Sequence Analysis: Beneath Clouds

Beneath Clouds is a film about two young people escaping their surroundings. The two protagonists are at once both similar and juxtaposed, they are both quick to judge each other, never fully realising that they are similar in more than one way. The sequence i will be concentrating on is one of the opening scenes (approximately 4 minutes into the feature) wherein Lena is sitting at a bus stop talking to her friend, Ty. The clip can be found at http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/beneath-clouds/clip1/.

For the majority of this sequence only diegetic sound is used that helps to creates the monotony in which Lena is living. We can see from quick, frequent extreme close up shots of her face that she is caught in this crippling environment. Sen gives the audience a sense of her impending escape by showing a shot of Lena 01:10 minutes into the sequence, glancing up at the clouds and then to the truck driving past them. This shot cuts from an extreme close up on Lena's face to a long shot of the truck speeding past, both girls following the departing truck with longing eyes. This aids in illuminating Lena's wish to escape, with the use of many extreme close ups to emphasise the claustrophobia she has found herself in.
The point in which we see Lena's defenses crumbling and her world beginning to cave in is when her friend Ty, admits to Lena; "i think I'm pregnant". After this line is said we hear the beginnings of non-diegetic music playing softly and slowly in the the background, allowing the audience to feel the import of the moment. The girls do not make eye contact with each other, the shame is plain to see on Ty's face, this is followed by long extreme close up shots of Lena's face, Ty's face and a mid shot of two boys across the road joking around on their bikes. The long pause before Lena replies is a clear indicator of her disappointment and tangible defeat. This revokes the response "you're never gunna get out of this shithole, Ty. You know that, don't ya?". Ty leaves to join the boys across the street and it cuts to an extreme long shot of Lena walking across an endless expanse of land, this shot shows beautifully, the insignificance of Lena compared to the infinite space created in the shot. Lena passes a young girl with a child in a stroller and the un-diegetic music becomes more dynamic and emotive as the realisation of the reality of Ty's situation become apparent. The music indicates that this is close to the breaking point for Lena, the whole sequence sets up the idea of hopelessness and monotony, of sympathy and disappointment.
Iven Sen creates a tangible atmosphere in this sequence and in the whole feature. His use of extreme close ups juxtaposed with extreme long shots shows the dynamic human presence in film. We are at once important and insignificant in comparison to the wide stretching landscape.