Inja has minimal dialog, most of it in a different language. To make up for this it utilizes context and a variety of smart shots. The first things we see is a shot of servants working in a field. The second shot of the film we see a young boy, Thembile, playing with a puppy. In the next shot, Thembile is raising a flag. He is seen looking up at the flag and struggling to tie it to the pole. This seems to represent the struggle that the country and it’s people are going through at this time. Later in the film, there is another shot of Thembile raising the flag and this time the flag has changed. Thembile is now an adult and he no longer struggles with the flag. This hints towards the country being in a better place, along with it’s native people. These scenes in particular are amazing because of how much they express with no dialogue.
In class we watched a couple opening scenes to movies, one of these being Bambi. Bambi and Inja share many similarities in their scenes and dialogue. In both movies, characters are introduced with minimal dialogue. In general, both movies begin with a cheerful vibe. In Bambi, the deer are happy to find a fresh patch of spring grass. In Inja, Thembile is happily playing with the dog. In both movies, the happiness is quickly taken away. In Inja the boy is forced to let his dog be beaten and ultimately looses the dogs trust and in Bambi he looses his mother to a hunter.
Both movies utilize a wide array of shots. In Inja close up shots are frequently used in order to emphasize emotion and make it relatable to the audience. In Bambi, especially when Bambi is running into the forest, lots of wide, panning shots are used. This shows how alone and small Bambi is now that he is vulnerable in the big, dark forest. Both movies also make use of fast cuts and scenes. In Inja, the pace is overall pretty slow, but there are a lot of fast and short cuts in each scene. The scenes we saw in Bambi were a lot more fast paced and suspenseful. Bambi also used a lot of fast cuts, but it was in a completely different way, showcasing the speed and intensity of the scene.
Another thing the two movies do very well is how they use sound. In Inja you see the dog get put into the bag and you hear kicking and whimpering off screen. This tells the audience that the boss is kicking the dog without having to actually show it. In Bambi a gunshot is heard as Bambi runs, letting the audience figure out that the mother was killed without having to actually show or tell them.
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