Film Analysis (By Kasey Swift)

About a Girl
I have chosen to analyse the short film “About a Girl” directed Brian Percival. The film was made back in 2001 and lasts for 9 minutes. The film was filmed and set in the North West England. The film is a drama about a teenage girl who tells the story of her normal life as she walks down the side of a canal, as the film goes on the viewer sees that there is more to the story then the girl telling the audience.
The film opens with a shot of the main character singing a Britney spears song, the shot it’s self is very visual as the girl is silhouetted standing in a field and the blue sky behind her. This shot is the cut to the next which is a medium close-up of the girl talking and walking, she has a strong accent which tells us that the film is set in North West England and also in the backdrop is a built-up area of Manchester. As the girl continues to walk she talks randomly about her family and her desire to become a singer. She monologues about her relationship with her parents whom have split and also hints at a violent past between them “Cun’t tell what wa blood or strawberry sauce” as she reminisces about a family holiday. Also she tells about the singing group she has formed with friends. Through out her speech it is interrupted by scenes showing some of the actual events (Carrying shopping with her mum and sister, in a cafe with her dad and on a bus with her friends singing.)
As the girl continues talking and walking the feeling of the film becomes more and more uncomfortable as the actual experiences don’t seem to match up with what she is retelling. The end scene is quite shocking as the girl throws the carrier bag that she has been carrying through out the film into the canal after stating that she is “good at hiding things”, the last shot shows a dead baby sinking into the canal.