The filmmakers do not give themselves an audible voice, which implies that the voice that should be heard is that of the people giving the interviews. The filmmaker's choice in remaining silent and letting the Amish individuals tell their own story is an effective communication tool, which succeeds in engaging the viewers interest.
Despite these two strengths, however, the film does have weaknesses. The most dominant one is the lack of resolution.. While failing to conclude the stories of the individuals interviewed could be interpreted as implying that life never resolves neatly, it also left the viewer feeling unsatisfied with the film. The film seemed to trail off, rather than resolve. The viewer has no way of finding out what happened to the characters after the end of the film, which is highly frustrating after becoming invested in their lives over the course of the
This detracted from the film because it caused the viewer to come away without a sense of conclusion, and thus leave the one unsatisfied.
The film The Devil's Playground was highly effective at communicating the experience of Amish youth going through rumspringa. The film speaks to a portion of the world most individuals have no experience with, and does so to great effect, allowing the viewer to identify with the individuals documented. It uses powerful visual images paired with narration, generating meaning through visual and verbal cues. In addition, it used interviews to great effect, giving the Amish individuals agency in telling their own stories rather than the filmmakers. However, its lack of solid conclusion detracted from the film, and left the viewer wanting more, rather than coming away with a sense of understanding and completion.
Guns, Germs, and Steel is the documentary film version of Jared Diamond's Pulitzer Prize winning book of the same name. Like the book, the documentary is divided into three separate sections. This allows for the logical development of Diamond's ideas, and for the application of the underlying thesis to different time periods, themes, and human populations. Although extensive ground is covered in the three episodes, the premise and themes
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