Visual Text Essay question: "About a Boy"
Analyse how links between the beginning and end help you understand a main theme or issue.
The Film "About a Boy" by the Weitz brothers shows the development of the protagonist, Will from an isolated, selfish, dishonest and consume fixated man who escapes from meaningful relationships to a caring, selfless and honest man who finally understands that he needs other people to be happy. This development is noticeable in the first and the last scene through links between the voiceover, camera movement, the setting and the actor's performance.
"No man is an island" This phrase presents one main question of the film. It is a metaphor for Will's attitude of life and appears several times in the movie. It especially links the first and the last scene of the Film, but the idea of this phrase is developed and interpreted differently.
In the first scene "No man is an island" is introduced by the TV on the TV show "Who wants to be a Millionaire".
WILL CHAMBERS
WILL MITCHELL
WILL CHAMBERSThis fact underlines Will's consume fixed attitude at the beginning of the Film. The Voiceover of Will develops the idea of the phrase through the scene. In his opinion " All men are islands" and you don't have to depend on other people when you create your own island paradise defined by "TV, DVD and home espresso makers". Furthermore Will identifies himself as Ibiza what represents detachment and isolation.
In the last scene the voiceover of Will defines his opinion over the question "no man is an islands" new: "some men are part of island chains" and "below the surface they are connected" this shows that Will finally understands his need to be close to others. Thus he allowed Marcus to be in his life, what...