Message Of The Film example essay topic

a) What message is the filmmaker trying to communicate? Gregory Hoblit, the filmmaker of Frequency, has many things to say about the sequence of events in life. Hoblit is clearly trying to convey to his audience that things in life happen for a reason, good and / or bad, and when we change the sequence of events, there are major repercussions that can and will change everything in and around the lives of all those affected by the events. This is a complicated notion, made clear by a complicated story and a complicated film. But, Hoblit pulls it off, and lets his audience know that life is delicate, and whoever determines what should happen in the lives of the people on earth (God) is a force that shouldn't be reckoned with. I believe that one of Hoblit's messages is specifically about God, though this message can be interpreted for any belief system.

There is a force somewhere in the universe, and this force has the power to make people happy, and also to destroy their lives. In one scenario, Frank, Julia, and John are a happy family, living a dream. But then, their lives are destroyed and Frank is dead, leaving John fatherless and always missing something in his life. But somehow, Frank and John are able to connect through a span of 30 years, and they have the opportunity to make their lives whole again by changing the course of history and the sequence of events of their lives. But they unleash something that cannot be explained and its puts their past, present, and future lives in danger. So, Frank and John have to solve mysteries and, again, change the course of history.

But should they? Or should the have just accepted what the universe had planned for them, and lived their lives given them? Should we question higher power, or are we just playing with fire? I believe that Hoblit, though maybe a bit ambiguous, is really telling his audience that the universe shouldn't be messed with, and there really is no way to mess with the universe. Frank and John changed history through an unexplainable hole in time, but we can't. There is no way for normal people to change the past.

So, we must embrace what is given to us and live life to the fullest because everything that happens happens for a reason and will only make us stronger and better people. b) How are Christianity, Christian churches, and / or Christ-like figures portrayed in the film? Christianity and Christian churches are not specifically addressed in this film, except during the short funeral flashbacks when a priest can be seen speaking. Christ-like figures are an important aspect of this film, though. Both the father, Frank, and the son, John, can be seen as Christ-like figures, for they become the saviors of their own lives, and the lives of other women who are in danger. They become miracle workers who are blessed with the miracle of an unexplainable time travel. Frank and John are able to connect from a span of thirty years and are able to change the lives of everyone around them. c) Who is the intended audience for this film?

This film is marketed as. ".. an intense and entertaining thriller" and therefore is aimed at a young mature audience, probably aged 18-46. Because it is marketed as a thriller, it is a film aimed at males, but the lead actors, Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel bring in the female audience, both young and older. I wouldn't say that this film is aimed at Christians or non-Christians because there is no real religious appeal to the film until after it has been viewed and the message has been fully interpreted. The film's structure is quite complex, so a more mature audience would most likely benefit from the message and the overall film itself. d) What is the film's structure? Frequency is a film that requires more than one, maybe even more than two, viewings before being in anyway clear. The film has multiple story lines that all converge into one main story.

Every time Frank and John change the course of history, a new story begins, a story that is built of off the last, but the last has to be almost forgotten, because in order for the new story to make sense, the old story can no longer exist. The stories are told in 1969 and 1999, during the month of October. There are many commonalities between the stories, most notably the presence of the Aurora Borealis, or northern lights, that seem to be the mysterious medium that connect a father and a son after thirty years of being apart. The use of this kind of structure in a film is peculiar, because it is very advances, and pretty difficult to keep up with. There are many different elements of the film to keep track of, flashbacks, dream sequences, different chronologies, different stories, etc. These multiple elements give the main story, the way in which the story ends, a deeper meaning and intensify the message.

The message is portrayed in the structure, because the main message says that everything happens for a reason, and if we change things no matter how good they seem, there are always repercussions; new stories begin, and old stories disappear. e) How is the film put together? The setting of the film is extremely important and effective because the setting is the medium that connects Frank and John. The setting is New York (Manhattan) and the time is 1969 and 1999. The most important aspect of the setting is the presence of the Aurora Borealis, for it is the mysterious thing that makes it possible for John and Frank to communicate. Lighting is also very significant to the film, especially in the beginning. There is a vast difference between the lighting in John's flashbacks and memories, and his present life.

This is the biggest contrast in the film, the past and his current situation. He present life at the beginning of the film is dreary and not as he wishes it to be, as his father is missing. Therefore, the lighting here is dark and ominous; the darkness is extremely depressing and is an insight into John's feelings of depression. On the other hand, when John, Frank, and Julia are together, in his childhood, in John's dreams and flashbacks, the lighting is bright, colorful, and happy. It is also very vivid and real; it is what John is yearning for. Special effects also play an important role in the make-up of the film, for the special effects relate are the medium in which the characters are able to communicate and connect.

This film is largely action based, as the main characters are a police officer and a firefighter. There is also a murder mystery thrown into the mix, adding to the suspense and drama. There are chases, fires, and of course the Aurora Borealis. The Aurora Borealis is perhaps the most important special effect, and it relates to the filmmaker's message about the sequence of events in the universe and the power that controls us all. The special effects scenes that feature the Aurora Borealis are awe-inspiring and add to the mystery that surrounds John and Frank's ability to connect. f) Are Christianity, Christian churches, and / or Christ-like figures portrayed effectively / persuasively ? Frequency is a film whose message is portrayed effectively persuasively from any religious standpoint.

The film has no absolute religious audience, which makes the message of the film more poignant to the viewer who understands the message and can take something away from it. As I noted before, Christianity and Christian churches are not mentioned per say, but there is a Christian feel presence in the film, most notably in the flashback and dream sequences. Death is a prominent aspect of Christianity in the film, which doesn't necessarily give it a negative portrayal, but rather a sad portrayal. The Christ-like figures in this film, John and Frank, are portrayed very effectively and persuasively. John and Frank are characters who mess with the sequence of events in their lives, and in the universe as a whole, but they work extremely hard to make things right again.

They are able to do this through a miracle of space and time, one that they used primarily for themselves in the beginning of the story, but in the end, they use their miracle of space and time to help change and make better the lives of so many. And they did this primarily in secret, without fanfare and without explanation. Frank and John are also modern day heroes and Christ-like figures through their occupations of policeman and fireman. And through all this, they give a certain appeal to Christianity and faith in general. g) How do the film's arguments relate to themes and issues we have studied in this course? This film most directly relates to the idea of predestination, or the idea that God has chosen in advance that certain events will come to pass. We have only begun to cover this idea in class, but I see a lot of parallels between the messages in Frequency and the idea of predestination.

According to Frequency, (in special circumstances) predestination has no real meaning, because it can be changed. Predestination is seen almost as a cruel punishment in the film, and an unfortunate way to look at things. The film says that the "predestine r" doesn't know best. The film seems to suggest that humans have a better idea about how the sequences of events in life should occur. But do we? Or should we just take the punches as they come?

Should humans just accept that life will happen as it will happen, and take away with them those all important life lessons that we are always hearing about? I think that the film says that there are major problems with changing the events in our lives, but there is no problem with questioning events in life. Questioning is something that we as Christians are taught to do, because we learn more about the faith and more about our faith as we question and learn the answers to our questions (or at least try to rationalize our questions). Overall, I think that the film asks us to accept what happens in our lives, question it and hope to learn from what is handed down to us in life by the higher powers.