Ah yes, The Theory Of Everything... A charming film about, to my surprise, the personal life of Stephen Hawking.
Upon going into the film, I thought there would be more of a direct approach to his working life and all the fantastic thing's he has achieved, instead, I was presented with an adorable little film about his love life, the progress of his illness and his family. The Theory Of Everything truly does depict a story of a remarkable man, but even more so, a remarkable woman. I was someone who knew less than nothing about Jane Hawking before watching this film, but it's safe to say - what an incredible woman. She was someone who stood by Stephen through thick and thin, and by the sounds of it, continues to stand by him. The way Jane is represented is very delicate, accompanied by a great performance from Felicity Jones, an actress whom i've always been a fan of since I saw her in Ricky Gervais' Cemetery Junction. An even more fantastic performance was from Eddie Redmayne, a.k.a "that bloke from Les Mis". The way that he emphases the worsen of Stephen's illness and in the appropriate, but not over the top, way he shows the illness towards the end is incredibly skillful - and will most probably turn out to be an oscar winning performance (or at least nomination).
This film is incredibly thought provoking, especially if you're someone who's in a relationship... I must admit that I spent a lot of the film wondering if I'd be strong enough to be someones 'Jane' if they got a life changing illness. It's a very emotional film that clearly shows that no matter how bad you think things are, you can always get through it. Highly recommended!
At the beginning of
the scene, we see Lil Ze look at Rockett and Benny hugging, immediately we see
Ze's face changes, as he is jealous of the relationship they both have. This
shows the representation of power from Lil' Ze and how he craves it. As he
needs to be the constant centre of attention, he struggles to accept that Benny
has other friends. This also shows a poverty of emotion from Ze's point of view
and he lacks the ability to control his emotions in a constructive way, and
instead feels that aggression is the only appropriate action. It further shows
the poverty of Ze's understanding as he tragically argues with Benny, his only
friend.
We then see a shot of Blacky hiding behind a pillar at the back of the
party. Due to a previous scene, it is clear to the audience that Blacky's
intention is to kill Lil Ze. If he succeeds then the gang's territory will then
belong to Carrot, however Blacky's intention is purely for revenge. The fact
that Blacky is hidden around the corner could represent that in this urban
environment, the lust for power lurks around every corner.
The conflict shown between Lil Ze and Rockett is based on jealousy from Lil
Ze over the attention of Benny. As Lil Ze is used to being the leader, he is
shocked to find out that Benny actually has a more successful life. He has a
girlfriend, friends; money and the ability of communication and being liked by
the community. It is at this point that Lil Ze realises that although on a
materialistic point of view, he appears successful, he suffers from incredibly
emotional poverty.
When the strobe light comes on, this could represent the flickering of life.
A lot like the flickering of a candle, the more it flickers, the more likely
the candle is to go out. As the strobe light continues, it allows the lust for
power (represented visually by the character of Blacky) begins to close in.
Blacky then takes a shot at Lil Ze but misses and hits Benny. The strobe light
continues but the moments of darkness become longer, showing that the lust for
power has taken a life and will always ultimately over ride any human
relationship and Lil Ze attempts to maintain.
Lil Ze then takes out his aggression on Benny's girlfriend, Angelica, as she
represents a life that Benny had that Lil Ze could never lead. She is a
reminder about how lonely Lil Ze is and how he cannot get a girlfriend, or have
the ability to keep a human relationship without letting the aim for power to
take over. Angelica can also represent Lil Ze himself. As Benny and Lil Ze have
been friends since they were children, Lil Ze obviously loved and cared about
Benny. As he shouts at Angelica and blames it on her, it seems like Lil Ze is
aware that it is his fault and is blaming it on himself; as at one point in Benny’s
life, Lil Ze would of been the emotional support and he later received from
Angelica.
Finally, Lil Ze shoots his gun into the air, showing that his extreme
emotional poverty is something that is only taken out with aggression. As the
strobe light begins to fade to darkness, it shows how a lust for power has
finally closed in and how the inner conflict that Lil Ze faces with be his ultimate
downfall.
