By Means Of The Visible By Mitchell Stephens: Film Analysis

Among the inversion of interpretation, the audience often finds oneself drifting into the path of trying to comprehend the overlying theme of the story; a theme, that often gets identified by using technical devices such as images and words. With the well-endowed analogy formulated by Mitchell Stephens, in By Means of the Visible, readers can quickly note the strengths and defects of both devices. Defects, that ranges from words, lacking the ability to portray abstract ideas to images, not being coherently clear to display one perception. Had it not been for the level of preparation the authors may have, one can infer that both images and devices can accommodate to one another equally. However, we all know that in the majority of the cases,
Through his reasoning alone, “images can’t stem their own languages due to the fact, that they tend to say too much” (Stephens, 69). To a certain extent his comments are true, in our, film we photograph a lot of visualization that can be taken into different accounts, depending on the perspective eyes. For instance, in the again black to white photographic genre, Rocky finds himself lying on a bed, seeming to have no energy with a right eye that slightly was half-opened. This image can be perceived as either Rocky being exhausted and wanted to rest or as the true representation, of Rocky, lacking the physical strength to continue on. However, this critique from Stephens’ view can automatically be critical with narration as wells. With the author’s choices of diction, one can find oneself having a difficult time trying to distinguish the meaning that the author is trying to display due to varying perceptions of people. In order to limit these defaults, in our narrative, we decided to not go too extravagant with the images that are selected and thus, make them more nature-like, as to suit Sarah’s perspective. Sarah’s character has lived a life with traumatic experiences, that would almost indefinitely affect the way she perceives life. Therefore, with the motifs of the black to white backgrounds, it was used to represent her viewpoint of life. Sarah, prior to her parent’s departure perceive life with colors, but towards the
Prior to meeting Rocky, Sarah was reckless. She was in a state of mind that she didn’t want to let anyone in. Sarah simply wanted to continuously penalize herself, believing that she should have died as well as her parents did, on July 19, 1997. It was a moment in time, in which the idea of closure was ludicrous. It wasn’t until after Rocky’s departure, that you can actually note Sarah’s transformation. In the end of the film, an image of spreading ashes, (where one assumes to be Rocky’s) would automatically limit the viewer to conclude that the main character, Sarah, evolved into understanding death. With showing the ashes being emptied on a waterfront, not only gives heartfelt emotions to the viewers, but it allows in a nonverbal way, the notion of comparison. A comparison, as to assimilate when her parents died, she had no reconciliation of saying her goodbyes as she did with Rocky. This transition shows the maturity as well as the growing acceptance that Sarah realized that death was. An acceptance, that was reached by the confidant of another soul, Rocky. Possibly this theme of closure could’ve been expressed better in words, but no specific word choice would assert an emotional attachment between the viewer and Sarah. No other words would have been as powerful enough, then the ashes being spread, as to communicate to the viewers of Sarah’s final