character Chiron by aging us along side him by showing us what we need to know to understand him during his stages of life. We are able to see through the eyes of Little, Chiron, and Black to get the understanding of what it ...

 In “The Quiet Place” silence isn’t just background noise, but it is the main character in a game of survival. The film directors used sound and the idea of it being deadly to really drive home the entire film. Sound editing and mixing is very important to dialogue. There are many important scenes throughout the film, but a couple that I chose to use in order to represent the use of sound and lack of it in the film.      One scene that stood out to me is the opening scene that is used to set the mode for the entire rest of the film. The family of 5 is walking along a bridge after being inside an a grocery store. Everything feels peaceful and quiet until the youngest child in the back turns on a toy with a little siren. He is then killed by a death angel as his father is running towards him. This scene is important because it shows us as an audience how even the smallest of sounds is so deadly in their scenario. The sound editing and syncing is important because we go...

      In the film “Whiplash” the editing is what captures the audience’s attention, and makes the whole film. There are a lot of editing shots throughout the whole film that add emotion and suspense. One big detail that I noticed was that in every scene where there is a conversation, the editing uses a shot reverse shot to show us all sides of the conversation.     One scene that’s editing really stood out was Andrew Neiman's ending drum solo. When Andrew steps on stage he has confidence and is ready to play his old music after a long break. Fletcher steps on stage and with a shot reverse shot shows the news Fletcher shares that changes Andrews whole demeanor. He then does his own thing to steal the show. Throughout the whole scene the shots go from the drum set to Andrew to the sweat and blood coming from him. The pacing feels fast and the cuts are jumping around the stage. Emotions are high and the editing adds the intensity of the scene.     Another...