3d render of a dog wearing a hard hat and carrying a spanner in its mouth
Inja introduces its characters with very little, or almost no dialogue. We see our main character, the young boy, leading a dog around which shows us that he cares for animals and is probably a compassionate and nice kid. He then goes to raise the old flag of apartheid South Africa, but cuts off a piece of the rope holding it up. This subtly shows that he most likely doesn’t respect the Afrikaners who the flag represents, since he is disrespecting the flag by cutting it. He uses the rope to create a collar for the dog, reinforcing his love for the pet. The dog follows the boy around showing that he is loyal to him. The older white man is introduced by standing in a window then comes outside holding a gun, which sets up the gun as an important object and shows that he is most likely a violent person, as the only people we have seen so far are women and children, not a threat to his safety. Him standing in the window could represent how he presides over the people on his land.
We get a sense of setting when the camera shows us the people working in the fields, and the boy running across an open field. It gives us a sense of how large the farm is. Later in the film, we also see the boy and man walking along the edges of the farm fixing fence posts, so we can expect the farm to be quite large.
The shots in the beginning of the film are shot from far away, when we see the boy and dog running and playing. This gives us the effect of an open wide world but could also have the suggestion of the point of view of the white man, seeing the child have fun with the dog. Most of the shots are shot from relatively close up, especially during tense scenes. When the man points the gun at the boy, we see it from directly in front of the barrel, giving a tenser feel to it.
Two shots that I felt were important came around the 7 minute mark. After the man kicks the dog, we see an image of the boy sad after the dog runs away since it thought he was the one who did it. Jumping forward in the future we see the boy raise the flag of independent South Africa. Cutting from him as a boy to him as a teenager shows that he still remembers the event with the dog like it just happened, even thought it is much later in the movie.
The sound and video are used well together in the beginning to create a peaceful and carefree atmosphere. We see open fields and are treated to the beautiful songs of the two working women. This makes it all the more distressing when the singing women and wide open shots are taken away and we get up close to the characters and see the visceral reactions of the man kicking the dog and the boy seeing the dog get kicked.
In short, having a short film like this helps us simplify and more easily understand the techniques used in big budget films.
For the second part of the Analysis, I will compare Inja to the Introduction of Indiana Jones and the Ark of the Covenant. There are much less characters in Indiana Jones, just Indiana and his unnamed Peruvian companion. We are introduced to Indiana with him carefully preparing to switch out a golden idol with a bag of sand. He empties some of the sand to make it weigh equal to the idol. This scene shows us that Indy is intelligent and perceptive, as he doesn’t just take the idol without being careful. The guide hides behind a stone statue while Indy takes the idol, hinting at his cowardly and betraying nature.
The setting takes place in an ancient temple and we barely get any look at the outside. The temple is essentially one long hallway and Spielberg uses closeup and over the shoulder shots to help give us a scale of the cramped corridor our characters are in. When Indy jumps over the pit, the shots come from deep inside, showing us the danger he is truly in. The shots are very cramped and give the sense that the temple has barely enough move to room. The shots of Indiana struggling to climb up are shot from the perspective going down the vine, giving extra tension as we see the rope begin to fray and break apart.
The shot in the beginning of Indiana replacing the idol is slow and meticulous as we build up in tension until the boulder comes crashing down. Then we switch to quicker close-ups, heightening the explosive action. The shots never become too quick though like modern movies where you can barely tell whats going on. Once the stone door starts to close, the shots have Indy framed under it as he struggles to climb up, giving us the image of his time to escape seeming smaller than it is as we see the door come closer to crushing him in the frame.
Visually the movie looks great, with the golden idol bathed in light, making it appear more valuable. One of my favorite parts of the movies as a kid was the music. John Williams score creates a great sense of adventure and suspense, and it has stuck with me years after seeing the movies.
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