Looking_for_Alibrandi_and_Changing_Perspectives

From what you have seen so far, what changes in perspective are evident and what film techniques have been used to convey them' Josephine Alibrandi is intelligent and dramatic, funny and observant as well as being quite self-absorbed. Initially, the audience are let in to observe director Kate Woods’s interests in telling the tale of Josie’s coming of age; religion, sexuality, feminism, and the importance of female friendship and guidance to this maturing young woman. Well into the film, after the audience has begun to develop an understanding of who Josie is, she begins to address her experiences and feelings as an Italian-Australian living in inner Sydney suburbia. Josie provides a voice over for the entirety of the film. Through her voice over narration, Josie gives a brief overview of what’s going on, letting us know any important background information. This helps us to understand ideas in the film because Josie’s feelings and thoughts are revealed through the voice over’s. Her own feelings of not belonging, cultural and class differences, love and family are expressed through the voice over’s. These ideas are major themes in the film. It has the effect of making us connect more with Josie and other central characters, as we are taken on a journey through her own thoughts. The voice over in Looking for Alibrandi also adds humour to the storyline. “Dear Guinness Book of Records. I’ve just been on a ten minute date. Is that a record'” The voice over provides a unique insight of being a teenager. This successfully shows the pain and happiness that comes with growing up. In the opening scenes, we are introduced to theme, character and plot through music. An Italian song provides the background music as we meet the central characters and are introduced to the setting of the film. The filming of the opening scene suggests almost, that we the audience, are visualizing Josie’s family through her eyes. Her sneering and sardonic expression encapsulates her feelings towards her family and Italian culture, this is captured when Josie says; “I actually find this really embarrassing – You’d think they’d never left Scissile except that it was like, 50 years ago”. Josie’s expression is glum and appears to not be engaging in the Tomato Day festivities. We, the audience expect to be greeted with an energetic party scene, but instead we see the expression on Josie’s face, suggesting her isolationism within her family and her feelings towards “National bloody Wogg day” as cliché and stereotypical. In the film Looking For Alibrandi, there is a strong connection between the opening and closing scenes. The title of the film suggests to us that Josie is trying to find herself, her family heritage and her culture. One of the first visual technouqes the audience is introduced to is sepia tone. The first scene has a ‘yellowness’ about it visually, giving the audience the distinct feeling that Josie feels that ‘Tomato Day’ is an old fashion and out dated tradition. The opening title sequence also begins with only the sound of an aeroplane flying over head symbolizing Josie’s feelings of wanting to get away, escape and find herself. “I’ve GOT to get out of here”. “I’m moving out of little Scissile - I’m going places”. This is a reoccurring symbol, as it appears several other times during intense and important times throughout the film. In the beginning, the aeroplane is seen taking off, where as in the end of the film, it is seen landing, suggesting Josie has changed her perspective of her family and accepted them as well as herself and her culture. The opening scene is accompanied by the sound of traditional Italian music playing without a visual, successfully engaging the audience as they attempt to convey their own idea’s of the event behind the music. This is later strongly contrasted when Josie decides to change the record currently playing, from traditional Italian to a modern rock track illustrating Josie’s world outside her Italian heritage and family, e.g. her friends and adolescent lifestyle. When we are introduced to St. Martha’s, opera with a rising melody provides the background music. This again contrasts both the family and social life with that of the school life. St. Martha’s is a highly prestige’s school in Sydney, with Josie only enrolled there on a scholarship. Her highly turbulent relationship with fellow student Carly Bishop is shown in two particular lines from Carly aimed at Josie; “My father’s next segment will be about ‘Wogg’s on hand outs.” Josie: “Bitch” Carly: “At least I’m not a bastard.” Josie then has a day dream sequence in which Carly is depicted as a famous model, signing autographs and with paparazzi all around her. This day dream is indicative of Josie’s own profound anxieties about her own social status and possible future. The notable absence of Josie’s father is also clear when a scene and narration by Josie depicts fathers dropping off their daughters outside St. Martha’s. Your perspectives are often determined by how you were brought up, your morals, ethics, and status. As Josie points out at the beginning of this scene: “At St. Martha’s it’s all about money, prestige, and what your father does for a living.” “I’m surrounded by girls whose father’s treat them like princesses…they think they have everything, and you know what' They do.” Freeze frame and Flash forward is another technique used throughout the film to add to the humour and drama in the story. It is through Josie’s eyes that we see these flash forward scenes. These flash forward scenes are accompanied by Josie’s narration. The freeze frames that anticipate the flash forward scenes are a way of getting Josie’s perspective of what is happening. Events are exaggerated and dramatised through the colourful imagination of Josie. Michael Andretti's arrival to Sydney is turbulent and surprised Josie immensely. Initially, Josie feels Christina and herself are doing fine without him and have done so for the past 17 years. At their first meeting, Michael asked whether Josie is Christina's daughter. The situation intensifies as Josie glares at Michael, and wants to make him feel worthless and unwanted. "My mother had me young.” After that statement, Michael's face went pale and he looked at her at absolute disbelief. Josie's audacity and hatred towards Michael was shown in the conversation that they had at the barbeque. The situation gets heated when Josie defends herself as well as her mother by spitting poison words at her father; “Be rude, get angry, but don’t you dare act as if I’m not here.” After Josie gets into a fight at school with Carly Bishop, breaking her nose and ‘potentially ending her modelling career’, Carly’s father threatens to sue. In the spur of the moment, Josie says her father is a barrister and he is called up to the school. The incident is cleared up by Michael, resulting in Carly’s father deciding not to take the case any further. As Josephine is walking along side her father, it is at this moment when she has a change of perspective. She has a moment of realization that she in fact, enjoys the feeling of having her father around. She feels proud to have her father walking along side her through the school halls, showing the other girls that she too has a father, and indeed is not ‘the immaculate conception.’ Subconsciously, Josie almost forgives Michael for the years of absence in her life, and begins to enjoy and welcome his presence. The film has demonstrated that change of perspective can be triggered by singular events. In the novel Looking for Alibrandi change doesn’t always come from Josie but from other characters in the book as demonstrated by Michael’s change. As the film progresses, Josephine and Michael begin to bond together with Michael offering Josie a part time job as a secretary at his firm, as well as giving her driving lessons. Michael faces a change also in his perspective on fatherhood. He is at first sceptical, and is unsure of how to act, but as events unfold, such as the incident with Carly’s broken nose, he feels accepting and welcoming to his new role as a father. Josie always knew deep down that if Michael had been aware of Christina’s pregnancy, he would have come back. Michael’s change in perspective is a gradual one come by with knowledge and understanding. “Well, get used to it, Josephine, because there are a lot of name callers out there and if you have to thump every single one of them with you History book then you'll be spending the rest of life paying legal fees.” “My apologies for disturbing your life! Just go and I'll fix this up myself.” The film Looking For Alibrandi explores how Josie’s perspectives change.