Personal view- Fisticuffs

Personal view

• Identify ways in which the film chosen corresponds to the form in question
• What effect do the creative choices made by the filmmaker have on the viewer
• Make reference to the Bordwell and Thompson film art extract discussed in the session

Fisticuffs by Miranda Pennell
Personal view

Fisticuffs is a short film that uses a personal view approach to tell the story. Fisticuffs corresponds to this form as the story shows the events taking place with the main character at the centre. Although the film doesn't use a Point Of View shot we can tell the story is still being told through this character and from his point of view. At the start of the film he enters the pub, due to one action he makes a fight breaks out between the protagonist and another character. We then see the main character enter the pub again, he makes sure the previous action does not occur and moves further into the pub. This time some other incident occurs causing a fight to break out between the protagonist and a different character in the pub. This implies that the story is being told from the protagonists point of view as we see the different attempts he make to prevent a fight, however he fails, and starts again. It shows the protagonists interpretation of these events and the uses cause effect for the narrative to progress. However fisticuffs does include some formal elements due to it's repetition. Therefore i believe this is a good film for me to look at as I am hoping to make a film with a personal view approach but also include some formal elements, such as the repetitions of a sequence, to imply repetition in life but also in the voices and how she can never escape them.
Looking at the Bordwell and Thompson Film Art Extract it discusses how "the film maker may wish to express personal experiences or view points in ways that would seem eccentric in a mainstream context." I feel that this is what Miranda Pennell is doing with Fisticuffs as it shows the events taking place without POV shots yet as an audience we still know we are following the protagonist and that we are watching from his Point Of View.
The creative choices made by the film maker makes the audience question themselves. The repetition used throughout implies that how no matter how hard you try to stop it the inevitable will still occur. As your watching the protagonist going round and round repeating himself and getting no where you start to question yourself and whether or not your getting anywhere and where all this is leading. It takes you quite deep without really realising as you overthink every move. Just because that person dropped a glass did i need to react in that way, was there a purpose to that?



Citations:

• Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2004). Film art: An introduction. Boston: McGraw-Hill.