Journey In The Film 'Beneath Clouds' By Ivan Sen

A journey can be described as a passage one may undergo in order to reach a destination. Journeys can be both physical and emotional. As well as this journeys can be a positive and negative experience. The notion of journey is apparent is “Beneath Clouds” by Ivan Sen, as well as in related texts “Stand By Me” by Rob Reiner and “Bushwalking” by Phillip Rush. The idea of Journey in these texts is portrayed through obstacles, various poetic and film techniques.
Beneath Clouds is a movie about a physical and emotional journey undertaken by Lena and Vaughn. Firstly, the idea of journey is developed from the start when the wide-open road ahead of Lena and Vaughn is displayed by a long camera shot. The tranquillity of the camera shot informs the audience of the physical journey ahead.
As the movie progresses Lena and Vaughn find themselves in a hitchhiking situation.
Various panning shots are used to show the path of the vehicles. However the use of clever obstacles notably affects the progression of the journey. Vaughn, being of Aboriginal decent, is constantly tackled with racism from white people. When in need of a lift, Vaughn finds himself continuously getting rejected by white drivers. This obstacle proves to be a negative factor in completing his journey. As Vaughn is a fugitive, he is under constant threat from police officers which, as transpired, hinders his journey. The deterrence of the conclusion of Vaughn’s journey is made apparent when police officers pull over Vaughn’s driver in search of an escaped fugitive. After a bloody brawl, Vaughn escapes and as a result Vaughn is left in a more difficult position on his journey as his situation is made apparent to police
officers.
Sound effects also contribute in developing the notion of journey. Lena and Vaughn, when found in a cold situation are left to light a fire at the church. The sound is made highly apparent and the amplification of the sound of the fire burning develops a natural and smoothing sense throughout the situation. At this part of the journey, the viewer is left to appreciate the beauty of resting when on such a tough physical journey. As well as this, the use of a close-up shot is implemented to show the anguish developed on the faces of both characters in their journey.
The notion of Journey is subtly, yet powerfully portrayed through “Stand By Me”. The notion is explored through the physical movement and the obstacles faced by the four boys Gordie, Chris, Vern, and Teddy, through various film techniques.
Firstly, the journey is explored with a reflective tone. A voiceover is added to scenes to add to the reality of the scene and also to communicate the film at a personal level. This allows the general audience to capture the movement lived by the four boys. Music such as “Lollypop” shows the context of the film (that it is shown in the 1950’s) and the antiquity of the film, adding to the notion explored. As well as this the context is also made apparent by the haircuts of the characters and by use of a steam train.
Physical movement was also evident in the movie. The whole movie is revolved around going from their town of eleven hundred people to the forest around the river thirty kilometres away to find a dead body, and the point of view shot of the bridge in the first scene establishes that the audience is invited into the journey. Furthermore, the extreme long shots of the spacious and green countryside numerous times show the long physical journey ahead.
Obstacles that were faced by the four boys have added to the notion of the journey explored by the four boys. A minor danger was depicted with an undershot of Vern as he dropped his comb. This minor danger perhaps was a foreshadow to the following sequence that showed a train coming and almost crashing Gordie and Vern. This has the effect of suspending the audience as if they were in grave danger.
Bushwalking is a poem outlining a man and his passion for climbing mountains. The poem goes through the positives and negatives of the physical journey. Both punishments and rewards of physical journeys are also discussed.
Phillip Rush refers to the obstacles that take place throughout this journey. Examples of this is when “Not for the joy of aching knees, or scrambling over fallen trees” and “Not for the joy of cracking packs, that cause so many aching backs” is said. The writer here is referring to the difficult parts when undergoing a physical journey such as this.
Rhyme such as “massive cliffs of sombre grey, stretch towards the timeless day” is used to in this poem to add effect. The rhyme flirts with the viewer giving them the view of peace and harmony in their mind. The use of rhyme also keeps the reader interested and involved throughout the journey of the character.
Use of point of view in this poem has also occurred in “A city dweller cannot see the view that lies in front of me.” There is a range of intimacy in point of view. The viewer gets the closest possible connection to the thoughts and feelings of the character. If the viewer feels connected to the character they will understand the situation and circumstance of the physical journey. The use of first person,”me”, helps portray point of view.
Overall, the notion of “journey’ is made apparent in texts “Beneath Clouds”, “Bushwalking” and “Stand By Me”, with such tools as obstacles, context, poetic and film techniques. These tools help viewers have a greater understand of the characters and the journey they undertake.