Film Review Kramer. vs. Kramer. Essay Sample

Kramer vs. Kramer is movie that revolves around the life of Ted and his wife Joanna. The two live together but Joanna decides to leave Ted and their son Billy in New York. The movie gives an account of an ordinary family that goes through challenges and finally decides to divorce. Ted and Joan are the stars in the film where Ted is busy at work that he fails to give enough attention to his family. Joanna his wife decides to leave and Billy their son is left with Ted. It was produced in 1979 and became the best selling during this time. It also word an award as the best film of the year.

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Ted loves his work and he gives it more attention that family. He works with an advertising company and has just been promoted. Because of being too busy at work his wife leaves him with their son Billy a case that looks like separation. At first, Ted and Billy do not get along because Ted cannot do his increased work comfortably, but eventually, the two are in harmony, but Billy misses his mother's affection and attention. Ted becomes friends with their neighbor Margaret who had advised Joanna to leave Ted if she was not happy. After a while after of being apart, Joana returns to New York to ask for Billy, an issue that strikes to a court case. During the court hearing of their case, there is a significant character assassination from each one's lawyer to the defendant. It is at this point that Ted's issues of being dismissed at work because of too much parenting responsibilities that make him inefficient emerge. He was also forced to take up a lower-paying job after being fired. The court awards Joanna custody of the child based on the rationale that their mother better raises a child. Ted decides to appeal, but his lawyer advises him that in the appeal case, Billy will have to make the decision himself and because he does not want to subject his son to such a scenario, he foregoes the appeal. Ted and his son make breakfast for the last time in remembrance of their good times.

The film, in the beginning, brings out positive emotions of affection as Ted and Joanna seem to portray a perfect couple. But as it unfolds, it is revealed that Joanna is not happy in the marriage because Ted does not give her time for family and affection, he is a workaholic. It depicts the effects of a lack of family time and the impact it has on marriage and children. It explores how love can go sour to the point of two people who loved one another going their separate ways. It is a movie that has comedy but also brings out the reality of the mundane things in life. It introduces the change in parenting roles where traditionally, women were the primary caretakers of children, but as seen from the movie, men play a critical role in it as depicted by Ted.

Just like any other blockbuster movie, it presents an ordinary world with Star Ted being an everyday person working hard in his advertising work. There is also a call to the adventure where Joanna leaves to explore and discover herself. It is also characterized by tests, friends, and enemies. Ted is put to the test to fend for his son but meets a friend Margaret who gives him company Joanna becomes his enemy as she demands custody. The genre is a combination of both family and court drama. The cinematography of the film served the best purpose as the angles, camera focus, and lighting all portrayed the best of each scene. The emphasis of camera work at the first scene where she stares at her sleeping son links with her next action of leaving her. It has also utilized tracking shots to follow up on Bill as he sleeps and wakes up. The contrast of lighting is also amazing, where at the beginning, it is dark when Bill and Joanna are in a room, and it gets brighter when she is packing. The background music is also varied (non-diegetic sound) to depict both a happy and sad mood. The editing consists of temporal cuts, jump shots, montage, and invisible continuity.

The film is a high family drama that depicts how families struggle and eventually divorce because of a lack of attention and bonding. Work occupies the place of affection and family time, as seen from Ted. It is a high drama that is worth watching as it depicts reality in the form of drama and comedy. It sends emotions of happiness and sadness at the same time. It gives excellent family lessons to the viewer apart from just entertaining them. It mirrors society today and the suffering that children go through in divorced families.

References

Family Film. Kramer vs. Kramer 1979 Full Movie retrieved on 8th October 2019 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBTC9K_jgu8