About a Girl: Textual Analysis

As part of our group’s research into the short film genre, I will analyse some short films in order to get a clearer idea of the conventions of the genre. The first of which is called About a Girl (2001, Brian Percival).

The film begins with a short title sequence which shows the title of the film in the style of a text message. From this the audience can already tell that the subject matter of the film is going to be about a young person, or young people. The title sequence is an important part of any film as it can often foreshadow the events of the film itself, and it allows the audience’s preconceptions to help to shape their expectations of the film.

It then cuts to a shot of a young girl in silhouette singing a Britney Spears song. This very powerful shot of the girl against a cloudy sky symbolises the fact that the girl is alone, while the threatening clouds represent her troubles and the shocking events which unfold in the film’s short runtime. The song that she is dancing to also highlights the fact that the girl is young despite the fact that throughout the film she says she does not want to be treated as a child.

The next shot is a close up of the girl walking along a canal. The dirty, industrial ‘feel’ of the canal along with her accent let the audience know that she is poor, working class, and living in an undesirable area. In contrast with this however, is the fact that she is wearing an oversized white coat. The white symbolises her perceived innocence as a child, while the fact that the coat is so large could be seen as a form of defence (which is significant to the end of the film).

Straight away she is talking about flushing dental floss down the toilet. After watching the film it becomes clear that this is foreshadowing the film’s twist, in that her life is a constant battle to hide things from her parents.

Throughout the film, she appears to favour her dad; talking about how he buys her ice cream and constantly undermines her mum. This is then juxtaposed against shots of her talking to her dad while he pays no attention to her what so ever. Another shot which is extremely effective is of the girl sitting outside the pub where her dad is drinking. The camera pans out, showing the girl isolated and alone. Her white coat stands out as the only innocence in an otherwise harsh environment.

We then see a shot of her and her friends on a bus. This is the only time in the film where she is not wearing her white coat. This shows that this is the only time she can let her guard down – they are the only people who she can be herself around, and it appears that she is having fun as she enjoys singing. The song’s lyrics are also ironic, as she is actually not as innocent as she seems. In another shot, she is seen trying on perfume in a shop. The then lies to the shop keeper about her mum. This reinforces the idea of her lost innocence.

Throughout the film, the girl is walking along a canal. This becomes significant at the end of the film. When she reaches her destination her mood changes as she stops talking about her family and reflects on what she is doing. When we see the canal from a high angle shot, the water looks dark and foreboding.

As she throws the bag in the water the audience is left wondering what was in it, as she turns and walks away without a second glance. The poignant twist is then enhanced by the underwater shot coupled with the diegetic sound of water.

The film is clearly designed to shock the audience. It touches on sensitive issues such as teenage pregnancy and neglect in a way which leaves the audience thanking about it long after the film has finished. While our film may not deal with such powerful issues, this is the effect we wish to achieve, and this analysis will hopefully help us do just that.