How does Arnold use the form of social realism to develop the character of Zoe?

 Social realist film characteristics:

Acting/Cast

- people from that environment depicted

- naturalistic acting ( e.g slang ) ,  often no big stars 

Filmmaking Style

- close-up shots 

- diegetic sound

- natural lighting 

- documentary style cinematography 

- long shots and wide shots

Character/Plot

- characters dealing with social issues and difficulties in that environment

- 'ordinary' people

Theme/Message

- social issues 

- political issues 

How does Arnold use the form of social realism to develop the character of Zoe? 

In this film, Arnold uses the form of social realism to develop the character of Zoe through his filmmaking. There were hand-held shots used throughout the film making the film very realistic projecting a true vision of what working class individuals experience in their daily life. The hand-held shots allow the viewer to feel as in they are in Zoe's position. Further, the tracking movement relays the true physical and emotional feelings of the character amongst the audience. The short film follows with  a mother of 4 whom evident from her actions, doesn’t have much to provide for her children as well as her priorities are sidetracked. It begins abruptly with in media-res, with the mother and her children marching frantically through a council estate barefoot and frowned faces. Her responsibilities as a mother are undermined when she begins violently wrestling with the woman, as well as commanding her children to swear at the woman. Arnold uses mid-en-scene by having the youngest child half naked with a lack of clothing, emphasising how Zoe is working class and cannot afford basic necessities for her children.  

In addition, Arnold uses naturalistic dialogue when she arranges to meet with an old friend called David, but lies to him and says that she’s babysitting her friends kids and that they aren’t in fact hers. This clearly implies that she is ashamed of her lifestyle by hiding her kids from him in order to meet him. Additionally, on the next scene we see Zoe looking through empty cupboards, and ends up feeding her children sugar. In this scene the scene the camera is placed at a low angle to perhaps imply that they have a downwards outlook on the world due to the poor living standards. Moreover, the audience sees that the house is messy, portraying how Zoe is in poverty, which can be relatable to multiple viewers, clearly representing social realism. An element of social realism is 'show not tell' meaning the viewer is shown poverty rather than being told what it is, and it's much easier to draw conclusions as they're common experiences that occur in society. 

Also, in the following scene, we see the children marching towards a pub looking slightly presentable whilst also complaining about how hungry they are. When they arrive, Zoe immediately enters the pub on her own, abandoning her children in a car park, further encapsulating her shame of her own kids, also presenting social issues such as neglect and desertion. Whilst in the pub there's many POV shots, as we are shown the struggle that Zoe is in when she is asked to buy Dave a pint but clearly has little money on her. From this, the audience begins to sympathise for Zoe as her and her children are deprived. She buys the kids some food to share amongst the 4 of them. This further emphasises how working class individuals have to be resourceful and ration most things as they are unable to stock up on necessities daily. Furthermore, we see time go on and it becomes dark, the kids appear more hungry and worn out as time passes by. 

We see Dave and Zoe head to his car where things begin to become intimate however parallel to this we see young children picking food up from the floor which immediately make the audience think about the children's neglecting, therefore making the audience sympathetic. Soon after west a wasp arrive on the baby's face making the other girls start screaming alarming Zoe. We begin to see a lot of commotion between the family and Zoe, making Dave realise that Zoe is their mother. The way the camera is held evokes the sense of turbulence becomes disorientating and confusing to watch but at the same time immerses the audience. Moreover, it amplifies a sense of instability and in-balance. in the family This scene portrayed how Zoe, despite of the difficulties, would still go to an extent to prioritise her children in certain situations. This definitely built up her character development.