'A Map of the World' by Vera Graziadei Analysis (Ella)

Media Language

The film starts and the title fades in, accompanied by calm music, mainly xylophone sounds. The style of the title has a handwritten look to it, as if it's written by a child. Having suggested that, the title and style of music could imply a childlike atmosphere to the film.

It begins with a fade from black to an medium shot of an alarm clock, the diegetic sound of its alarm going off which switches to a female voice reporting the news. It then cuts to a medium close up of a man lying in bed, therefore introducing the main character. He is rudely awakened by a torch light being shone in his face. His expression shows tired annoyance and confusion.

The image is blurry, obviously showing what the man is seeing having just woken up. The lighting is soft and slightly golden, very much like the morning sun. A small figure can be seen holding a torch, and the audience instantly see its a child due to their dialogue and voice style.

A second child then appears, much more energetic than the first, shouting and squealing and jumping on the bed. It cuts to a few medium shots of the children jumping around, before cutting to a long shot of the reflection of the man sitting up in bed, his expression and body language clearly showing his annoyance at this situation.

A series of medium shots and long shots, joined together by a high frequency of cuts, then begins, showing the man playing reluctantly with his children. The voice of the radio reporter can still be heard, and it is unclear whether it is diegetic or non-diegetic, but the extra noise adds to the confusion and action taking place. His slumped body language suggests he is still tired and doesn't want to be doing this, and his expression shows he is frustrated and annoyed. The camera movement is handheld, mirroring the children's rowdiness and excitement.

When the man tries to 'hide' behind the magazine, it cuts to an medium close up of the man looking at the magazine. His expression shows fascination and discovery, and proceeds to cut up the page. The voice of the reporter dies down to a muffle and music begins playing; this suggests something has changed and the man has regained control.

After he leaves, the children immediately get to work. An medium close up shows them struggling with the tape, and a slow pan shows the boy's puzzled expression, all suggesting that they will find this task challenging. An extreme close up reveals his calm and distant face, contrasting what can finally be heard on the radio.

The camera cuts to an long shot of the man confronting his children. At this point, the voice of the reporter has died down again so it can barely be heard. His expression shows he is shocked that they managed to put the map back together, and the parallel editing that shows the children jumping around in excitement also shows their happiness at that fact. The camera is at a high angle, as if the children have more power here.


Of course, after he asks how they did it, they reveal their secret and the man is bewildered and somewhat annoyed that he was outsmarted. The xylophone music returns, almost suggesting their childish innocence.

He stares at his daughter, an medium shot showing that he is clearly agitated. She then outstretches her hand to him, and his expression changes. The camera tracks him up the stairs as he walks towards them.

This shows that no matter how much of a job they are or how much they annoy him, they are still his children and he still loves them.

Representation

This short film solely represents age, as it focuses on the children. Their age group, around the ages of 4 to 7, is clearly represented as loud and excitable, as most young children are. As they are very young, they require attention from their parents, so they jump around and make as much noise as possible so their dad can play with them.

When the man leaves them to 'put the world back together', they obviously struggle to do this. Children of their age don't have a full grasp on the concept of the world, so they would find this specific task difficult.

Also, alongside this, the reporter on the radio talks about news that is going on in other countries, mainly ones at war. The whole 'piecing the world back together' could be hinting at that, because the world is falling apart, and the children are helping to put it back together (metaphorically). This is representation of the world and economy as a whole.

The children then show off their work. It surprises the father because he didn't expect them to do it, but, being children, they found an easier option. This annoys the father, but as previously stated, he still loves them no matter what. They are still very young and only just beginning to understand things, but they still need their father, hence the girl reaching out to him.

Narrative

Todorov's theory can easily be applied to this short film. Before the man wakes up, everything is normal, so it's the equilibrium.

Then the children come in as the obvious disruption, both of the man's peace and quiet and the plot.

The confrontation stage lasts for most of the film. The father 'plays' with his children, but it doesn't seem to be doing anything as they just keep going. It's only when he finds the magazine does the next stage begin.

As always, the resolution is quite short and the children quickly finish the map. This then leads on to the new equilibrium as the man realises that no matter what, he still loves his children.