First Post- Introduction and Reaction to Snowy

 

                        Link: https://www.pressherald.com/2021/01/11/indie-film-snowy-the-turtle-and-his-documentarians-are-going-to-sundance/

One reason I am taking film and screen is to learn about genres I have never considered. I tend to watch the same films over and over again because I am hesitant to any aspect of change. Even so, I have seen comedies, dramas, biographies, musicals, sports films, and action and history films. I have never seen short, silent, black-and-white, or science-fiction films. When talking with friends about films, I stick to the same lines of "Yeah, it was a good movie..." or "Did you like the part when...?" I cannot recall a time I had an in-depth conversation with someone about the cultural relevance or cinematography of a film.  Never have I asked about the meaning behind a character's depiction in a film or thought about camera angles. In my mind I thought the angles were intriguing and added to my liking of the movie, but I had not asked why the angles appeared as they did. I rarely take a step back after watching a film to think about my favorite scene or the moment I experienced the heaviest emotions. Viewing Snowy in class helped me begin paying attention to the subleties in a film, such as colors, characters, angles, dialogue, and the setting.

Snowy is the first short film I have ever seen. At first, I was not sure of my thoughts on the film. Snowy appeared to be a film about a turtle's journey from a small cage to a larger cage and then to the outdoors. The care Larry showed Snowy was palpable, and I wanted Snowy to be the happiest he could be in the film. Larry thought he was taking great care of Snowy, and, while Snowy was still living, the turtle's living conditions needed improvement. The expert in London mentioned Snowy's sad state and need to go for walks and experience the outdoors- a phenomenon neglected with a small cage in the basement. Snowy seemed to be stagnant everytime the camera panned to him in the cage. Once outside, the turtle was crawling around and even got a 'ride' from Larry's stomach to the ground. The drone shot at the film's end confused me at first, but my opinion changed after hearing our class discussion. The filmmakers may have been zooming out from the top of the house to show Larry and Snowy's bond and story is only one story, as the houses all around the pair contain stories too.

I felt sadness when the expert explained Snowy's beak was broken and he was sad. She explained how Snowy had strong survival insticts and his being alive could be attributed to Larry not doing everything wrong (not Larry doing everything right). The film then turned back to Larry, as the expert relayed Snowy most likely knew Larry's face and voice. After the suggestion Snowy should go for walks and entertain a bigger exploration area, the film plays "heavenly music" when Snowy and Larry are outside. Larry's wife, who stated she let Larry handle the turtle tank, joined her husband and their pet turtle outside near the end of the film. My favorite shots of the film were the close-ups of Snowy walking around in the grass, as Snowy seemed to be the king of his own little world. The following zoom-out showed how small Snowy looked in the grass from the human eye, but the close-up camerawork made Snowy stand tall in the grass. The triumphant music when Larry transported Snowy to a larger cage was fitting in the fact Snowy received his larger habitat after 24 years. 

Snowy was initially bought for Will, but Larry became the sole caretaker up until the end when we see Larry's wife in the yard too. The filmmakers' goal was to help Snowy and the documentary led to a London trip resulting in Larry's increased awareness and Snowy's expanded habitat. The expert highlighted as we think about the similarities between reptiles (or mammals) and us, we may start to care for them to a greater degree. Snowy brought this family together in an interesting way. The kids desired nothing to do with him, while the parents, (Larry at first), kept a close eye on him. A larger message of caring for those around you, no matter who they are, can be taken from Snowy.