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Family and Matilda

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Family and Matilda
MATILDA Michael Skourtis

The film Matilda is a clear representation of the concept of belonging, the ideas that are conveyed in the film are relevant to belonging by how they are displayed. The ideas of belonging in Matilda are that Matilda doesn't belong in her family; Matilda finds a sense of familial belonging with Miss Honey, Matilda finds a sense of familial belonging but with classmates and that the catalyst for belonging is the personality of Ms Trunchbull, it creates a sense of unity for the class - giving them a purpose. These ideas of belonging are described by the use of camera angles, tone, quotes and the use of narration.
From the start of the film you come to realise that Matilda doesn't relate or is able to connect to her family. This relates to belonging that Matilda doesn't belong to her own family she doesn't connect; this is demonstrated in the quotes "Are you in this family?” "Mmmm… "Hello?" "Are you in this family?" "I'm fed up with all this reading! You're a Wormwood, you start acting like one! Now sit up and look at the TV" this quote is telling us that she loves reading but her family love watching television so the father questions her daughters belonging in this family. This therefore creates the sense of alienation between Matilda and her family.
Throughout the movie the use of tone and colour with what Matilda and her family wears indicates the separation between her and her family, an example of this is that Matilda wears articulate clothing like the bow in her hair and the violet dresses but her family wear suits and cocktail dresses like those that wear on the television which are superficial that they idealise so much.

Matilda finds a sense of familial belonging with Ms Honey. When Matilda first enters her classroom she gets a strong sense of belonging with her teacher Ms Honey, because she is drawn in by her warm kind hearted nature. She looks up to Miss Honey as a mother figure and both have the same respect for one

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