The Lovely Bones Analysis

Analyzing the movie The Lovely Bones, my favorite film for a while now, it took me a while to think of what makes it cinematic. When I thought of the word “cinematic,” I automatically thought of the different elements of literature such as characters, setting, conflict, plot, and so on. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, the word means “of, relating to, suggestive of, or suitable for motion pictures or the filming of motion pictures.” From my understanding, cinematic refers to the play of elements of literature in successive frames of action that make up a scene or multiple scenes. I think being cinematic is not a list of standards or parameters that say whether a film is cinematic or not, but rather the movie in itself and all its details. So, generally, any movie with sense and flow is cinematic in its own way.
The movie, The Lovely Bones, takes place in 1973 in Pennsylvania, with a 14-year old Susie Salmon as the protagonist. One day, as Susie was walking home from school, she ran into George Harvey, one of her neighbors, at a cornfield. George told her he had a secret “clubhouse”, and was able to lure Susie into this underground room just beneath the cornfield. This is where George Harvey eventually raped and murdered Susie Salmon. The movie revolves around Susie and her family getting through the disappearance of Susie. As Susie dies, she remains in this world of Limbo or “in-between”, where she is able to watch her family and friends deal with the situation. There are also glimpses of George Harvey’s view of the world that show what he goes through in trying to keep his murders a secret. It’s later realized in the movie that Susie wasn’t George’s first victim, but there were numerous girls prior to her.
In the context of the movie, it’s fairly easy to observe the different motifs that are formed as the movie progresses. One motif is the porch light or lantern the Salmon family used. When Susie had not come home, her family left a light on their