REPRESENTATIONBY MARTIKA DUPIGNY-WILLIAMS

AMY PARSONSWITHIN OUR FILM “IF I LEAVE” AMY PARSONS IS THE MAIN PROTAGONIST, SHE IS PRESENTED AS A DEPRESSED AND SECLUDED TEENAGE GIRL. THIS IS SUGGESTED THROUGH HER BODY LANGUAGE DUE TO HER SUBMISSIVE STATURE, E.G. WHEN HER MOTHER YELLS AT HER. THE CLOTHING SHE WEARS IS BLACK EXCEPT THE JEANS OVER SHIRT SHE HAS ON. BLACK IS NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH FUNERALS THEREFORE FORESHADOWING HER POSSIBLE FATE; THIS IS REINFORCED BY THE LOWKEY LIGHTING USED AS WELL AS HER PALE SKIN. THEREFORE SHE GOES AGAINST THE STEREOTYPE THAT TEENAGE GIRLS ARE OUTGOING AND PROMISCUOUS; ON THE OTHER HAND, SHE DOES CONFORM TO THE STEREOTYPE THAT TEENAGE GIRLS ARE INSECURE. THIS RELATES TO JOHN FISKE’S THEORY OF HOW GENERIC CONVENTIONS EMBODY CRUCIAL IDEOLOGICAL CONCERNS AS SHE IS A REPRESENTATION OF THE STRUGGLES MANY TEENAGERS GO THROUGH.

AMY’S MOTHER

AMY’S MOTHER IS ONE OF THE ANTAGONISTS OF THE FILM. SHE IS REPRESENTED AS A MENTALLY UNSTABLE CHARACTER WHICH IS PORTRAYED THROUGH THE USE OF CINEMATOGRAPHY AND DIEGETIC DIALOGUE. E.G. IN THE SCENE WHERE SHE BURSTS INTO THE LIVING ROOM AS AMY SETTLES DOWN. HER MALICIOUS ACTS OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ABUSE TOWARDS HER DAUGHTER COULD BE HOW SHE VENTS HER FRUSTRATIONS; THIS PURE HATRED IS POSSIBLE TO BE THE REPERCUSSIONS OF HOW SHE WAS TREATED AS A CHILD. THEREFORE THIS CHARACTER GOES AGAINST THE STEREOTYPE THAT WOMEN ARE SHY AND PASSIVE AS SHE IS PRESENTED AS A VERY DOMINANT AND AGGRESSIVE CHARACTER THROUGH HER ROLE. THIS RELATES TO ESCAPISM AS SHE DISTRACTS HERSELF BY SEEKING ENTERTAINMENT FROM THE DISTRESS OF AMY.