English Analysis

Start at 6:08
Analysis

Ben Sax
Per 1
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Mrs. Wecker

Family over Fortune

In the movie Click, it tells a story about a man, Michael Newman, who obtains a powerful remote control that enables him to control time at his own will. So, when he abuses his power, he causes all sorts of mayhem, from getting a fellow co-worker to lose his job, to never being able to spend time with his children. This is due to the remote taking over when Michael fast-forwards when certain criteria is met in his life that he wants to skip. However, Michael is able to overcome this, and puts aside his own fortune with the remote, even sacrificing his own life for the sake of his family. This can be seen in the hospital scene, where the director uses lighting, camera angles, and symbols to show how Michael has dedicated himself to his family, abandoning his previous self in order to put those he loves before his fortune, and committing himself to a life-threatening, nearly impossible situation.

Throughout the scene where Michael finally realizes the importance of his family, the director uses lighting to show the change that Michael had is going through. Before that scene, Michael had always been in a sort of light, which shows how he was kept in his own world, safe in his own fortune thanks to the remote. However, in the hospital scene, he becomes darker, which shows how he had a change of mind. The lower contrast is not used to show Michael becoming more evil, but rather it emphasizes how he is no longer tricked by the light, which represents his feelings of personal gain and not thinking of family, but rather of business. The director also uses lighting as a temptation for Michael to abandon his family and forever remain in a deceiving light of his business self. This is seen in how the character Morty always had his face more illuminated, and how he was trying to dissuade Michael from going out of the hospital. That is how the director uses lighting to show how Michael abandoned his previous principles for his family.

Camera angles also reveal a hidden message throughout the scene. While Michael is running outside of the hospital in order to reach his family, there are no high angle shots present. Most of the shots of Michael are on level with Michael or underneath him, adding to the sense that Michael has determination of getting to his family and accomplishing the task. However, the camera angles also show how the task of Michael contacting his family is nigh impossible. This is seen in the high angle, Bird's Eye view of Michael running towards the car that his son, Ben, and his daughter, Samantha, are getting into. This emphasizes that even though Michael is now determined to get to his family, the odds are against him, and it seems like an almost impossible undertaking.

The director also uses symbols to convey ho Michael forsook his own fortune in order to atone to his family. One such symbol is the exit door of the hospital. The camera zooms in on the door, giving it a more ominous feeling, but it also represents how Michael is exiting his old way of life in order to fix his family, and ultimately cause his downfall. The hospital itself also represents Michael's old life, and how he wanted to change his life. That is why, even though he was in critical condition, Michael refused to adhere to his old ways anymore and turned his back on the hospital, thus turning his back on saving his old life and fortune.

The director used lighting, camera angles and symbols to convey how Michael had forsook his own fortune in order to make amends to his family. He went so far as to run out of the hospital to talk to his son, and tell him that "family comes first", not the family business. That is how far Michael is willing to go in order to save his family.