#Home - Celebrating Imperfections
#Home is one of the most heartwarming and heartbreaking films of the year. One of the protagonists is Antony Oliver Twist, a screenwriter and director who's struggling to finish writing the ending of his 2nd film. Since his first film was a success, he has to face immense pressure from his producer, friends and family.
This is more of a personal thing for me since I write screenplays myself, and it is one of the most slow and frustrating experiences. For most of the time, you just sit in front of an empty screen contemplating your life and your skills. The film captures this thought process pretty well. It's a bit over-the-top too as it shows few crumbled pieces of paper, which to me is a bit too caricaturish.
The dual protagonist of the film is Antony's father named "Oliver Twist." His internal struggle is fitting in with the modern times. The very concept and features of a smartphone fascinates him. In the beginning, it's used for laughs, but this also becomes part of his downfall with his relationships. The comedy too is extremely hilarious, and it works mainly from the funny dialogues and the small human moments in families, which the film captures perfectly.
It even captures the minor judgmental glances you receive from relatives who're strangers to us. The awkward silence when our real selves are shown publicly, and how we worry about our perception in the eyes of others. How we hide our true feelings under the guise of a perfect and happy family.Watching this film with my family was probably the best way to watch this film because it's like the film just played moments we ourselves have been through.
Small moments like a parental figure afraid of climbing the escalator in malls, or those same figures trying to adapt into current times by attempting to learn to use these complicated devices that make our lives easier. Oliver's internal conflict is how his lack of adapting ruins his relationship with his son, as his simple minded actions embarrass his son.
The film could've easily made Antony an antagonistic figure, but there are scenes where we feel for him too. We feel empathetic towards both Antony and Oliver's situations, and we want them to make up for each other's mistakes and accept each other as flawed people. Oliver's lack of knowledge of the modern world makes him feel lonely. Antony's addiction to his electronic devices causes him to be extremely angry towards his loved ones.
The real life incident Oliver wanted to tell his son seems of insignificance at first. Because Oliver dismisses it for being too unrealistic, and his impatience blinds him to the real purpose of the tale. But later in the film, we realise the importance of that story, and how that progresses these people to become better. This was where the film wowed me.
The filmmaking here is stellar. Few instances threw me off sometimes. Such as many cuts simply break the 180 degree rule without any narrative purpose. But otherwise its pretty solid. In a scene where father and son bond as Oliver helps Antony writer a letter he needed written, Oliver prepares paper, ink ruler, and Antony watches in admiration, there are these intense and extreme close ups of the stationary objects, and of Oliver writing, to show the real importance of this scene and how it positively affects the relationship between father and son.
Visually speaking, the film is beautiful to look at. Contrasting colours such as orange and blue are used to create visually striking shots. In a narration scene, the bright colours of the grass add to the sense of nostalgia to the scene, and is also a visual separation between the time periods.
Is the film without faults? Not at all. Apart from the purposeless breaking of the 180 degree rule sometimes, the slightly overused overbearing music feels a bit jarring at times. Telling us how to feel rather than letting us feel the moment for ourselves. Some of the themes and messages of the film aren't at all subtle, and are told to us through exposition. And some scenes are a tad bit overdramatic.
But the still works as an emotional story about celebrating imperfections, and the negative affects of social media, and how people are quick to judge you and your worth, without even knowing the full context behind it all. Even the title "#Home" is of massive significance to the themes of the film. It's a moving tale about human beings. Their flaws, and all the kindness they're capable of. Extremely loved this film!
Thank Your for Reading
I hope you liked this blog review, please make sure to comment about your thoughts on the film, or on how I could possibly improve. Also follow my YouTube Channel "Detox with P-Talks Official" where I analyse movies and do other movie related content along with short films, etc.
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