Short Film Removed By Nathanael Matanick

In the short film Removed by Nathanael Matanick a young girl, Zoe explains her thought and feelings while we see her journey of originally living in an abusive home then getting separated from family and moving around many different foster homes. She feels trapped, alone and traumatised from her family been taken away from her. The film is to raise awareness about family violence. Matanick really allows us to feel what it would be like in Zoe’s situation and we begin to understand some of the thoughts and stages of a child who has been the victim of family abuse. For us to understand how Zoe’s feeling Matanick uses ambient sound, dialogue, mid-shots, voice over and high angle shots.
Matanick uses ambient sound to show us Zoe’s thoughts. Zoe
She is looking out to the distance with her hair wild and blowing over her face in slow motion. When can see through this mid shot that in her mind her thoughts are running wild, she may not talk about them but she isn’t afraid to think to think about her life. However, she is sitting there by herself (which we can see in the mid shot is only rocks behind her.) This demonstrates that Zoe feels isolated and alone, like there is no one else in her position, she cannot talk to anyone. It is dimly lit in the mid shot to express her darker feelings but a small portion of light is shining through in the corner to show hope. In this case it represents her brother which is hope for her. When can she these feelings in a zoom in during the mid-shot. The slow motion represents that for her it feels like these feelings and the situation she is in will never end. This technique can relate to the high angle of her in the shower. This represents Zoes actions and puts them into her feelings. Zoe explained in a voiceover that she is, “drowning in her thoughts.” Both of these techniques show her trapped in her thoughts. The mid shot shows her alone and isolated whereas the high angle shows that she is with people but still alone and isolated because it seems as if the people she is with don’t