What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Lasse Hallström the director of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape uses a range of film techniques to signify the importance of caring for others, and having responsibilities. The film focuses on the protagonist Gilbert, who of which is the unofficial guardian of his younger brother Arnie, who lives with a developmental disability. In Endora, Idaho frustrations and the desires for freedom lie within the thick, suffocating air the characters breathe. In this scene Gilbert narrates a biography of both Endora and his family. The director uses cinematography, editing, sound and symbolism to help the audience build a perceptive understanding of the scene.

At the beginning of the film Hallström uses cinematography and editing to set the opening background
The director opens the film with an extreme wide shot, also known as an establishing shot of the long-deserted road surrounded with dead grass flooding the fields of Endora. This allows the audience to have an insight of where the scene has been set. The director then transitions into a tracking shot. This allows the director to prognosticate with further detail the dead grass and allows the audience to develop an apprehensive understanding of what the dead grass symbolises. Lasse Hallström also uses editing within this scene. The features of editing shown are foreshadowing and straight cuts. Near the beginning of the scene there is a ten second shot of a broken-down caravan, this used in the film to foreshadow significant events that happen further on in the film, such as Gilbert meeting Becky. The use of the foreshadowing effect is significant as it enables the director to introduce themes, such as desire for freedom seen through the caravans driving through Endora. There is
Sound, specifically the dialogue, plays a crucial role in establishing the mood and to develop themes. Gilbert’s low cadence and monotonous voice conveys to the audience Gilbert's deep depression, whilst Arnie’s childlike voice and laughter makes it perfectly believable that he has a developmental disability. An example of Gilbert's depressing voice and Arnie’s over exaggerated voice is when Arnie asks Gilbert “how many minutes till they come?” and Gilbert responds with a dull, “3 million buddy.” This suggests Gilbert knows he doesn’t have to put any thought in his responses to Arnie as Arnie doesn’t understand in this context, the matter of time. Lasse Hallström also uses symbolism to signify the theme of responsibilities. The director uses the Grape’s broken down house to foreshadow later events such as the family breaking down and to symbolise that even though Gilbert is the official caretaker of the house he is mentally unable to cope with the pressure of having this role. We know Gilbert has this role when he says “it’s my job to keep up the repairs.” The Grapes house is also used to symbolise how Endora as a town is indigent and unable to compensate its lack of money income. Caring for