In London, Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) is a wedding columnist for a popular newspaper. She has been in love with fellow colleague Jasper Bloom for three years and he has just gotten engaged to another colleague, the woman he cheated on Iris with. Over in Los Angeles, Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) is a highly successful movie trailer maker who has just broken up with her boyfriend and doesn’t shed a tear. Both women find each other on a home exchange website and both their worlds are turned upside down as they switch houses for two weeks. Along their journeys, Amanda learns to love and Iris learns to let go in this film by Nancy Meyers.
Iris has just been assigned to write about Jasper Bloom’s wedding. Iris and Jasper had been together for three years prior to this event, until Iris caught Jasper cheating on her with the woman Jasper is now marrying. Despite having found Jasper cheating on her, Iris stays friends with Jasper, being to in love with him to let go. At nine minutes and forty-five seconds, Iris is on her way home from the office party where the wedding was announced. The fact the love of her life refuses to love her back is tearing her up inside.
This shot is completely brilliant in my opinion. Iris is feeling completely alone, has no one by her side or loving her and in this shot two couples are on either side of her. This over-exemplifies the feeling that Iris is utterly alone. A couple frames after this one, three more couples pass her as well. Everyone around her has someone to love and be with and she is all by herself, small and lonely. The couple in front of her is also very tall, making her look ever more miniscule and pathetic. Like I said before, the fact that the love of her life is marrying someone else is tearing her up inside and this is clearly visible by the expression on her face. She is just looking down, lost and drowning in the feeling that she will never have anyone to love her back. The wide shot allows more people in the shot at a given time, so this makes the couples idea work so well. Being able to see all the couples and Iris.
When I was looking through the movie for snapshots, I figured that I was looking for a shot where a lot was happening. But then I saw this and when I really thought about it, realized this was a well planned out shot. Am I reading too much into it, or do you guys agree that the couples were put there for the exact reasons I explained?
I do think that it's correct that it was blatant that couple after couple are shuffling passed her--as though she's missing something they have, too slow to understand or be able to be part of what they have. Also, I think this displays how people feel when they don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse. When that person is not a part of your life, it seems like couples are sprouting up all around you, as though you are the only single one. It almost seems as though taunting you with your pain. It seems as thouugh the couples flying past Iris are doing just that. Flaunting their love in her face because she does not have it. It's not noticed when you have someone yourself. You never realize that everyone else has someone too because you're too busy becing involved with that person.
ReplyDeleteI think the couples were put there on purpose. I think that they were put there to sort of "taunt" Iris because she is alone in the world. Also, I think that the way the couples are coming towards her from the front and back are almost trapping her and won't let her escape her problems with love. She can't escape the fact that her ex-boyfriend is going to be marrying the woman that he cheated on her with.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that the couples were put on either sides of her for the same reasons. Placing Iris right in the middle of the frame makes her the center of attention and when you actually look into the shot, you see that she is also the only one that is alone. While the couples are most likely happy to be together, Iris has to deal with the fact that she is alone and the man that she is in love with is getting married to another woman. This shows through her devastated facial expression. I agree with what Julie said about the other couples coming from the back and front are almost like trapping her and she can't escape. It feels as though her biggest fear is not being able to find another person to love as much as she loves Jasper.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that the couples were purposely put in this scene to make Iris seem more desperate and alone. It's apparent that the way there are multiple couples walking past Iris, that they are showing off their happiness and all the more making her seem like she has no happiness in her life. She is alone in world where people are in love, surround her. Agreeing, she does seem small and pathetic because of her utter loneliness, she looks hopeless.
ReplyDeleteIf you saw the Seinfeld episode where George is thinking about marrying Susan, you will know what I am talking about here. George is thinking about asking Susan to marry him. While he is thinking about this he sees a bunch of couples holding hands and kissing. This inspires him to run off and ask Susan to marry him. I think this movie is using the same thing. This time to show how lonely she really is.
ReplyDelete