Film Scene Analysis

The Squid and The Whale (2005)

Writer/Director : Noah Baumbach

The film surrounds a dysfunctional family in 1986 Brooklyn. The parents, both writers, are going through a divorce while the children take sides and suffer abnormal social effects. The scene I chose to analyze is short and simple. It involves the mother Joan, played by Laura Linney, and the youngest son Frank, played by Owen Kline, son of Kevin Kline and Pheobe Cates, in the bathroom of their home looking into a mirror discussing their physical similarities.

1st shot: Both characters are balanced in the shot, one on each side. Frank is moving in the two axes. The lighting is high key. The framing is somewhat tight. The camera movement is stationary. The shot distance is medium. The lens type is normal.

2nd shot: Frank is in the foreground and Joan is in the background. The lighting is high key. The framing is tight. The camera movement is stationary. The shot distance is close. The lens type is normal.

3rd shot: Both characters are balanced in the shot, one on each side. The lighting is high key. The framing is somewhat tight. The camera movement is stationary. The shot distance is medium. The lens type is normal.

4th shot: Frank is in the foreground and Joan is in the background. The lighting is high key. The framing is tight. The camera movement is stationary. The shot distance is close. The lens type is normal.