Short Film Analysis: Rite
Rite is a short film by Michael Pearce. The film follows a father and his son as they try to reconnect over a football match. The film takes us through many trials such as the confrontations and the secret identity that the son is keeping. I have chosen to analyse Rite as it looks into the father son relationship whereas our film, Under Lock And Key, looks at the relationship between father and daughter however in a more unrealistic circumstance.
In the beginning sequence of Rite we see a man, who we later discover to be the boys father, driving his car and arriving at a house. He then takes a swig of what we presume is alcohol due to it being stored in a hit flask. From this we infer that he needs the drink either because he's an alcoholic, or the more likely reason, that he needs some courage to be able to meet up with his son. This could be due to a difficult relationship between the two men.
He then proceeds to lock his keys inside the car, implying that he is either drunk or a very unorganised forgetful man. The way he lingers outside the house taking deep breaths further implies that he is nervous and needed the drink to settle is nerves and give him courage, he is trying to make a good impression and hasn't got off to a good start as the woman in the house has witnessed his mistake and how he had to smash his own car window.
"You've done well for yourselves" implies that the dad hasn't been around for a while, not realising how well off the mother and son now are with him out of their lives. The son being in soft focus when first introduced to the father suggests that there is something different that could take a minute to get used to, like when telling a story you don't give them all the potentially "bad" news altogether, you do it a bit at a time. That is what I inferred from the use of soft focus here due to the facial piercings. The fact that he wishes his own son happy birthday giving him a hand shake suggests somethings off that it's not a normal father son bond.
All this sequence suggests that the father is anxious, he is nervous about meeting with his son as he is hoping to make a good impression and that they will bond. Throughout the film his nerves turn into aspiration as he is desperate to get the tickets for the match so that his son can have a good birthday and he can be the dad that got him the best present. Is aspiration soon rises to anger that he releases in the toilets and again outside the match. The son sees his father for the violent man he really is and asks "are you going to hit me" knowing that his father potentially has it in him. As the son leaves that father has time to cool down and realise his mistakes, He desperately wants to make amends with his son so he tries again. Realising his son is with his boyfriend he tries hard to make a good impression and be okay with his sons identity, finding that this is all the son wanted in the first place.
The son, Gary, also goes through many emotions during the film, he starts off as a fragile young boy seemingly nervous to meet his dad but also wanting to uphold his duty and impress his father. Throughout the film he becomes more withdrawn retreating into himself as he doesn't feel as though he fits in with his father and his friends at the pub. This develops into desperation to get away from this environment and his father, hoping to just get back to his reality. When his dad later finds him with his boyfriend he becomes hopeful but still skeptical. He hopes his dad will accept him for who he is and realise he is happy here. It's his comfort zone, his escape.
The film takes a very realistic approach focusing on the relationship between the two protagonists. The lighting used throughout the film coincides with reality especially in the final scene when natural lighting is used.
Throughout the film we are given small clues about the boys personality and identity. Through Mise-en-scene we see that he has facial piercings, dark nail polish on, and more "individual" clothing choices. This could be classed as one of the experiment phases of teenage years and the contrast between father and son is striking. The father is in "ordinary" clothing, just a T-shirt and jeans, completely opposite to the accessories that his son has added to his own outfit choice.
