Me,Earl and the Dying girl Flashcards
Who directed Me, Earl?
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
What company produced it?
Indian Paintbrush
When was it made?
2015
Key ideas of the specialist writing by Debruge
The idea that the film is a ‘weepy’ or the opposing idea that the director ‘downplays the sentimentality’ of the films’ themes.
The casting and performance of Thomas Mann as Greg is one of the best parts of the film and key to the audience’s enjoyment.
Debruge suggests that the film ‘defies formulas, takes risks and resonates on a deeper level” than a studio-made film.
“The camera hardly ever sits still, offering odd wide-angle perspectives and panning in big, self-conscious maneuvers with nearly every shot. Such a flashy approach comes at enormous risk, obviously, since it draws attention to all the clever surface choices when we should really be trying to focus on the connections being made onscreen.”
Cinematography in the opening scene
Cinematography: dynamic camerawork and unusual angles (like bird’s eye view) and movement (like pivots and whip pans), tracking shots
Mise en scene in the opening scene
Initial contrast between the dimly-lit bedroom where Greg attempts to start the story and the brightly colored primary colors of the animations and the school, Greg’s costume doesn’t fit into any of these groups( stoners, jocks, ‘drama geeks’) emphasizing his social detachment and there is Typical ‘high school’ imagery
Editing in the opening scene
Stop-motion animation establishes them as creative and imaginative, the camera cuts from high-angle shots that ‘float’ above the crowds to shots of Greg at eye level so we are immersed in each social scene
Sound in the opening scene
Greg’s voiceover narrates the action throughout the entire film, but he begins his story by reflecting on how most stories’ openings are meaningless and inadequate, which sets the irreverent tone of the film and also introduces us to Greg’s imaginative but meandering stream-of-consciousness, and his sense of detachment from the other high school social groups.
Cinematography in the days on doomed friendship scene
Still image: For the next five minutes the camera remains in this single, fixed shot, in contrast with the kinetic cinematography of the rest of the film - lending it weight and significance.
Rachel is in the foreground, filling the left-hand side of the screen where we can see the emotional reactions on her face.
Greg is in the background, far smaller on the right. For once, the film seems to stop being about Greg and instead focuses on Rachel’s experience - and her decision to stop her chemotherapy.
The huge space between the characters visually links to what she says about Greg being “invisible and detached” (they also barely look at each other during this scene).
Mise en scene in the days of doomed friendship scene
The ‘quirky’ decor of Rachel’s room is a subject of joking between her and Greg- especially her cushions, which she now uses to defuse the awkwardness.
There is also a glow from the window that makes her seem almost angelic. Her shaved head indicates the impact chemo is having on her and visually stresses her reasons for giving up treatment.
Editing in the days of doomed friendship scene
The first minute is a repeated montage of Greg arriving and Rachel in different emotional states.
After 01:01:32, this stops and the shot is still and unbroken - this marks its significance in the narrative and, for the first time, the fact we are seeing things from Rachel’s perspective, ‘outside’ Greg’s narrative.
Sound in the days of doomed friendship scene
The rest of the scene starts light-heartedly (about Greg in a tux), moves into more serious territory (Rachel reveals she knows about the film), and then she drops the ‘bombshell’ - that she is stopping her treatment.
We don’t hear Greg’s reactions in voiceover during this scene, which combines with the framing of the shot
to put the emphasis on Rachel’s experience.
