Glory at Sea Critique

1) Provide a brief description of the film.
The film is about a group of people who were recently victims of a terrible storm, which resulted in a flood, and multiple deaths of family members and friends came about.  It all started with a man who tried to built a boat, after having lost his girlfriend, whom all we know about her is her name, Tess.  The man begins building the boat, and has a slow start, but eventually, town members come join him, providing their most precious treasures to the effort of building the boat.  The boat gets built, and the group sales off, with all those who built it.  They sale into the night and till the next day.  Out of nowhere, the man who began building the boat in the first place jumps in the water and starts searching for his drowned girlfriend.  At the same time, the boat begins to crumble, and everyone but the Reverend fall into the water.  The ending scene is all the people who built the boat embrace their loved ones.


2) What is the overall tone or mood of the film?
The overall mood in the beginning is a sense of curiosity and hope.  No one has any idea why they are building a boat, they built it because they felt something that they "just knew" needed to be done.  Towards the end, a sense of closure, happiness, and relief is the dominant theme as we see our protagonists finding hope again.


3) How does the dialog influence the film?
Dialogue wasn't common.  It helped greatly because actions are much more powerful than words, so watching was more enjoyable.  The lack of dialogue also let the viewer find their interpretation of the film, most importantly the ending because the ending is abstract, and with no dialogue as a guideline, makes the viewer think.


4) In what ways does the cinematography affect the film?
The cinematography was interesting. I felt like I was watching a cross between an actual hollywood film and a home movie.  It wasn't too believable or realistic, but it gave about a "imaginative or dream-like" feeling to it, making it incredibly enjoyable.


5) What scene or part of a scene do you like the best? Why?
My favorite scene was the one where everyone fell into the water and then began embracing their lost loved ones.  It brought a sense of closure, and allowed the characters to say good-bye, one last time.  Personally, I thought the people died in the crashing of the boat, but they died with their family and friends and lovers, and they died together, so they are in a much better place.


6) What is your opinion of the film?

Great film.  It brought back those memories of making forts out of pillows from the couch and the imagination that came along with it.  The film contained a great metaphor for getting back on your feet after a disaster or hardship, and provided a colorful method on how to bounce back, even though it may not be the best option to take.