Short Film 'Connect' Analysis

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 CONNECT

Narrative feature 

Feature establishing protagonist - what information do we find out? How is it conveyed?

  • We are presented with a woman standing on a crowded bus as she gradually changes her view of the world. It starts with her waiting for the bus in the dark at a bus stop, and when the bus arrives, everyone begins pushing each other out of the way competing for available seats, therefore causing her to be the last to get on the bus where she's obligated to stand. 
  • The bus begins to move and the woman puts her headphones on, which could portray an attempt to drown out her surroundings and escape from reality.
  • She is filled with a sense of hostility and ignorance from the rest of the people on board, shown when she pictures a man pulling out a gun and shooting a lady to take her seat. 
  • Her view of the hostile environment on the bus changes when she makes contact with a passenger. She brushes the hands of that passenger, forming a connection/bond with him. 
  • After that, she perceives the other passengers on the bus in a different light, dancing in unison which symbolises their common connections which is how they're all waiting to arrive at their destinations.
Establishing other characters - what information do we find out? how is it conveyed?
  • On a busy bus, everyone is sat emotionless, however, if you look deeper into their lives, you will see people travelling home from long shifts at work, struggling with their own problems.
  • She pictures the man shooting a woman in the head for his own self-gain. This could be a metaphor for people's selfishness and hostility
  • The woman perceiving everyone in the bus as hostile could symbolise the common approach to strangers daily, however, she gradually sees the connection that they all have.
Establishing location (time and place) - what information do we find out? how is it conveyed?
  • The Oyster Card and Oyster Card reader suggest that it's set in London
  • Takes place in a busy city, shown through the rush to get on the bus
  • It is set on a bus which is a mode of transport, this creates a sense of realism
  • The confined space of the bus could be acting as a microcosm for wider society, portraying the different perspectives that people see in the world
Creating Enigmas - what are they? how are they created?
  • When the man pulls out the gun, we expect to see the journey on the bus to turn into a journey of violence
Narrative Binary Oppositions

  • Isolation Vs Connection
  • Her positive outlook and the negativity of the people on the bus
Crisis - how was this conveyed?
  • On the bus, she reaches for the man's hand repeatedly showing that she feels some sort of physical connection between them
  • When he brushes his hand against hers they both smile and look happy, which juxtaposes from the overall moon on the bus with people sat looking straight-faced and not speaking to each other
Resolution - is it a closed or open narrative?
  • It's an open narrative as there are many other achievable scenarios
  • The woman and the man could probably meet again at some point
  • Her point of view towards society has changed
Meaning and Effect

What did you think was the intention of the filmmaker(s)? Intellectual message? Emotional Response?
  • The director's intentions could be that the film focused on the people on the bus acting as a microcosm for wider society. 
  • The way she views people reflects the way people view the world.
  • She watches a man shoot a lady just to take her seat which acts as a metaphor for selfishness
  • The violent connotations could be highlighting the terror that is happening all over the world; it can happen anywhere from anyone
  • The fact that the rest of the people on the bus paid no attention to what happened could portray people in society who overlook situations like these and show a lack of support for those in need.
How was the response/intellectual message best achieved?
  • Long takes to emphasise a form of realism
  • Cuts between her point of view of the people on the bus and close-ups of her, which shows us what she is imagining
Aesthetic binary oppositions
  • No aesthetic differences between the woman's imagination and reality
Effect of these oppositions
  • Blurs the lines between reality and her imagination
  • Makes the audience question whether her interaction and connection with the man was real



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