A Synopsis of the Movie Looking For Alibrandi

During life there are many events that we face which help us change our perspectives and gain wisdom. The Bildungsroman feature film Looking For Alibrandi, directed by Kate Woods and released in 1999, as well as the novel Looking For Alaska, written by John Green and published in March of 2005 both explore the transformation from innocence to wisdom. Both of these texts explore the idea that the more we know about people and the more we observe and listen, the greater the opportunity for tolerance and wisdom in the future. The protagonists in each text undergo changes in their lives that cause them to re assess situations and in turn gain wisdom. During the film Looking For Alibrandi, Josie's perspective of her grandmother changes from viewing her as nagging old woman to having a loving, caring, respectful relationship with her. The film enables viewers to see the stages in which Josie’s perspective changes as she gains knowledge about her grandmother. Initially Josie hates having to spend time with her grandmother, until the scene ‘The Baby Would Stop The Curse.’ This scene builds on the changing relationship between Josie and Nona. The scene begins with the diegetic crashing sound of one of Nona Katia’s photo albums falling to the floor. As Josie walks into the room a high angle shot shows Nona Katia scraping up the photos, with an overhead shot of a photograph of Marcus Sandford, who turns out to be one of Nona Katia’s lovers. When Josie asks who is in the photo, Nona Katia recounts an anecdote of Marcus comforting her after the death of her parents from influenza. As Katia tells the story the camera zooms in to a close up which shows the emotion on her face as she is recounting. Instead of Josie disrespecting her Nona, a shot-reverse-shot shows her listening silently to the story that Nona Katia is telling. When Nona finishes telling her story, Josie replies by asking if Nona still wants her to do her hair in Italian dialogue. The Italian dialogue at the end of this scene clearly represents a shift in Josie’s perspective towards her Nona. After hearing what Nona Katia has been through, Josie has gained knowledge which in turn leads to her gaining a sense of tolerance and wisdom. Another key event in the film Looking For Alibrandi that changes Josie's perspective is the return of her father, Michael Andretti. Initially, before Josie has even met Michael, she resents him. She feels that he abandoned her mother while she was pregnant. Josie’s perspective on Michael doesn’t shift until she is in need of his help. The crisis is created by Josie breaking Carly Bishops nose, and brings to light a new beginning for Michael and Josie when Michael comes to the rescue as a metaphorical guardian angel. After Josie calls for Michael Andretti’s help, the interactive waiting music creates the tension for the viewers in the hope that Michael comes to the rescue. When Michael shows up and enters the room Josie’s dialogue of “Can we talk for a minute dad?” as well as a shot-reverse-shot clearly conveys the significance of the moment for both of them. This scene shows both characters acknowledging their father/daughter relationship, and Michael Andretti finally stepping into his father role. Michael supports Josie, however he forcefully reminds her that the world is full of people like the Bishop family. He encourages Josie to deal with her problems in an appropriate adult way, which is still giving Josie the independence that she desires. The end of this scene shows Josie and Michael descending the stairs of the school following Carly Bishop and her father who are mid-argument. The orchestral, pleonastic music as well as the dialogue “How was court today dad?” demonstrates that there has been a shift in perspective for both characters. After Josie realises that her father Michael wants to be a part of her life she begins to respect and tolerate her father more than in previous times. The toleration of her father leads to her understanding of her family and in turn helps her to gain wisdom. At the beginning of the novel Looking For Alaska the protagonist Miles Halter leaves his home for a boarding school in search of a ‘great perhaps.’ John Green’s use of the metaphor of the ‘great perhaps’ gives the reader of the novel as little knowledge as the main character Miles does with the same subject. Miles’ initial perspective is that he has no mission in life, and is worried that he will never figure out the meaning of life, which is an un ending question no one will ever know the answer to. Throughout the novel Miles makes friends with a group of both guys and girls at his boarding school who change him into the person he never thought he’d be. Miles’ love interest Alaska introduces him to the idea of the ‘labyrinth of suffering.’ The labyrinth is another metaphor; however the ‘labyrinth’ is symbolic of life. Alaska says to Miles “How will I ever escape this labyrinth of suffering?” in which she is rhetorically asking how she will escape her terrible life. After this day, Miles makes it his mission to find out how to escape the labyrinth, rather than finding the ‘great perhaps.’ One hundred and thirty six days into the novel Alaska Young dies, sending Miles’ need to answer her question into overdrive. After Alaska’s death, Miles finds out more about her, and soon after comes to the realisation that the only way out of the labyrinth is forgiveness, and that was his ‘great perhaps.’ After Miles realises the way out of a terrible life is to forgive yourself for the bad things you have done his perspective on life changes. Throughout the process of finding this out Miles gained knowledge about Alaska Young, and her ideas of suffering, this, in turn increased Miles’ level of wisdom. These two texts have many similarities and differences. Both of the protagonists in these texts lose their love interests; John Barton for Josie, and Alaska Young for Miles, and the deaths of these loved ones brought them closer to other people in their lives. Both Miles and Josie rebelled against their families beliefs in hopes of a better life, only to realise that the whole time their families were right, Josie’s family plays a very large part in the text Looking For Alibrandi, however Miles Halter’s family were only present during the beginning of the novel, and at the end. After gaining knowledge of the people in their lives, both Josie Alibrandi and Miles Halter gained wisdom. The texts Looking For Alibrandi and Looking For Alaska both explore the transformation from innocence to wisdom and the more we know about people and the more we observe and listen, the greater the opportunity for tolerance and wisdom in the future. The protagonists in each text both had to undergo changes in perspective to go from innocence to wisdom, yet both in the end had positive outcomes.